I’m sure he’d have been rougher, tougher and seen
more birds if he had been sitting on a vespa, and also sipping an espresso
rather than eating McDonalds!
From: John Layton
[
Sent: Tuesday, 26 June 2007 10:52 PM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Birds & bikies
Went to McDermott Place, Lake Ginnindera, this
afternoon when the rain stopped. Walked past a big, leather-clad dude
sitting on an immaculate Harley Davidson eating a Macdonald's take-away.
"You a birdwatcher? he said, pointing at my
binos. I grunted the affirmative. "There's three Cattle Egrets
up near the little beach," he advised. I went up there and saw the egret
trio. Not many other birds, so I returned to McDermott Place and there was the
wild-looking man, replete in his leathers, chains and bikie badges, squatting
by the water feeding the duckies. "How cute!" I thought.
Struck up a yarn with him. He was a fisherman from Eden and
told me about all the pelagic birds and whales he'd seen offshore. We returned
to the carpark and he produced a Simpson & Day from his saddle bag.
"I've seen three-hundred-and-eighteen different birds. See, I tick them
off in my book."
Wonderful stuff! You meet some surprising characters.
