Harvey Perkins reported it, his attention being directed to it
by a sandwich-munching colleague. Since then Steve H reported one from Kellys.
The Cth Park one was feasting on an abundance of earthworms, attracted in turn
by a leaking water pipe. The LR disappeared when the leak was fixed.
From: Philip Veerman
[
Sent: Monday, 19 October 2009 6:01 PM
To: 'Roger Curnow'; 'cogs'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Lewin's Rail v. Spotless Crake
On that, a hard one. Especially as both of these are not anything
close to common (so not much to say on the basis of probability). Both of them
do have an undertail pattern but similar in both (barred), so that would not
distinguish between them, apart from that maybe pattern being hard to see in
flight. I'd call it a UFO or as you say: put
it in the too hard basket. Maybe others may find it. The one Lewin's
Rail we had at Commonwealth park in Canberra a few years ago (that I
think from memory Jenny Bounds first reported) stayed around for weeks and many
people got to see it and is the only one of them I have ever encountered.
Philip
Veerman
24
Castley Circuit
Kambah
ACT 2902
02
- 62314041
-----Original
Message-----
From: Roger Curnow [
Sent: Monday, 19 October 2009 4:52 PM
To: cogs
Subject: [canberrabirds] Lewin's Rail v. Spotless Crake
Today at the West Belconnen Pond a bird flew up from some
reeds about a metre in front of me, flew maybe 20 metres across water and then
landed in reeds on an island. I could see it there; but not clearly. It seemed
grey rather than brown and i would have said it had no undertail
pattern. It flew like a bird rather than like a quail, though its initial burst
out of the reeds was quail-like, there was no whirring of wings.
Should I claim Lewin's Rail do you think ? Spotless Crake ?
or put it in the too hard basket.
If i see it again under similar circumstances,
( i will be looking )
is there anything in their jizz to differentiate the
species.
