For those non-Canberrans puzzled by references to something called a ‘sandwash’ I re-inflict an earlier graphic from a series dealing with spots constantly on the lips of local birdwatchers. The rest of this helpful series, together with a note on the ‘wash, with comment on the meaning of ‘sandwash’ (a term that made more sense to pioneering settlers), may be found somewhere in the archive. When this was aired earlier, Philip V, a well-known ‘wash frequenter, pointed out that the nest of the goshawks that make this locality their summer home was just above the left wingtip of the Brown Falcon (dark morph).
From: Margaret Leggoe [
Sent: Monday, 28 March 2011 5:27 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Tharwa Sandwash this morning
It was a near frost this morning when I arrived at TWS circa 7-30am. A beautiful mist was rising off the river and the grass was wet with heavy dew.
Not a single rainbow bee-eater showed up.
A pair of brown goshawk/collared sparrowhawks (photo to follow) were perched in a distant tree, and all was quiet below for some time. A few small flocks of small birds (YF honeyeaters perhaps) flew over chip-chipping as they went in a SOUTHERLY (upstream) direction.
A single eastern yellow robin appeared, as did a brown thornbill and male rufous whistler. Numerous superb fairy wrens, yellow-rumped thornbills, grey fantails, willie wagtails and multiskilling red-browed firetails (photo to follow).
Already vandals have removed the chain off the big new gate, and a 4WD with five blokes in it came down the track while I was there. Has been reported.
There must be a lot of wombats around, by the number of scats down the track.
Margaret Leggoe
