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Yesterday morning we parked at the Aborigine & Torres Strait
Islanders building just off Lady Denman Drive intending to do a bird-hike around
the western basin of Lake BG. We achieved our objective but my, it was a bit
further than we anticipated. Arrived back at the ute dog-tired but happy. In
fact, we were rather choughed – sorry, I mean chuffed, this birding thing
gets to bloke – as we'd bagged 49 species.
Here are just the highlights: Pair of Little Wattle Birds. Flock of 38
Red-rumped Parrots. A Regent Parrot, most likely an aviary escapee, or should
that be escaper? 3 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos overhead. Australian Hobby. 7
Brown Quail. 15 Double-barred Finches. Pair of Grey Currawongs. An
Eastern/Crimson Rosella hybrid, we think. 2 Brown Falcons. White-necked Heron. 3
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes. About 20 Welcome Swallows skimming around a metre
above the grass. Grey Butcherbird. A feeding raft of at least 100 Little Black
Cormorants. 12 Dusky Woodswallows. A group of 18 Australian Magpies. 2
Crested Shiketits. 27 King Parrots. A Muscovy drake which an Audubon-brat
recorded as "Pizza-faced Puddle-duck". About 40 ravens overhead, Australian or
Little Ravens, we couldn't discern.
Finally, three animals. A fox that had absolutely no fur on its tail
which resembled a length of whipcord, probably an extreme case of mange. A dead
Ring-tail Possum. A fleeting glimpse of a slinking, leaping little critter which
we can only assume was a ferret.
John Layton.
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