Interesting New Year sighting – Lindsay Nothrop and I were on our way to Mulligans at 7am to see the Freckled Ducks. Beside Gunghalin Drive Lindsay saw a suspected Little Bittern on the edge of a tiny pond beside the road, just opposite the intersection with Wells Station Rd. We went back but not finding anything, I walked into the vegetation on the far side of the pond and two Painted Snipe flushed, descending into the wetland again about 70m away - definitely not Lathams. I think the wetland is part of Gungaderra Grasslands Nature Reserve.
At Mulligans a single Freckled Duck (my first, at last) on the big dam together with 11 Pink-eared, 6 Shovellers, Hardheads and many young A Grebes. Also a juvenile Peregrine and a juv Scarlet Robin.
Julian
www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/
