Fivebough

["Sandra Henderson" <>]

Had a chance to go on a guided tour of Fivebough last Saturday (and also visited it Thursday and Friday).  It's estimated there are 15,000 - 20,000 birds there at present. Glossy ibis in the many 1000s, also whiskered terns.  Many other species in large numbers also.  Several marsh harriers and wedge-tailed eagles obvious when I was there.

They'll be cutting off the flows to ephemeral wetlands in a few weeks (an annual drying out helps maintain the natural cycle of amphibian/insect breeding etc), so numbers will start to diminish, but different species will also come in then too.  Quite a lot of crakes reported recently.

An English birding tourist/photographer there at the same time saw a tangle of red-bellied black snakes - 4 in all which untangled and slithered away as he approached them.  He asked us if they were poisonous….

If anyone is interested I picked up a number of the glossy brochures/registration forms for the Wetlands Forum and Bird Fair from the tourist centre - and can send these to anyone who wants one.  Most is also on their website at http://www.fivebough.org.au

Sandra Henderson
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