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Regarding my report of a Rufous Fantail at Holt on Sunday, Philip remarked
it was extremely unusual to see one pass through hereabouts as early as August.
Lo and behold, I saw another at 10:30am today flitting around the gardens of
University House, Balmain Crescent, ANU campus.
Re Julian's comments about Brown Quail at the Fyshwick sewage ponds: The
Lake Ginninderra Brown Quail population seems to fluctuate a good bit but,
particularly at times when they're appearing fairly regularly, they feed in the
open within a few metres of the cycle path seemingly oblivious to bikes and
pedestrians. I've walked slowly toward them and got to about 15 metres
before they've ambled into cover. The faster you approach, the faster they
amble.
A few springtimes ago at Lake Ginn, I was standing in a bosky area watching
storm curtains enshroud the Brindabella Range accompanied by rolls of muted
thunder, when four or five quail wandered towards me like Brown's cows rather
than Brown Quail. They seemed to be disoriented, ambling along
ziggiddy-zaggiddy. They almost walked over my boots as I stood stock still,
before disappearing into long grass.
A bit later I read a book by a venerable English game keeper which told
how, during the spring of 1916 in south-east England, game birds began
acting "something queer" insomuch as they abandoned their nests and wandered
about "willy-nilly". In the writer's opinion they were disquieted by distant
thunder although no storms approached and skies remained clear. The game keeper
learnt that the thunder was, in fact, the sound of artillery barrages emanating
from the battlefields of France just a short distance away (by an Australian's
reckoning of distance) across the English Channel.
So, I wonder if that has any connection with the way the Lake Ginn
quail seemingly reacted to the approach of a barber's-cat storm issuing forth
from the Brindabella Range. Oh, if you need to know what a barber's-cat storm
is, please inquire off-group because some junior members may be reading and I
wouldn't want to thwart the children's morals.
John Layton.
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