Philip,
You can take it from me that Peter and Chris will back me on this. The birds on the Fyshwick Sewage Ponds are released aviary bred birds, no ifs, no maybes!!! I have already asked Peter and Chris and they agree with me. Ask yourself the simple question “why have they NEVER been seen outside the FSW or generally off the two opposite ponds where they have generally been recorded”. Peter will also tell you that another species of rare duck were also released on the ponds!!! If you won’t believe me then ask him.
Mark
From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Monday, 10 October 2011 4:16 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Blue-billed Ducks
Sorry for needing to clarify even at the need to be tedious. As the "someone", I will say I then thought that Mark's earlier mention of this, was the only hint I had ever heard of that suggestion. It being a surprise suggestion to me and with me having no knowledge of this species being kept domestically, after all the years that those birds were there, it seemed odd and worthy of stronger evidence to support the idea.
I did not say it was a rumour, I wrote: "Mark now raises as I suppose a rumour" - "I suppose a rumour", not that it is a rumour, this being the only set of words I could come up with and as modest as I could be, as there was not much information presented to go on. I credited Mark with the idea, simply because I knew of no other origin for the suggestion. That seems fair to me.
I notice that Steve Wilson's book (the most obvious reference on such things) has no suggestion of this possible origin. It talks about two birds were noted at JWNP on 2-7-1966, since then they have been noted at other places but mainly at FSTW. Also that "individuals and small groups have remained for some months at times". That suggests many establishments of the species. That history does not disprove, but I reckon does not sit easily, with the idea of captive origins of this small group. Also I note that these birds (from my observations) are usually at the far side of the ponds and not easily approachable, which does seem odd for aviary bred birds.
Mark's earlier message 30-9-2011 was After asking a few questions of people in the know (there are several duck experts locally) I am now 99% certain they were “aviary” bred and released on the ponds. That to me is within reasonable definition of "I suppose a rumour" but sorry if Mark or others disagree. It is nowhere as definitive as the now written as a statement that these birds were introduced by a former aviculturalist many years ago. I think people will find that Chris Davey and Peter Fullagar will agree with this statement.
Maybe Chris and Peter could add some insight to this, or simply ask the gentleman concerned to verify that he did release these birds there.
Thanks to Mark for now having clarified to us of some additional basis, that it is something more than a supposed rumour. I'll keep the idea open. It is an interesting suggestion.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Monday, 10 October 2011 2:37 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] blue-billed ducks
After an unsuccessful morning at Kelly’s looking for snipe (both varieties) Carole Elliott and I wandered over to the sewage ponds for a quick look. There were 2, possibly 3, Black-fronted Dotterels and what I assume given the size difference, a pair of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers on the first pond on the right walking down from the gate. This pond appears to be drying rapidly and was quite shallow. On the second pond on the left were 2 male Blue-billed Ducks and a possible third bird, a female, hidden amongst the Hardheads and grebes. As I noted in an earlier email, these birds were introduced by a former aviculturalist many years ago. I think people will find that Chris Davey and Peter Fullagar will agree with this statement as all three of us worked with the gentleman concerned so it is not a rumour that I have started as suggested by someone recently.
Mark
