On Saturday I took a small group of inexperienced birdwatchers to see the
birds coming in to drink at dusk at the dam near the Salt Caves in the
Pilliga forest. On my last visit, I'd seen hundreds of mallee ringneck
and about 80 glossy black cockatoos, not to mention all the honeyeaters,
king parrots etc.
This time was quite disappointing in comparison, although all the group
were happy. We still saw the glossies (about 40), but there were only 4
other parrots! 3 kings and a beautiful lone pale headed rosella. There
were a few white eared and white plumed honeyeaters. Where was everything
else? What there was in abundance were common bronzewings. There must
have been at least a hundred!
I have also been visited by my first birdwatcher, met on the Internet!
Albert Pieters visited Gunnedah for a days birding en route to the
Warrumbungles. Once again, luck wasn't with me. Although I was able to
show him quite a lot, countless noisy friarbirds had moved in the day
before he arrived, and consequently a lot of other interesting birds had
moved out!
One good sighting was a flock of over a hundred plumed whistling ducks on
Goran Lake.
Annabel Hoskins
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