HI Everyone,
So, I'm really lucky in that on my ride to and from work; I get to
traverse some paddocks, starting behind EPIC, riding along the old Well
Station road that runs past the new Kenny School, and then across Wells
Station Drive along the back of Harrison.
Anyway, it often affords some good incidental birding, and in the last 4
years of rain it has become an absolute hot spot for Cisticola's, which
I would see/hear on 9/10 trips. There was a also a small flock of quail
around for a few days last week-Stubble Quail if you believe what the
guides say, that they, and not Brown drop tail first into cover after
flushing. There are often some little feeding flocks along the remnant
road or paddock trees too, and you get a fair smattering of birds of
prey: there is a pair of Black Shouldered Kites around which are no
doubt building a nest somewhere nearby-or planning to anyway. You get
the idea, it makes riding to work very enjoyable.
As well as the open-country, I get a little bit of water-birding, first
in the ephemeral pond just before the dirt part of Old Wells station
road-this has a resident Black Fronted Dotterel Pair which have
successfully bred at least once in the last few years and also
occasionally kicks up a spoonbill as well as the more common Maned
Ducks, and occasionally grey teal. Then I've got the headwaters of
Sullivan's Creek through the paddocks-a good spot for Whitefaced Herons
and occasionally Black Ducks.
And finally, as I cross under Flemington way I follow Gungaderra Creek
for maybe 100m. Now usually, I would expect purple swamp hens, or maybe
the odd moorhen, but not tonight.
I was a bit late (for me) so as I rode along mildly cursing the rain,
the light was fading as I crossed the creek to the west of Flemington; I
had been contemplating salvaging a water bottle that I'd noticed a
couple of weeks ago and was thinking this might be a good night to do
that as I was a bit damp already (it was going to require removal of
shoes and a wade!). However, what should I see as I looked at the
waterbottle (wondering after all if it really was worth taking my shoes
off) but a tiny little fist sized, seemingly all black bird with a
little short cocked tail; ooooooh, so cute; the light really wasn't
great but I could see that the back was actually a dark brown-but that
was the extent of the fieldmarks I could make out. I'm not an expert on
crakes, but I'd place good money on it being a Spotless Crake; it's
feathers weren't juvenile looking, and it didn't look out of proportion,
and it moved with the confident feeding movement of an adult, so I rule
out any sort of late chick; and with it's colouration, I don't think it
could be anything else. I couldn't see a red eye, or even the white
spots on the undertail but it was facing towards me and I only had about
5 seconds as it waded out from behind some rushes and then back in again.
Anyway, absolutely magic, and it quite changed how I viewed the rain, as
I'm sure dampness and dimness encouraged out in the open: of course it's
fun to speculate as well-has it been hiding in those rushes for the last
x years, and I've never known, or is a post-breeding dispersal?
I don't imagine I will ever see it there again, but you can be sure I'll
be looking as you always do when have seen something special, I remember
when....
Thanks for letting me share, birding is always better in company. :)
cheers,
Peter
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