I went out to Lake Dyer yesterday morning with Roger Jaensch & John Hadley.
Four Painted Snipe were visible - probably all adult males. Five is the most
seen at any one time since this group was first sighted on 11th February.
We took a look around the margins of the lake where previous sightings have
most often been, wondering if there might just be any further balance from
the 20 Painted Snipe that were not so long ago at the now dry Seven Mile
Lagoon. But, although I allowed myself to get excited briefly by what was
probably a Latham's Snipe alongside a group of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers - we
didn't strike the secretly hoped-for bonanza.
For the record, sightings of Painted Snipe in the Lockyer Valley over the
last couple of years are:
11 February 2002 to 22 February - Lake Dyer
3 Painted Snipe, 5 birds on 19th, 4 birds on 22nd - all males
19 November 2001 - Seven Mile Lagoon
2 Painted Snipe - no female.
2 October - 14 October 2001 - Seven Mile Lagoon
20 Painted Snipe - 4 adult females, several males & imms.
16 January - 30 January 2001 - Lake Dyer
4 Painted Snipe - adult female, adult male and two juveniles.
4 September 2000 - Lake Dyer
1 Painted Snipe - adult female. Remained for a week to ten days.
About 10 September 2000
Two Painted Snipe at another Forest Hill location. One-off sighting
And going back a bit further, we had an adult female Painted Snipe at
Abberton, hugging the creek bank on the morning of
11 November 1991 - watched for most of the day from the verandah! I still
check every day!
Going back earlier still, there are also occasional records at a lagoon just
a few kilometres from here, eg 21/11/82, 8/2/1990. I know I took a
photograph of the 1990 bird - but I can't track it down!
You will note that all of these Lockyer Valley records have occurred in the
period September to February.
But, March isn't far away.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at http://www.abberton.org
Email:
Ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111 Fax: (+61) 7 4697 6056
11 November 1991 - Abberton
Female at Abberton
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