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Hi All.
Recent postings on Birding-aus had led me to believe that wader numbers
were down this year, however a visit yesterday to Penrhyn Rd. boat ramp on the
north shore of Botany Bay in Sydney tended to disprove this.I counted 135
Bar-tailed Godwits, about 40 Curlew Sandpipers, 25+ Red-necked Stints, 26
Pacific Golden Plovers and 9 Red Knots. Amongst the other suspects--- gulls,
Crested Terns, pelicans, cormorants etc.--- were 2 Common Terns, 3 Little Terns,
2 Black-winged Stilts and a Pied Oystercatcher.
A visit to nearby Henry Head in Botany Bay National Park produced 2 sub
adult Pacific Gulls, 2 Ruddy Turnstones and 2 Sooty Oystercatchers amongst the
Silver Gulls, Crested Terns and 4 cormorant species, all on one rock shelf. A
Bar -shouldered Dove and European Blackbird were singing in the heath.
I can confirm what Rod Gardner said about the destruction of the small
wetland on the north flank of the rifle range at Maroubra, there was about 8 or
so large pieces of earth moving equipment plus trucks hard at work, they have
even built a fenced equipment compound and look like they are building a road
from the rifle range down to the shoreline. What Rod did not mention was the new
[at least to me !] addition of several Commonwealth notices warning of
horrendous [you would cop less for treason !] fines for trespassing on or
environmental damage to commonwealth property. It looks like something big is
going on here, it wouldn't surprise me to one day to see a housing estate or a
resort on the old rifle range.
A bit of good news and a bit of bad news--that's how it goes these
days.
Bruce.
Bruce Cox.
48 Rangers Retreat Rd.
Frenchs Forest.
N.S.W. 2086.
Phone. 02] 9451
5394.
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