Hi all,
Pasted below is a copy of the Grey Heron article that appeared in the
'Busselton Mail' (SW WA) on Tuesday last week.
As you can see from the response below it is possible that in the end no
photographs of the bird were obtained.
Since Frank O'Connor searched with other Perth based birders on Wednesday of
last week has anyone been out looking for it??
Regards
Rohan
rohan,
unfortunately our photographer was unable to photograph the bird.
however, an article was published, the text of which is pasted below.
thank you for your interest
kind regards
lynley rich
senior journalist
Rare bird find in Busselton wetlands
BUSSELTON birdwatching enthusiasts will be delighted at recent local
sightings of a grey heron, a species thought to have never been seen in
Australia.
GeoCatch volunteers Jeni Jones and Margaret Hill have been surveying the
Vasse River wetlands near the Waljin Aboriginal Garden to assess the area
for a bird hide.
The pair recently spotted the heron and were unable to identify it.
Protocol for this form of discovery required the observers to make detailed
descriptions of the bird and cross check descriptions with an Australian
field guide.
When a match could not be found in existing field guides they contacted
Busselton CALM principal research scientist Jim Lane.
Mr Lane identified the species using an international bird guide.
He said the grey heron (ardea cinerea) was distributed widely in Europe and
Africa and as far south as Indonesia but he believed there had been no
confirmed sightings in Australia.
Reasons why the heron was so far from home were unknown and Mr Lane
suggested that it might simply have been a vagrant bird.
Confirmation of the species may take some time but if it was a grey heron,
Mr Lane said the sighting in Busselton would probably be a first for
Australia.
While it is not known how long the bird will remain in the wetlands area it
provides a unique opportunity for birdwatchers to catch a glimpse of an
exotic species.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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