Silver Gulls

[Ryu Callaway <>]

Yesterday at the Fadden roost I noticed very high up (after it had gone past a fair way) a flock of birds that seemed to be gulls travelling the same flight route as the ibises (the ibises go from Mugga Lane Tip to Lake Tuggeranong). 

This afternoon, this time seen from home at the same time as the ibises but higher up a solid shape-shifting cloud of Gulls were moving west along the same route and again disappeared towards Tuggeranong. Today's flock came 15 minutes earlier than yesterday but it does seem to be a roost flight, 2 days in a row in a constant direction on the ibis path at the right time. A proper count will be done from photos when I have a good block of time, but I would estimate around 600. 

I would be very curious to know where their destination is. I have never seen gulls roosting at Lake Tuggeranong and never seen more than a few dozen gulls there. Presumably this flock of gulls too have originated from the tip. I have never noticed flocks of gulls in the area except for one isolated incident which had no association with the flight path and movement was less purposeful and clear, but that was also at dusk.

I was also surprised to note one Cattle Egret perched in a eucalypt near the roost site in the middle of a suburb without paddocks, water or cattle in sight (there is a small well-mown oval nearby but surely not a worthy substitute for a paddock full of cattle)

Ryu