A couple of nice sightings this week.
Large moths and beetles will sometimes bang into our kitchen window at night, attracted by the house lights, and flutter behind the broken flywire. On Wednesday evening I had seen a couple of large brown, long-bodied moths there, but the
banging noise later was louder and recurred every couple of minutes. When this different rhythm finally penetrated my consciousness, I left the computer and walked to the window to be greeted by a Southern Boobook perched on the windowsill and glaring back
at me through the glass. It flew off to the Hill’s hoist but returned after a while, presumably after more moths. I am used to seeing one or both of the local Tawny Frogmouth pair in the garden (we live in Lyons), so a boobook was a nice change.
And this morning, at Bluett’s Block between Mt Stromlo and the Molonglo River, in the cold morning sun, I managed to flush a Painted Button-quail. Not a lifer, but new for my ACT list. Fortunately it didn’t fly far and landed on bare ground
well within binocular viewing distance, so allowed a clear if brief view as it walked slowly away before disappearing behind a tussock of grass.
Steve
