In view of the current interest in the Bot Gardens, I am re-inflicting the below message of 30 June 2009 entitled “Views all Canberrans will recognise (9)”. Newcomers interested in other birdy places will find more of this series by looking at the archive for June/July 2009.
<< A well-known spot in the Australian National Botanic Gardens. COG members will recognise the seat dedicated to the memory of Tom Green, a valued member of COG and of the ANBG ‘Friends’. To the keen observer, I must concede you are unlikely to see an Eastern Water Dragon in breeding colour and a Bassian Thrush in the gardens at the one time of year.
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In the below I have revised the graphic by replacing the dragon with something of more current interest. Furthermore, the need to get things in their right place seasonally as well as in terms of locality and habitat has been brought home to us all by the delightful book A Bush Capital Year by Ian Fraser and Peter Marsack. I was also a little uneasy about the Eastern Water Dragon after being told at the herpetologists’ photography workshop that all the dragons in the ANBG were Gippsland Water Dragons except for one Eastern Water Dragon, probably an ex-pet someone had released there. The distinction is between subspecies apparently, but is evident visually.
In the interest of topicality, I have also replaced the ESB with a Crescent Honeyeater. Going by the experience of the last few winters, this species is likely to appear in the Gardens in small numbers in the next week or two.
