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G'day all,
2 weeks ago I visited Boulia .. which is 290
km road km S of Mount Isa.
It is a delightful little town now well known
for its excellent Min MIn display ( I made a 2nd visit)
The 1888 Stone House has been extended with the
addition of an impressive museum of local fossils.
It is also known for the dead Night
Parrot that was found 36km N of the town, on the side of the Mount Isa
road, in 1990
That specimen I have seen on display at the
Queensland Museum, Brisbane.
I had heard of another possible carcass seen 8
weeks ago on the Winton Road, but alas, after 10 hours walking up and down the
road I could not locate it. Another chance to achieve immortality has
escaped me ! But nothing tried - nothing achieved !
This town has won many Tidy Towns competitions
and even now is planting more native trees.
Even though I have visited the town many times I
had never previously thought of where their Sewage Treatment Ponds may
be.
When I saw their Water Truck (with a big "Effluent"
sign on its side ) trundling around town watering their new plants, I
immediately ran over to the driver and asked him for directions. After
a puzzled pause from him, I quickly explained I was a Birdwatcher. That
explained all. He realised I was only a mild eccentric and willingly gave me
detailed instructions.
They are about 250 metres from the Wills River
Bridge on the Winton Road.
Turn Left (North-East) at a big "Road Subject
to Flooding, Indicators show depth" sign onto a good gravel road and left
again immediately onto a dirt unmade track for about 100m. There are 3 ponds
plus an overflow outside the fence. This overflow was chock a block with
birds feeding in the mud .. but they flushed easily.
I quickly recorded over 40 species including an Emu
with 6 juveniles.
The overflow was hosting about 40 Brolga. Heaps of
Budgies kept coming in for a drink.
I am sure a longer observation period would have
returned more species.
The only wader was a single Curlew
Sandpiper
Regards
Bob Forsyth, Mount Isa, NW
Qld.
ps Note spelling of Sewage.
SEWAGE is the stuff that you
& I generate.
It is pumped via SEWERAGE
pipes to the Treatment Plants/Ponds
Thus they are correctly called SEWAGE Treatment
Plants or Ponds
Isn't English is a funny language
?
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