canberrabirds

Strange thing at Fyshwick Sewerage Ponds today

To: <>
Subject: Strange thing at Fyshwick Sewerage Ponds today
From: "Geoffrey Dabb" <>
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:13:12 +1000

The below is an accurate description of what happened.

 

(I think the raptor was a Whistling Kite)

 


From: Julian Robinson [
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2006 11:10 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Strange thing at Fyshwick Sewerage Ponds today

 

Geoffrey kindly offered to give me a tour of the Fyshwick Sewerage Ponds (FSP at times on this list) this afternoon.  In such situations I ask lots of questions, many of them not related to the matter at hand. As we were walking back to the official carpark around 5pm I had a small urge of this kind and asked G a singularly irrelevant question given we were in a wetland environment and I had just met quite a few ducks for the first time.  I asked "Have you ever come across any quail that you actually see on the ground before they flush and disappear?"  At the exact moment that the last word was coming out of my mouth, two Brown Quail burst out of the grass and thistles in front of us and did the quail thing disappearing into the sun.  It was a truly stupendous coincidence.

We then realised there were others (probably juvenile) still around and even managed to get a couple of recognisable photos of quail in profile which is probably the last time in my life this will ever occur. 

We also disturbed a raptor from its meal of young rabbit -- it also moved very quickly into the sun and disappeared before even the experienced hand could get a good look at it.

I am considering religious conversion but haven't decided what this strange incident points me towards.

Julian

 

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