Not so clever and often not clever at all. Oh well, it IS a bit rainy. You are only likely to confuse the BN with a moorhen. The moorhen plumages are reasonably easy. In full breeding has orange bill and shield and bright orange in multi-coloured legs. Feet are green/yellow. It has a non-breeding plumage in which legs and bill are a dull green. Juv is variable and can be similar to non-br adult but has undeveloped shield.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Harris [
Sent: Saturday, 15 November 2014 5:58 PM
To: John Brown;
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Possible sighting black tailed native hen
As someone with a long=term interest in Crace wetland and who has reported on it almost weekly for several years, I would be delighted if you did indeed see a black-tailed native hen. I have not seen one and they are only rarely reported in COG records. My only suggestion would be to eliminate the young of other water birds. Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen and Eurasian Coot are all nesting at Crace.
Perhaps someone clever like Geoffrey Dabb can produce a comparison of the young of these birds
On 14/11/2014 2:40 pm, "John Brown" <m("johnbrown.com.au","jb2904");">> wrote:
>
>I was at Crace this morning and certainly saw a dark bird with very
>bright orange legs - but without the Crake undertail markings -
>disappearing into some reeds. I didn't a good enough look to call it,
>and it never emerged. I wasn't dead certain what it was but I was
>pretty sure at the time it wasn't any of the usual candidates, and on
>reflection could have been a black-tailed native hen. Certainly worth checking out.
>
>While I am posting, I dipped on spotted crakes this morning, both at
>Crace (yet again), and Hibberd St pedestrian bridge, Forde (sigh),
>although at the Hibberd street pedestrian bridge I was greeted by a
>pair of black-fronted dotterels, as well as fairy martins nesting under
>the road bridge.
>
>Finally, thanks for all of the responses I got both privately and on
>the list regarding Fuscous HE's which have (also) been alluding me for
>some time. I am just recovering from surgery at the moment but hope to
>all of that information soon. Apart from some suggestions of specific
>sites to see them, the most helpful tips directed to me the Our Birds /
>Bird Info / Data .pdf's on the website. They are a great resource that
>I had somehow missed until now. The data sheets come closest to the
>kind of data I have been looking for.
>
>Thanks,
>
>John
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: m("canberrabirds.org.au","Cogoffice");">
>[m("canberrabirds.org.au","Cogoffice");">]
>Sent: Friday, 14 November 2014 2:11 PM
>To: m("canberrabirds.org.au","Canberrabirds");">
>Subject: [canberrabirds] Possible sighting black tailed native hen
>
>Someone has notified COG of likely sighting of above bird at Crace
>wetland this morning.
>
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