Sounds wonderful!
From:
John Layton [
Sent: Tuesday, 9 February 2010
1:50 AM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Birds
moving down Murrumbidgee
Today I went for a drive to Uriarra Crossing arriving at the Uriarra
East carpark at 8:00 AM on a cool, sunny and still morning. As I didn’t
feel like walking too far decided to stay in the barbeque area, let the birds
come to me. Just about to open my new book of Robert Frost’s poems when I
noticed some 14 Red-browed Finches combing through the foliage of a Casuarina.
I wondered what would be attracting them. About 1.5m above them a similar
number of European Goldfinches also gleaned something or other. Ten minutes
later I was gazing across the river when 20 (conservative estimate) Black-faced
Cuckoo-shrikes flew downstream. Not long afterwards about 30 ravens followed
much higher, Little or Australian I couldn’t tell. I once believed that
if I saw 10 or more Ravens on the wing in or near Canberra then they were Australian Ravens,
before I realised that like those birds some people call Twelve Apostles
the darned things are innumerate. I suppose if they were Little Ravens they may
have been altitudinal migrants, if Australian Ravens they were probably nomads.
I was about to settle down again when another flock of bird,s around 20
came downriver, roughly the size of Common Starlings. They puzzle me to the
point that I neglect to put the binos on them. Am annoyed because they
won’t be coming back. But within 30 seconds the next best thing happens,
another flock this time of 8 or 10 appears. These tail-end Charlies are flying
lower and I glass them before they’re level with me and pan the binos so
am able to make out the russet under-wings, a bit pointed, and tail
rackets here and there. I put my money on Rainbow Bee-Eaters.
I walk past the Casuarina, the finches have left, however, on a bird
bountiful bough I descry three cuckoos (this Robert Frost guy is inspiring).
Move closer and get good views through the binos and can see they’re
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoos gathering little black caterpillars.
Later as I drive from the car park I put up 7 green Satin Bowerbirds.
