I was at the single sewage pond for Kupungarri
aboriginal community (and Mt Barnett Roadhouse, Gibb River Rd Kimberleys) this
morning 0600 hrs when I found 3 Oriental Plovers. They were in an adjacent
pond area now totally dry except for one small damp patch. I sat in among the
long grass with my camera and watched as they fed sometimes walking past
within 2m of me. At one time as I was looking through the view finder I
glimpsed another wader so swung the lens across to that and found I was focussed
on a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. I hadn't even seen it arrive. Behind me in the full
pond were 2 Common Sandpipers. I check at least once a day so these were all new
arrivals. But while watching the waders I noticed there were finches feeding
farther along. As there are numerous Long-tailed Finches here I presumed that
was what they were. Looking through the binoculars I saw they were indeed
Long-tails but near them was one solitary female Gouldian Finch. Beside her were
4 other finches that puzzled me briefly until I realised they were
unmarked juvenile Gouldians. When the flock flew the 5 Gouldians went in a
tight group by themselves while the Long-tails headed in another direction. As
far as I can ascertain records of Gouldians here are few and far between these
days.
Don Hadden
