Prompted by Sandra’s news I paid a visit there over 3 days earlier this week. The heat was bearable if one managed the day. I also looked in at the mythical
Tuckerbil and made the obligatory visit to Wattle Dam. I met an experienced local birdwatcher who filled in the following on the bittern scene. He believed there were perhaps 2 breeding pairs at Fivebough. The influx referred to below was of birds flying
in at night, presumably after the day at ’ the ricefields’, to roost in the typha beds. They came in after 8pm and were just countable in the fading light. They were not seen the next morning. Large numbers of Glossy Ibis had been feeding at Fivebough,
but by this week they were gone to ‘the ricefields’. I did see one flock flying out in the early morning.
Although I spent several hours traversing the walking paths, I did not see a single dharang.
I only glimpsed an A Bittern on two occasions. The below shows 2 bitterns taking flight, while a flock of Glossy Ibis leaves for the ricefields, and a Little
Egret takes wing.
From: sandra henderson [
Sent: Tuesday, 8 December 2015 4:26 AM
To: Cog line
Subject: [canberrabirds] Re: News from Murrumbidgee field nats
And further to last message, Fivebough Swamp is again open for public access. The planned maintenance works are now scheduled for March.
The minutes of most recent meeting of Murrumbidgee Field Nats notes that there are a lot of snakes there, so if visiting take the usual care (I've at times seen MANY snakes there, so for it to be mentioned in the meeting minutes seems significant)
Sandra h
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2015 8:50 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] News from Murrumbidgee
field nats
In the past couple of weeks up to 34 Australasian Bitterns have been present at Fivebough Wetlands, in addition to several thousand Glossy Ibis. Water levels are being maintained
at optimal depth for the bittern breeding season, although some of the bitterns there at present will move out into rice fields when conditions are right.
I'm told that there has been no water allocation for rice growing down at Deniliquin this year (and I noticed the unsown fields there last month) which may be one factor in the
high numbers in the Leeton area.
