In Bungendore this morning

[Martin Butterfield <>]

I am defining Bungendore to include both Lake Road and Trucking Yard Lane!

In view of the very dry year we are experiencing I was intrigued to find that the Big Dam on Lake Rd has still got a lot of water in it.  I also found this morning that the grass on the roadside has died down (or been mown) so that I was possible to park  level with the end of the bank through the middle of the dam.  This meant I got much better views along the fenceline than are possible from the traditional spot opposite The Lake.

There were at least 6 groups of Freckled Ducks which I counted up to 112 birds - and I suspect there were a few more.  I also counted 116 Pink-eared Ducks some of which were chilling out on the banks while others were feeding in a big group or in pairs doing synchronised spinning.  The other big flock were 89 Eurasian Coots.

At Trucking Yard Lane there were still 24 Plumed Whistling Ducks which seems to be the size of a locally resident flock.  82 Grey Teal and 38 Pacific Black Ducks were the other sizable flocks.  After the huge flocks of cockatoos seen recently there were only a handful each of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs today.

Very few fowl at the Sewage Works; Trucking Yard Lane Dam #2; Bungendore Meadow Dam and Burrows Lane Dam.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/