This morning I took a look at this thickly-grassed venue
which is usually of interest in Spring. I soon remembered why I don’t
go there on weekday mornings. The traffic along Pialligo Ave was thickish
even before 7 am and deterred re-entry to the flow (to use a not entirely
accurate _expression_) until after 9. In that time all the usual stuff
appeared, perhaps a little down in numbers: corellas, red-rumps, sac kings,
dollarbirds, mistletoebirds, jacky winters calling territorially from the
tree-tops. There were a few white-plumes and an abundance of starlings, 2
species less common than usual in some other places. A significant
feature was the number of ducks – 4 species including a pair of chestnut
teal that seemed to have a tenancy in the many-hollowed euc that in some past
years has been home to several pairs of tree martins (although not this year).
I’ve noticed a lot of ducks along roadsides which might be a reason they
don’t need to use the more customary wetlands.
