Remarkable birding experience this arvo...

[James Rolevink <>]

Dear folks,

Just got back from a very warm day at the ANBG, and I must say it was a remarkable experience.

After an hour of not that much - a number of kookaburras, white browed scrub wrens, the obligatory crimsons, silver eyes, nearly forgot the water dragons that thrilled my mum who’s over from Adelaide, etc. - we ended up walking around the very top of the Sydney gully then across to the lawns. There I called a Grey Shrike Thrush down out of the tree tops to the delight of my Mum + friend, but I left it to follow a female Gang Gang that flew across he lawns rather low and looked to have landed in a copse of flowering Acacia (green spindly pine like leaves with long seed pods) just opposite that shaded building on the lawns.

Much to my amazement, I did find the Gang Gang, who was eating the seeds, and she was less than a metre off the ground on the outside of the tree. More amazingly, she just didn’t seem to care that I was there, so I kept taking photos, slowly creeping forwards until I was so close that the lens wouldn’t focus! She still didn’t care although I would have been less than four feet away.

Totally delighted by this already, you can imagine how I was nearly bowled over when her male friend dropped by and sat there with her less then 4 feet away from me too!

Now I know you think I am just showing off or telling a fib, but as the volunteer guide for the 2pm tour will attest, a female King Parrot then flew in to join the party, although she didn’t sit quite so close, as did another Crimson and a few Currawongs.

I am processing the 100-ish photos now and will put them up on the web tonight / tomorrow (going out to tea with the family).

What a remarkable experience all round! The family friend theorises it was the bright red feather I stuck in my straw hat (and left there after a fancy dress - elaborate costume, I know, but I am not in to dress-ups) that signalled to them all that I am bird friendly. Who knows, but I loved it just the same. 

Cheers,

James

www.MacAttack.com.au
A web site dedicated to:  • amateur photography  • elegant computing solutions

James MM Rolevink, BCompSci, BArts | e-mail: | phone: (+612) / (02) 6249 6200 | mobile: 0411 800 204

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