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Have just returned from 2 week Sydney holiday with only
one day devoted to birding.Spent the 13th making first visit to Windsor
area starting at Mitchell Park, on to Pitt Town Lagoon, then Mcgraths Hill
Effluent Reuse Wetlands.Enjoyed McGraths Hill immensely, got 37 species in 90
minutes,best sightings being Spotted Crake, Baillon's Crake (7
in three different areas),Royal Spoonbill,Latham's Snipe, Glossy
Ibis and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
Pitt Town Lagoon is bone-dry, not a drop of water anywhere.Despite this saw 13
species with Masked Lapwing (30) and White-faced Heron
(15) the only water birds. The centre of the lagoon contains the
rotting remains of hundreds of large (35+cm) fish being picked-over by ravens.No
wonder there have been few reports from there recently!!
A gentle
stroll at Mitchell Park brought-forth 40 species with nothing to excite a
visiting Queenslander other than a pair of Red-whiskered
Bulbuls.
A week
in the great metropolis itself had birding very much on the back-burner, though
we did manage to see 20 species in a ferry ride from Circular Quay to Rydelmere,
including a pair of Striated Heron in the upper reaches. At
Potts Point spied a Bulbul on top of an adjacent building and loved to watch the
flying foxes heading east at dusk (I presume Grey-headeds from the Botanic
Gardens). Other than that it was bucketloads of Indian Mynas and Rock
Doves.
Russ
Lamb, Maleny,SEQ
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