Good morning COG/Canberra Birds members and chat line subscribers, a reminder that the monthly COG/Canberra Birds meeting will be held tomorrow evening Wednesday 12 June at
our usual Canberra Girls Grammar School venue from 7:30 pm. However, please note the changed access arrangements which will be in place while the construction in the Gabriel Drive parking area continues.
Details are below. There will also be signs to help you navigate your way - unfortunately the map is too big to put on the COG chat line.
Everyone is welcome so please come along and hear about two relatively rare species in the ACT, the Pilotbird and the enigmatic Australian Painted-snipe.
There will be the usual raffle and you will also be able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee after the meeting.
Jack Holland
The June 2024 meeting will be a normal face-to-face one held at our usual venue. As COVID is still widespread in the community attendees should heed social distancing and good hygiene practice etc, and use
their common sense and stay home if they have COVID symptoms. Mask wearing is recommended.
Kim Farley
- Pilotbird in the ACT. Rare? Yes. Hard to find? Not so much.
Matt Herring
- Tracking the Australian Painted-snipe, a wetland enigma
Please note that construction is currently occurring around the Gabriel Drive parking area, and access to there is not available. So please use the Chapel Drive
entrance and park there. Given the problems we had with access to the Multi-media Centre (MMT) from there at the May meeting, the Canberra Girls Grammar School has provided a better alternative route as shown in the map on p 8 of the June 2024 issue of Gang-gang,
or on the Home page of the COG/Canberra Birds web site.
Once parked please proceed down past the Chapel and smaller Admin Offices, keeping them to your left. Just past the latter turn left along a relatively flat and
straight broad path keeping the columns to you left. Near to the end, go left up the 3 m wide steps, turn half right and you will find an open glass door. Go through this, across the empty room and past the toilets, and then either enter the MMT either through
the bottom MMT door or go further along and up the steps where you reach the usual entry door. Though it is well lit, as it will be dark a torch for finding your way to the MMT and back to your car after the meeting is recommended.
The short presentation will be by
Kim Farley on "Pilotbird in the ACT. Rare? Yes. Hard to find? Not so much"
This short presentation is based on one Kim gave at the Australasian Ornithological Conference in 2023 but will focus a little less on the data and a little more on the bird itself - including where it lives
in the ACT, its appearance, its beautiful song, and how you can maximise your chances of experiencing this delightful local species.
The main presentation will be by
Matt Herring, the lead wildlife ecologist at Murray Wildlife, on
"Tracking the Australian Painted-snipe, a wetland enigma".
Matt will introduce this cryptic wetland bird; explain why they are one of Australia's most elusive species and provide a national sightings update. He will present all the latest information
on the birds being tracked, including some unexpected finds about where the birds can roost, along with "Gloria" and "Marcelina", who have recently captured the Australian public's attention with their large movements of over 1000 kilometres. If you don't
have it already, you are bound to catch the painted-snipe bug!
