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G'day all,
This year, I have been concentrating my Birding
away from Mount Isa
These areas have included
- Alice Springs (recorded the Grey Honeyeater at
Olive Pink Gardens)
-
Broome (recorded Gouldian
Finches on the Dampier Peninsula with guide George Swann)
- Atherton Tablelands and Cape Tribulation down to
Mackay (nothing extraordinary)
But last Tuesday ACT resident and world traveller
John Penhallurick and owner of http://worldbirdinfo.net reactivated my
local inertia.
After visiting the well publicised Mica &
Sybella Creek locations for Ballara Grasswrens, John checked out the "new" area
at the top end of Pamela Street. This is on the way up to the TV transmitters.
He rang me on his mobile while they were still
virtually underfoot. I grabbed a camera and shortly afterwards I was able
to get some identifiable photos of one of several males. I did not see the
female that John saw when he was phoning.
This location was "found"
by recent Mount Isa resident Helen Morgan on her daily walks.
I have said many times "
these Grasswrens are on all the local hills . but usually on the other side
of the particular hill that you are searching !"
So
- Ballara Grasswren -
3 (At top
end of Pamela Street near the Water tanks)
Afterwards we visited various areas of Lake
Moondarra .. some are difficult to access
- Painted Finches -
100s (At the pool opposite the Booster Pump Station on way to the
Dam wall
- Cotton Pygmy-goose - 1 pair (This pair
are well out of territory & have been resident for several
years)
- Swamp Harrier - 1
pair (A rare
visitor)
- Spotless Crake -
2 (Well
out of accepted territory)
- Baillon's Crake - 2
- Black-tailed Godwit -
1 (My first for Mount
Isa)
- Freckled Ducks -
24
(An occasional visitor of recent years only)
- Mystery Raptor -
1
(Back to us on the ground. Dark body, with a white streaked
head,
and
flew as I blinked)
Regards from
Bob Forsyth
Mount Isa, NW
Qld.
ps Note my new email
address includes a zero in lieu of an "Oh"
ppps The camera is a Panasonic NV-GS15 Video
Camera with 24X Optical Zoom but "still photo shots" are saved
onto a standard SD Flash Card.
Its
reaction types is quite quick.
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