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Sunday morning, on a property near Wagga, I watched at least 15 Rainbow
Bee-eaters perching on and hawking from dead branches of a River Redgum. Maybe a
pre-migratory marshalling? It was 7:30AM and the sun was still climbing so
the rainbow birds' colours were beautifully highlighted. Words from Glen
Campbell's Galveston came to mind:
and watch her sea birds flashin' in the
sun
Yes, they're not sea birds, but the words have long been with me
since I first heard the song back in 1969 in a strange, faraway place.
Walked past a warren looking for rabbits, but no bunnies were
abroad. Then I saw a little head poking out of a burrow, followed by a longish
neck. Before I could say, "Joe Blake!" the rest of the critter emerged, scuttled
forward and took wing. It was a Pacific Black Duck. I watched for some minutes,
but no more quackers came forth. Knelt at the burrow entrance and listened a
while but all was quiet. I haven't checked any references yet but can't recall
anything about Pacific Black Ducks going underground. However, I seem to
remember hearing/reading of Grey Teal nesting in burrows. Incidentally, the
warren was about 300m from the Murrumbidgee River.
John Layton
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