Coppin's Crossing today

["Woo O'Reilly" <>]

Apologies in advance as the following email contains a bit of off-topic opportunism!

 

I run the Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch program which some of you may already know about or be involved in. We have volunteers taking water quality measurements once a month at over 200 sites from Cooma up to Yass. Recently a long term volunteer who monitored both Coppins and Urriarra Crossings has retired so I thought I might just mention it here if anyone might be interested in taking up one or both sites. Coppins Crossing is of particular concern at present given the need to monitor water quality coming off the Molonglo development. We provide a kit, training and support so please feel free to give me a call if you would like to know more - Woo O'Reilly 0413 246 761.

 

And while I'm here I better report a bird sighting :) Whilst out on the job last month I took a water sample at the drainage line that runs under Mulligan's Flat road where it meets with Old Gundaroo Rd. It was late in the afternoon so the light wasn't great and I disturbed what I think was a spotless crake that dashed back into the reeds. I'm not overly confident in my crakes but it looked dark and streamlined (out of the corner of my eye it seemed almost rodent-like in the way it moved) and the bill seemed more like a spotless.

 

Thanks - Woo O'Reilly

On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 3:34 PM, Margaret Leggoe <> wrote:

Not having been there for two years I decided to check out Coppin’s Crossing before taking my camera out.

1.       The road works involve a poorly signposted detour.  OK in broad daylight, but wouldn’t want to try to negotiate it before sunrise.

2.       The fence has been reinforced, and that part of my equipment I used to push under the fence will be difficult to get in.

3.       Down at what was once called “finch central” things were so deserted, quiet and eerie it reminded me of the closing chapter of Neville Schute’s “On the Beach”.

4.       In all, I saw 4 superb fairy wrens, one raven and what I think was a black-shouldered kite overhead.

5.       I met and talked with a sewage truck driver and he said he used to see lots of robin-red-breasts, but has seen none this year.

6.       About 6 Eastern grey kangaroos and a couple of fresh wombat burrows were seen right up the hill near the gravel road.

Have any of you been out there in recent months (forgive me if I don’t remember some recent report)?  What has been your experience?

 

Coincidently (or not), I was in the area to drop off a couple of mynas at the RSPCA.  I was remarking on the large number of feral pigeons there, and the RSPCA officer said there used to be a hawk that kept the pigeon population down, but they have not seen it for some time.

 

Of course we are not supposed to say this, but it seems to me the huge development project in the area just might have driven some of our native species away.

 

Margaret Leggoe