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Yesterday morning I decided to bird Shepherds Lookout in the cool
stillness of early morn. Younger Brat had a roistered day off and came too.
Pulled into the carpark at 6:30 am and startled a fox that
was chewing a discarded pizza box.
Walking from the carpark we saw 'bout six Southern Whitefaces, bit further
on a Grey Butcher Bird, a perched Nankeen Kestrel and eight Red-rumped Parrots
sitting along a fence preening. Closer to the lookout, we saw five Speckled
Warblers and a Restless Flycatcher. We kept scanning the sky for raptors, but it
was probably too cool and too early for the thermal-riders. However, we spotted
an arrowhead of Straw-necked Ibis (about 12) flying south-west.
We saw six Australian Ravens feasting on a dead roo across the river. We
binoed them, and a raptor landed nearby but was promptly shown the sky by the
ravens. No sun-ripened Skippy meat for that thermal-rider. The interloper may
have been a Little Eagle, a Brown Falcon or a Whistling Kite. Can't do no better
than that, identification thwarted by the tyranny of distance.
During 90 minutes, we bagged 29 species, but have just mentioned the
highlights.
This morning at ANBG I saw a Noisy Friarbirds' nest with sitting bird. Also
an Olive-backed Oriole and heard at least one other vociferous oriole nearby.
Two sightings of pairs of Gang-gang Cockatoos and a female Satin Bowerbird
carrying food. Also a pair of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos, and spoke to a
frequent ANBG visitor who mentioned she'd seen "a few" Yellow-tailed
Black-Cockatoos in the gardens during the past couple of days.
John Layton
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