Has anyone got any ideas they'd like to share with me about a mystery bird
here last night?
Mid-evening, around 8.30pm, sitting on the verandah. A gentle light shining
over the creek surface, not enough to disturb a few ducks and moorhens that
spell there at night, but sufficient to give us a bit of a look at anything
that flies past.
While we enjoyed our coffee, a Barn Owl fluttered by, some Plumed Whistling
Ducks went overhead, not a lot was happening - it was quite breezy, not a
lot of insects about.
Then I heard what I would have sworn was a Black-fronted Dotterel. They bred
here this year, we're very familiar with their calls. It's a small bird to
get a look at at night, but I've heard it several times at night recently
and always considered it to be a Black-fronted Dotterel out late.
Next, a fair-sized bird appeared quite high over the creek, just a quick
glimpse - made harder by being lit from below. Not a Barn Owl, could have
been a Tawny Frogmouth, have to call it a ufo. But, the 'dotterel' call
started up and seemed to be emanating from this new bird!
Four visiting birders from Finland immediately asked me "What's that?" I
think I could have mumbled something about a Frogmouth being harassed by a
Black-fronted Dotterel - but the truth is I hadn't got a clue!
But, I told them at breakfast this-morning that we would probably sort this
out during the course of the day by referring it to our expert panel on
Birding-aus.
So, has anyone out there got any ideas or comments please aside from my
feeble 'two bird theory'?
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at http://www.abberton.org
Email:
Ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111 Fax: (+61) 7 4697 6056
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