I did Kambah Pool on Saturday afternoon and found
almost nothing. It is a very variable place in terms of numbers of birds on
different days. Castle Hill, Tharwa Sandwash, Angle Crossing & Namadgi
Visitors' Centre occupied my Sunday afternoon. Noted one Brown Goshawk at each
of Castle Hill & Angle Crossing, plus a pair on their nest at a Tharwa
Sandwash (easy to find but on the other side of the river). More than the
usual of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, Leaden Flycatchers, Rufous Whistlers
and White-winged Trillers at various sites. I had a really good look at a Brush
Cuckoo that was doing a very different call to the usual, a sort of parrot like
short chirp before seeing it do the start of the usual slow down scale series.
It could sort of fit the HANZAB description. Only sign of Diamond Firetails for
me was one call, compared to the big flock I noticed at my last visit to Castle
Hill. At Tharwa Sandwash I came across a young couple (not from COG) who were
there to find Rainbow Bee-eaters (which I was able to find for them but only 3
or 4 of them). Whilst with them a Hobby flew over and perched in a treetop
on the other side of the river as 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles flew above and behind it
simultaneously visible. A really nice juxtaposition and a perfect scenic
reminiscence of my painting (done about like 24 years ago), that is on the
front cover of the GBS Report.
Also nice to watch a Brown Snake at Tharwa Sandwash
exploring the river bank about a metre away and fortunately not stepped upon and
biting (unlike one of my previous adventures!)
Philip
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