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Pink-eared Duck at Banyule Swamp (Vic)

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Subject: Pink-eared Duck at Banyule Swamp (Vic)
From: brian fleming <>
Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:58:33 +1000
After the windy weekend, this morning Banyule Swamp looked very nice in the sunshine, with masses of Water Ribbon in vigorous growth and a wide expanse of open water. Not great masses of ducks, but several Black Ducks and Chestnut Teal upending and others loafing. Three Hardhead among the Waer Ribbon clumps - and what was the duck under the fallen tree out in the middle? There was a solitary Grey Teal on the fallen tree, but under the tree was a definite single Pink-eared Duck. Even stern-on, impossible to mistake those bold flank stripes. Eventually, it briefly looked to its right - ID confirmed by large eyepatch in pale face and mudflaps on the bill. I've seen them here before, but by no means a common sighting.

Also about - lots of Australasian Grebe in breeding plumage and two separate Hoary-Headed Grebes. Black-winged Stilts splashing about in the shallows too and the two Black Swans sailing about. Walking eastward upstream from the car-park, I found a nesting pair of Noisy Miners, a nesting Tawny Frogmouth, and had a brief glimpse of a Pallid Cuckoo - to judge by sound effects there were several PCs present, of both sexes. I saw Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and Grey Thrushes, and as usual heard Eastern Shrike-tits but couldn't find them. They were probably on the south side of the billabong. The flowering Grey Mistletoe in the wattles had attracted New Holland Honeyeaters as well as the everyday White-plumed HEs and red Wattlebirds.

Anthea Fleming ===============================
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