I have just been for a drive around the Hoskinstown Plain and the dams on the Southern edge of Bungendore.
The Plain was very quiet. I visited a couple of spots where I have seen Diamond Firetails a few times in the past but not this time. The paddocks inhabited by Banded Lapwings and White-fronted Chats offered 69 Magpies but neither target species. The highlight
was seeing 2 Black-fronted Dotterels on a dam just North of Hoskinstown on Hoskinstown Rd. They are quite uncommon out here in Winter: this was the only record for August in 10 years.
Going in to Bungendore I found the Plumed Whistling Ducks at Burrows Lane Dam. My count was 40 but they were sitting in relatively long grass and I may have missed 1 or 2.
The other two dams were very low on birds although 180 Galahs were perched above the hay racks (and a further 17 - total thus 197, a prime number!!! - perched on the racks).
