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Shirley,
Wasn't it a beautiful morning down there?
Sorry we didn't intersect, but we also got lots of good sightings, our highlight
being the 20+ Freckled Ducks just north of Beach Road, south of Lake Borrie,
where you, Margaret Cameron, Neville Pamment, Paul Hackett and Joy Tansey all
described (any many thanks to all of you for your advice). We got to the
Spit gate at about 7:30 and left Paradise Rd to head home just on noon, having
had superb viewing conditions with hardly a breath of wind, but enough cloud
around to keep the galre problem to a minimum. Other highlights included
two Cape Barren Geese at Paradise Road, couple of Yellow-billed Spoonbills in
the lower reaches of Little River, five or six Fairy Terns on a tidal sandbar
off Little River mouth, two Horsfield Bronze-cuckoos, and, at the Little River
mouth hide, White-browed Scrub-wrens climbing up behind the car grille
(presumably) to feed on cooked insects off the front of the radiator. Lots
of Red-necked Stints at Little River mouth, plus Curlew-Sandpipers (almost all
in non-breeding plumage, so likely immature birds?), plus a small group of what
I think must have been Knots - similar size to the Curlew-Sandpipers, although
further away, a bit darker, stockier and with shorter, more solid, almost
straight bills. Lots of Banded Stilts around, too, mostly in adult
plumage, although a few unbanded birds too. Also heaps of Swamp Harriers
and Whistling Kites, but the only other raptors were a few Black-shouldered
Kites. 59 species for the morning.
Shirley, regarding your ID query, if not a Little
Grassbird (which does have fine streaks underneath, although I've sometimes
found them less than conspicuous), what about an over-wintering female Brown
Songlark? Perhaps too big?
Regards,
Jack Krohn
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