Morning all,
I finished doing the Latham Snipe surveys on the two McKellar ponds about 30 minutes ago. No snipe and both ponds are very quiet. “Highlights” were an Australian Raven flying past the edge of the large pond carrying a golf ball , one Pacific
Black Duck and a family of Black Swans – 2 adults, 5 cygnets feeding where the storm water drain enters the pond. In previous years this is where I have flushed snipe but the area has been cleaned up so has lost its low vegetation. Plenty of potential loafing
sites for snipe. On the small McKellar pond a pair of swans on a nest and a pair of Red-rumped parrots at a hole – the female emerged to be fed by the male. Unfortunately this hole was also the attraction for two Common Mynas.
The weather this morning was light drizzle and both ponds are full. Given the amount of flooding going on in Qld, NSW, Vic and SA we may have picked a bad year to do our snipe surveys. A COG data sheet will be submitted for both sites.
Mark
