Hi birders,
The message about Barn Elms, now the London
Wetland Centre, brings back nostalgic memories.
It is where I first got into birding many years
ago. In those days it was a set of four
reservoirs, and was already good. Over a few
years I saw over 130 species, and it was a
regular winter spot for one of the world's most
beautiful duck, the Smew. It was great for
migrating waders, swans and duck, despite having
concrete banks and mown grass areas between the
reservoirs: an oasis just seven miles from the
centre of London. But the ultimate in urban
birding? Maroubra and the Malabar headland here
in Sydney has a list of 209 species, 200+ in the
last 10 years, and it's 11 km from the CBD. It is
not even protected, though the local community is
trying to make it so, and there are plans to
re-create a wetland there, which would boost the
richness of the area. There are fears, though,
that the federal government will sell it off to
developers.
Rod
--
Dr Rod Gardner
Senior Lecturer
Department of Linguistics
School of Modern Language Studies
University of New South Wales
NSW 2052
Australia
Tel: ±61 2 9385 1454
Fax: ±61 2 9385 8723
CRICOS Provider Code 00098G
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