Now a scene with a sporting flavour for those local
birdwatchers with notable athletic achievements behind (and perhaps in front
of) them, like Nicki Taws, Lachlan Dow and Steve Stephinson (in his day, a
dasher on the half-back-flank for University Blacks). As we shall all be
only too well aware, the 2009 World Mountain Bike Championships will be held in
Canberra 1-6 September at STROMLO FOREST PARK, a venue so far significant to us
for the regular reporting there of the White-fronted Chat. In this typical
view of the layout, a pair of Australian Wood Duck can also be seen. This
familiar species occurs on playing fields, nature strips, picnic grounds, urban
parks, wetland margins, roads etc. They will probably need to clear them
from the championship course each morning. In fact they might have, as
happens on some golf greens, what might be called a defecation issue requiring
special rules. A strong case could have been made for this chap to be the
faunal emblem of the ACT, and visitors for the MB champs will
certainly see more of them in evidence than Gang-gangs.
