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Hi,
I'm just back from a
school-related Geomorphology camp at Bournda NP from Monday 6th until 1/2 an
hour ago. I didn't take my binoculars, but managed to observe some pretty good
birds. While kayaking, I saw an Azure Kingfisher, followed shortly by a
female/young Rose Robin. Also present were both species of Bronze-Cuckoo. Some
of my classmates were lucky enough to see a pair of Hooded Plovers, although I'm
sure they weren't terribly excited by it.
Around the campsite, there was a colony of Bell Miners, as well as a
Square-tailed Kite? that flew over on Thursday. When I saw the Square-tailed
Kite, I had no doubts about identity, but checking the books, I can see that
Black Kites are not too far off the mark. The bird was soaring low over the
canopy, had obvious 'fingers', and I even noticed the barring on the outer wing.
In fact, for the most part, the bird looks a lot like Morcombe's illustration,
especially the one of the bird from behind/flying away. Only, the underparts
didn't seem so rufous. The tail appeared almost forked when I first saw the
bird, but for the most part it was very square. I am (very?) familiar with Black
Kites and this bird did not seem very much like it on the day, but then again, I
haven't seen a Black Kite for over a year.
Tobias
P.S. Comparing the maps of Morcombe and Simpson/Day, they look pretty
different!
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