DAY FOUR
We awake to find our most
common bird around the campsite is Yellow Chat. For the next two days we are
treated to frequent and superb views of this exquisite bird. We estimate seeing
around 100 birds in the small part of the lake that we visited and seeing that
Lake Gregory and the surrounding lake system is a few hundred kms around the
shoreline, there should be hundreds or thousands more!
An early morning walk along
the beach is productive with stunning views of a male Flock Bronzewing sitting
on the beach 20 metres in front of us. We also see around 10 ?flockies? as they
became known, flying around as well.
Water birds included,
thousands of Little Black Cormorants, hundreds of Magpie Geese, dozens of
Great-crested Grebes, hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks, Brolga in abundance.
Hundreds of Red-capped Plovers scurried everywhere and Black-fronted Dotterel were also
plentiful.
Whistling Kites were in
abundance and several were nesting. Swamp Harriers were common. We had distant
views of a Black Falcon, soaring high on a thermal.
After lunch we came across
dozens of Yellow Chats (dubbed the ?Yellow Sparrows? by now). We discovered
nesting Tree Martins. Many Australian Pratincoles patrolled the shoreline as
well. A Little Grass Bird was a nice surprise in the reeds around the lake.
Later on as we were following
a Little Button Quail we flushed a female Flock Bronzewing and upon closer
inspection discovered that she was sitting on 2 eggs. Soon afterwards a male
Flock Bronzewing did a spectacular display flight close by and at speed.
It was all happening as they
say and we came across a group of 18 Banded Lapwings, a nice record for this
area.
Back to the lakes edge early
evening and we viewed two Freckled Ducks and also a Wood Sandpiper on the
shoreline. Our first Black-shouldered Kite of the trip completed a fantastic
days birding with 66 species seen.
Spaghetti Bolognaise for tea.
Nice to have two nights without packing up camp.
Magpie Goose
Freckled Duck
Black Swan
Australian Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Grey Teal
Pink-eared Duck
Hardhead
Australasian Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Little Pied Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Australian Pelican
Greta Egret
Straw-necked Ibis
Black-shouldered Kite
Black Kite
Whistling Kite
Swamp Harrier
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Brown Falcon
Black Falcon
Brolga
Eurasian Coot
Australian Bustard
Little Button Quail
Wood Sandpiper
Red-capped Plover
Black-fronted Dotterel
Masked Lapwing
Banded Lapwing
Australian Pratincole
Silver Gull
Caspian Tern
Whiskered Tern
Flock Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Diamond Dove
Galah
Cockatiel
Budgerigar
Horsefield?s
Bronze-Cuckoo
Rainbow Bee-eater
Variegated Fairy-Wren
White-backed Fairy-Wren
Yellow-throated Miner
Singing Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Yellow Chat
Grey-crowned Babbler
Magpie-Lark
Willie Wagtail
White-winged Triller
White-breasted
Woodswallow
Black-faced Woodswallow
Pied Butcherbird
Torresian Crow
Singing Bushlark
Richard?s Pipit
Zebra Finch
Tree Martin
Little Grassbird
Rufous Songlark
Brown Songlark
Darter
To be
continued
Dick Jenkin
DUNGOG
NSW
