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This morning at the eastern side of the Southern
Morass (near Lake Bathurst / Tarago) a brief view of a bird which
I identified as a male Orange Chat (orange/yellow bird
with black face mask) together with some White-fronted Chats in the lower part
of a fence. As I tried to drive closer and by the time I got out of the car, the
bird had disappeared. I hung around for an hour, and later returned again for
another spell, but could only find White-fronted Chats. That puzzled and worries
me.
Location: Lumley Road, down (western)
side of the N/S stretch along the Southern Morass, about 400m S from a
sharp right hand turn of the road (at the northern end of the S. Morass). At the
spot is a gap in the line of planted pines [the trees are planted between a
normal fence (to the road) and an electric fence (to the Morass)], this is
matched by a gap in the White Hawthorn trees/bushes forming a
line below the electric fence.
Of course, if the bird is still there, it could be
anywhere along that road. Please let me know if you are going AND if you find
it, please photograph it. According to HANZAB this would be one of the most
easterly sightings - but a possibility given the drought and the very strong
winds we've had lately.
IMPORTANT: Any one going there,
please respect the fences. The owner of the property has refused
permission for COG to enter the area, not even for our regular water bird
surveys. Likewise, owners of the land on the eastern (up the slope) side
of the road are also very 'touchy' about 'strangers' on their
land.
Please respect this, for the benefit
of the long-term surveys of the area I don't want to endanger in any way some of
the fragile relationship with local landholders.
THANKYOU!
Other birds in the area today: Brown- and Rufous
Songlark, Banded Lapwing,
White-fronted Chats, Singing Bushlark, Southern
Whiteface.
Michael Lenz
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