While surveying a creek with adjacent vegetation here near Peppimenarti
Aboriginal Community (90 km from Port Keats/Wadeye far northwest Northern
Territory) where we are living at the moment, I came across a Rainbow Pitta. I
was a bit surprised as I had thought of them as largely inhabitants of monsoon
forests or vine thickets. It would certainly not be a resident here, as the
area it was in, was under water by 2m at least a little earlier this year
during the wet season. I don’t know of any nearby suitable pitta habitat that
would have escaped going under in the ‘wet’ and I guess as far as the NT is
concerned it is about as far south as they have been recorded, correct me if
I’m wrong. So I have just been trying to figure out where it has come from.
Also I have seen Orange-footed Scrubfowl along Tom Turner Creek that runs
behind the store here at Peppi and that area too was under water in the wet. So
somehow a couple of forest floor birds have made their way here recently. If
you are ever out this way the 3km wide flood plain here is worth a look. It has
all the wetland birds you could imagine.
Don Hadden
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
P O Box 1007, Malanda, Qld 4885, Australia
Mobile: +61 439958220 (not operational at the moment)
Home: +61 8 8978 1465
Work: +61 8 8978 1066
Web: www.donhadden.com for Australian bird images
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