Yesterday we got one of our increasingly rare opportunities to go
birding, and, of course, it chose to pour half the morning!
Nevertheless the road-sides in the Richmond (NSW) and Cornwallis Road
areas produced a few nice sightings. We had a couple of Buff-banded
Rails wandering all over the road in Ridges Lane, Richmond, letting us
roll the car to within a few metres before slinking off into the long
grass. In Triangle Lane we had a flock of about 50 Zebra Finches, many
of them immature birds, and a lone Brown Falcon which flow close over
our heads. The highlight in Cornwell's lane was a pair of Stubble
Quail, which posed on the side of the road for about 15 minutes,
allowing a detailed perusal. The black mark on the chest of the male
was even more pronounced than in the field-guides. While we were
watching them, a Brown Quail obligingly trotted out of the grass on the
opposite side, providing a very welcome chance for comparison. The SQ
only retired briefly into the foliage when a car came past. They
quickly reappeared and finally flew over the road to lose themselves in
the grass.
We also tried for the Common Sandpiper at Yarramundi, where Keith
Brandwood said we might find it, but with no luck. Many thanks, Keith,
but the river was hugely swollen, and there was hardly a fisherman-free
spot where a self-respecting Sandpiper could have found much to do. It
appears to have been a very successful season for the Australasian
Grebes however, with stripey grebelets on almost every pond and puddle
in the area.
And a good flock of Needle-tails beside the Richmond Air-base, riding
before a storm-front!
John Clifton-Everest
--
Associate Professor John M. Clifton-Everest
Department of Germanic Studies
University of Sydney
(61) (2) 9351 2262
Fax (61) (2) 9351 5318
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