I was enjoying my hide duty time at Edithvale Wetlands
last weekend observing the ducks busily doing what ducks are best at, and ever
hopeful that the Freckled Ducks may appear again,when a Horsfield's Bronze
Cuckoo landed on the stump infront of the window and serenaded us for quite a
few minutes. My fellow duty person had never seen one before and so was quite
chuffed, and although a regular visitor there and living in this area I have
only been treated to their presence in the bush, and so was also quite
delighted. You never know what will surprise you with birdwatching. The
sound and sight of a hundred or so Coots scuttling across the water as they
are terrorised by the Swamp Harrier always adds a bit of excitement there too.
Earlier this week on another check from the observation area at the Wetlands,
checking for the FD's I'd been lucky to see as a firster the previous week, we
watched 22 kangaroos bound across the wide stretch of water with their bellies
dipping the surface each jump. It's a magical place to have in our suburban
area, and different every visit.
Jacqui Sheppard
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