Like many others, I enjoyed ‘blitzing’ on Saturday.
With limited time, I could only really do one site so I did my usual circumnavigation
of Yerrabi Pond.
This yielded a respectable 34 sp, with a few that are not so
common in the area like Rufous Song Lark and WW Trillers (several). On the
other hand, it is also interesting (to me) what I DIDN’T see (akin to Sherlock
Holmes argument about the dog that didn’t bark.) Thinking of the usual
suspects I would have expected:
·
Intermediate egret
·
Great Cormorant (2 there on 28th
for example)
·
WF Heron
·
More PB Duck (though their
numbers are down overall)
·
Crimson Rosellas
·
More Welcome Swallows, Magpie
Larks, Magpies, Ravens, S-C Cockatoos, W-P honey eaters and Red wattle Birds
than recorded
·
Noisy Friarbirds
Hmm. What did others “not see?”
Meanwhile, today I walked (but also took small
glasses in case) along the same route.
Having confidently mentioned recently to Geoffrey
Dabb that it’s ages since I heard a Pallid Cuckoo round here (they
were common in the late 90s when Ngunnawal/Amaroo were being started) blow me
down if I didn’t hear two today. One was in the golf course near the dam
and I heard it both as I left the house at 7 and returned at 8. The other was
near Horse Park Drive at the N end of the pond.
Most of the suspects that hid on Saturday (see
above) were back and I swear were smirking at me, as well as a lone Aus White
Ibis paddling near the dam...
Of some interest, two of the young Musk
Duck (coot sized) were feeding without adult supervision while only the small
one (grebe sized) from a different clutch was being tended to by its mother.
Stephen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Stephen Mugford
Managing Director
QQSR
Box 12,
Gungahlin, ACT 2912
Ph: +61 2 6242 1008 [02 6242 1008]
Mob: + 61 411 466640 [0411 466640]
