Greetings,
Have just got back from Grafton after an afternoon
spent chasing northern hemisphere ducks.
First to the Pintail. There is good news and bad news
on this front. The bird was seen again at Cowens Pond
reserve today; however it was last seen bolting into
the distance after several passes by a White-bellied
Sea-Eagle. (I kid you not.) There was a male Peregrine
Falcon lurking about too.
The fact that it returned to Cowens at all after its
reported absence over the weekend shows some degree of
site fidelity, so those prepared to take a punt in the
next few days may be lucky. However, as we discovered
today, there are numerous wetlands along the Clarence,
not all of them accessible to birders.
Next to the Shoveler, and this is a troubled tale
indeed. It must be stated first that, with due respect
to Richard Baxter who was probably taking down
information in a hurry, the directions he provided on
birding-aus were misleading to say the least. This
resulted in two lost hours as we tried to find the
legendary Tullymorgan Rd. Richard wrote:
<I've just been speaking to Greg Clancy from Grafton
and he has found a male NORTHERN SHOVELER on the
outskirts of Grafton. It is to be found at: Drive
along the Lawrence rd and turn onto the Casino Rd for
5km, then into Tullymorgan Rd for a further 5km.
There is a swamp on the right and the bird was sighted
just before the bridge. If you get to Broadwater
Creek then you have gone to far. Go back 1km.>
This is sort of right, but not well put. Far from
being on the outskirts, the bird is in fact some 35
kilometres out of Grafton and closer to Maclean. Drive
from Grafton (or Maclean) right through the small town
of Lawrence itself, 29 km north of Grafton. Coming rom
Grafton (as Paul Walbridge and myself travelled),
continue along Lawrence's main drag as it swings
around slightly to the north-west (this road does
eventually connect up with the Gwydir Highway to
Casino). The turnoff to Tullymorgan Rd is indeed about
5km further and on your right; and the swamp is a few
km further down this road, also on your right, about 1
km before the first bridge (Broadwater Creek - this is
unsigned, though).
The swamp is about 400 metres from the road and a
scope will be required. We didn't have one, but we DID
make polite enquiries with the landowner who is
definitely NOT happy about birders entering the
property. (I know we should be respectful of the
rights of landowners but it needs to be said that this
fellow doesn't like birds, or birders, or his "filthy
boghole swamp" - or anything very much that I could
ascertain. Hello, Australia.)
At any rate, from what we could see there were few
Australian Shovelers present and there was no sign of
any Northern Shoveler, so one can only hope it will be
found again. In the meantime though, this really did
seem an excellent if somewhat inaccessible swamp, with
Glossy Ibis, Black-necked Stork and other goodies
visible from the road. Presumably it will be drained
at the earliest opportunity - check it out while you
still can.
It was a long trip back to Brisbane this time.
Cheers
AS
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