I’ve placed a few shots of the Yellow Bittern with a Little Bittern comparison
shot on Bird Forum - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=286884
Thanks to Paul Walbridge for bringing the bird to our attention (and presumably
writing up the BARC submission). This bird has been well photographed and may
stay in situ long enough for it to be one of the most ticked individuals in
BAus history.
Regards, Laurie.
On 13 Jul 2014, at 11:46 am, Laurie Knight <> wrote:
> G’day
>
> To borrow the words attributed to a rugby league commentator, it’s pretty,
> it’s tame, it’s there.
>
> I joined a number of other birders (including some Birding Aussers) at the
> park on Wallaroo Circuit, most of whom had cameras. The Yellow Bittern was
> far more active than the Little Aus Bittern and was happy to be out in the
> open. It was unaffected by the twitcher’s attention. It flew around a fair
> bit - on average about every 15-20 mins and was often walking out in the
> open. One time it was flushed by a toddler chasing a scurvy looking domestic
> duck, and another time by a swamp hen when it was sitting on top of the reeds
> preening. It did just about everything you would expect a bittern to do,
> except hide.
>
> The Little Aus Bittern was much shyer in comparison, but did show nicely on
> occasion and even flew a distance once. I did manage to get both birds in my
> camera viewfinder at the same time (they were about 5 metres apart).
>
> The situation of the wetland is a neighbourhood park. It is a stone’s throw
> from houses, and you park beside the lake. One of the locals was spreading
> bird seed on the footpath, much to the delight of the waterfowl. There are
> also cats prowling the streets.
>
> There is a bush corridor running behind the lake and there was a koala
> loafing about 20 metres from one of the viewing spots. There is a concrete
> path running around the lake - a bridge at one end and a kiddies play area at
> the other.
>
> You can twitch the bird while having a family outing.
>
> As Brendan mentioned, the Yellow Bittern may well have been seen by a local
> birder in March and I heard one of the residents? saying that it had been
> there for two years. He thought there might be two, but might be referring
> to the Little Aus Bittern.
>
> I’m not sure why the comment was made the other day that the bird was off
> limits and that birders should stay away. The only place it would be off
> limits would be when it is on the golf course. Otherwise, there is no reason
> not to go and see the bird.
>
> I suspect the Yellow Bittern will be there for a while, so I would put it in
> the “must see” category if you are in Brisbane for any reason. As long as
> you don’t deliberately hassle it, you are unlikely to disturb it. It can be
> seen easily and at close quarters, so there is no need for silly behaviour to
> get a good photograph. The location is easy to get to and about 30 mins
> drive from the airport. You could probably get there via public transport.
>
> Time to look at the many pix I took this morning.
>
> Regards, Laurie.
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