I spent yesterday morning and evening at Kelly?s to look for Lewin?s Rail.
It was a hopeless day. Despite waiting and waiting, looking and looking,
I didn?t see hide nor hair of a Lewin?s. Dipped again. I did see a rail
in Crake Alley that I though might be a Lewin?s for a minute, but it was
just a BUFF-BANDED RAIL, and the BAILLON?S CRAKE that hung about for much
of my morning vigil was just there to tease me. I also saw a SPOTLESS
CRAKE on the far side of the ?alley?, but that wouldn?t suffice either.
I saw the WHISKERED TERNs mentioned by Marnix and others, which was a new
ACT bird for me and when a man (need I say, in a ute) sent his dogs on a
lap of the wetlands, off lead, they flushed a LATHAM?S SNIPE for me (I
told that man not to do that again and told him about the migratory
waders, you know the ?they are sparrow size and fly from Mongolia and need
to refuel? lecture. I wonder what his mates would think if he told them
he was told off by a bird nerd!).
Anyway, it was such a lousy day that I only got a really nice photo of a
GREAT EGRET, didn?t photograph the ROYAL SPOONBILL that arrived at dusk,
but did have a nice conversation with a pair of AUSTRALIAN RAVENS that
wanted the wrapper from my dinner. So 61 birds for the day, including 3
new birds for the year list and 1 for my state (OK Territory) list, none
of which I realised or enjoyed because I didn?t see a bloody Lewin?s Rail
again.
I look forward to seeing lots of you at the COG meeting on Wednesday so
you can regale me with times when Lewin?s Rails were chooks!
S
--
Stuart Cooney
PhD Candidate--Hooded Parrot Ecology
Department of Botany and Zoology
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT, 0200
January to June (Field Work Season)
Stuart Cooney
C/- Manbulloo Homestead,
PO Box 61
Katherine, NT, 0851
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