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Hello birders
I returned yesterday, from an intersting and
successful trip to the now very damp Round Hill, Lake Cargelligo and surrounds.
I had many very good sightings, as well as a few dips, but I suppose that
happens - the trip went as follows.....
I left on Friday morning from the unusually
windy and rainy (humph) Goulburn, hoping to get to Loughnan NR near Hillston to
stay for the night. I left across through Yass, Harden and Temora. It was a
pleasant surprise to run into Superb Parrots at Binalong, as
well as a very drenched male near Wallendbeen. I stopped quickly at Jindalee SF,
were there were hundreds of Masked and White-browed
Woodswallows attracted by the flowering eucalypts. There were also a
few Black-chinned Honeyeaters as well as numerous
Rufous Songlarks in the surrounding fields. The woodswallows
and songlarks would prove to be everpresent during nearly the whole trip. I then
proceeded fairly briskly over to Loughnan NR, turning up the usual species on
the way - Blue Bonnets, Yellow-throated Miners, Babblers, Mallee
Ringnecks as well as a few Brown
Songlarks.
At Loughnan itself, I was hoping to find the
Malleefowl. I arrived at about 2:30pm and began to search. I found quite a few
birds around, including my first Black Honeyeater,
Varied Sitellas, Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters, Variegated Wrens,
Wedge-tailed Eagle and plenty of Western Gerygones.
After nearly 2 hours of searching and heading
back to the car, I was pleasantly surprised, when with my head down watching
where I was going I was startled by a grunt, and looked up to see a
Malleefowl running away from me. I followed the bird for a
couple of minutes, but it was annoyingly secretive, always managing to keep just
to far away to give really good views.
While searching the reserve, I had come across 2
mounds. One was near the corner where you park the car- it was obviously a
complete mound, though it had weeds growing in the top of it, so it wasn't in
use. The second looked as if it had just been begun, as the bird had raked a
whole lot of dead vegetation into one spot, but had not yet covered it all up -
this too looked like it was not in use. Also in the NR were several Shingleback
Lizards - a very funny looking animal I reckon.
With still plenty of light and my aim here
complete, I decided to go to Lake Cargelligo for the night. The road to Lake
Cargelligo was quite productive. I found my first Crimson
Chats, as well as three Spotted Harriers, one
affording very good views, Little Corellas and plenty of
Apostlebirds. At Lake Cargelligo, I made a quick visit to the
STW and this proved to be very profitable! I had just began searching the reeds
in the corner near the railway tracks, when I saw a large brown bird. Closer
inspection revealed it to be an Australasian Bittern, trying to
simulate dead reeds in a reed patch that was very much green and alive - its
camouflage was most conspicuous. I was able to watch it for about 30 seconds
before it took flight.Wandering around the STW produced 3 more ticks -
Red-kneed Dotterels, Red-necked Avocets and a Marsh
Sandpiper. A surprising resident was a lone Whimbrel.
There were also plenty of Pied Stilts, Red-capped Plovers,
about 100 Whiskered Terns and numerous ducks, though it was a
little dark to tell them apart.
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