Hi Lia,
It is a lovely area, it's about a 3.3 km walk one way and you could
catch the tram back from Mapleton Ave to Sandford street which would
just leave ~700m to walk along Morisset road (and you could check out
the Flemington Sewage Ponds on the way).
So it would make a nice couple of hour meander-assuming some birds show
up-faster if they don't :)
Peter
On 9/05/2024 9:14 pm, Cornelia Battisson wrote:
> Peter it sounds like we should have a field trip along there!
> Regards
> Lia
>
>> On 9 May 2024, at 20:07, Peter Miller <>
>> wrote:
>>
>> 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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