Poor little guy! Wings in tatters, hopelessly lost and spending most of his
days bunkered down in the sand to keep out of the wind.
And now who's coming. Not another birdwatcher. Can't I get any peace? Lake
Wollumboola. It looked like a good refuge. When I get back home, that's if I
get back home, I'll tell them where I've been in the last six months and
they'll say "Where on earth is that?" and "did you have a good time?"
A good time! I should have worn a disguise. I tried to keep a low profile and
blend in with the stints but some smart-arse with a telescope always pointed me
out.
Some of them did wear disguises. Who were they kidding! They took so many
photographs I felt like a celebrity. Sneaking up in the sand dunes - now I know
how the royals feel.
And that's not all, the water in that lake had a lousy taste from all the swan
shit - you should have seen them - there were thousands of them. To add to that
you wouldn't believe some bloody land developer wants to settle hundreds of
humans on the western shore. Yuk!
One weekend (weekends were the worst) this guy flew over in a powered glider
and landed on the beach. You should have seen the panic and I simply had to try
to keep up. Then there was the lady with a dog. There were no dogs allowed but
she had it on a lead - the lead was a 30 metre length of rope. Now I'm good at
skipping.
Seriously, this is one unhappy wader. Easy to tell because he allows a very
close approach - doesn't want to move - sure sign of a sick bird.
So if you simply must get some photographs, cut him some slack. There are good
pictures on my website which you are welcome to use, taken with a 1500 mm lens,
so I didn't have to chase him.
It'll be interesting to see when the stints leave next month or so whether he
tries to follow. Wish him luck. Or her!
Cheers
Graeme Chapman
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