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My New Years eve fun started while doing a round
trip bike ride from the yacht club around the lake shores, thru the
wetlands, along the Molonglo River past Duntroon, and return thru Commonwealth
Park.
There were numerous sightings of water birds mostly
Darters, ducks, coots & Moorhens, & a single Sacred
Kingfisher. Then where the bike path crosses a drain just
west of the picnic area opposite Duntroon (and some 30 odd metres from the river
itself) I saw what I suspected was a Crake. By the time I had braked and
returned to the spot there was a second bird present, and whilst I am no Crake
expert I saw enough detail to later ID them (with help from Messrs
Simpson & Day) as Spotless
Crakes.
Bike ride completed and inspired by the above
sighting I decided it might be opportune to check out possible wader
activity on sand and mud flats in the wetlands exposed by the current lower
water levels (my first trip to the area since the October Blitz). As I was
launching my kayak I witnessed two Swans engage in a vicious
brawl which resulted in one bird having to escape by leaving the water.
The attacking Swan then turned its attention to one of a pair of cygnets
which belonged to the vanquished bird - it also managed to escape.
Roy Harvey and I witnessed similar behaviour during the blitz. The
savagery which these serene looking birds can at times exhibit continues to
astound me. Also seen in the distance while launching was the
unmistakeable silhouette of a Sea Eagle soaring above
Jerrabomberra Creek.
However checking Darter nesting activity was also
on my "to do" list, so first stop was the Molonglo River willows. All up I
counted 21 young Darters in 8 or 9 nests, plus
another 5 nests with adult birds "on", including one in one of the few
remaining willows on the Duntroon side. (I don't think I overestimated, but
I may have missed a few). There were also 2 Little Pied Cormorant
nests with birds "on". It's difficult to be dead accurate with
Darters (& Cormorants) as they move about so much, but I estimate there
would have been another 30 or so Darters in addition to the above.
Next, as I paddled along the extreme east bank of
East Basin I saw 2 Black-fronted Dotterel - but these were on
the constructed stone bank, not on an exposed flat as I had thought they might
be.
Roosting at the entrance to Jerrabomberra Creek
were a number of Darters, and Cormorants, including one Pied
Cormorant, possibly two, but the second suspect flew off before I
could be certain. A little further upstream I found the Sea Eagle,
a juvenile, possibly second year from The S & D
illustration.
Time ran out on New Years eve, so I started
the New Year with another paddle to the areas I hadn't been able to
cover. The Sea Eagle was still present, and new
sightings included a flushed Latham's Snipe, a raft of 30+
Coots, 5 Pelicans, and on an exposed bank, at
least 9 Black-fronted Dotterel (or should that be Plovers - I
guess it depends on which book you read).
Happy New Year all.
Rod
Rod Mackay
Tel. 0407 456 330
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