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Went out to Yerrabi Pond for a couple of hours this
morning.
Plenty of the usual Coots, Moorhens, Swamphens,
Black Ducks, Wood Ducks and Swans.
Other notables:
9 Musk Ducks. All either females, sex unknown
immatures or the ducklings. Did not see any recognisable males. The ducklings
are now probably outgrown that term - they were partially moulted when I was
last there about a week and a half ago, and today they are completely in
adult-type plumage. I think they are about 8 weeks old now - so somewhere
between 4 weeks of age and 8 weeks of age seems to be when Musk Ducklings
undertake the moult of their nestling feathers. Still trying to coerce Mum
into feeding them, with a conspicuous lack of success while I was watching
them. The other former dy is also still there hanging about with its
presumed mother. It is a bit older (not sure how much) than the other 2
ducklings and isn't anywhere near as persistent in attempting to scrounge a feed
from the female than it was last time.
I counted a total of 33 Australian Grebes on the
Pond (no Hoary-headed Grebes at all), 31 of them in non-breeding plumage and 1
of the remaining 2 pretty obviously well-advanced in the moult out of breeding
plumage.
I also counted 13 Hardhead but I think there were
more actually present. 2 little Pied Cormorants were fishing near the dam
wall and this time there was only 1 White-faced Heron that I saw. It was an
adult. The Intermediate Egret is also still at the Pond.
Bruce
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