Whoooah, Black Bittern, Whambalam- in the words of Australian rock band,
Spiderbait.
This morning I had a ripper Black Bittern morning, canoeing with my
brother-in-law around Morisset, western Lake Macquarie, central NSW. We
saw no less than 8 Black Bitterns!... although on reflection I believe
that there were only 6 individuals involved.
Beauty Point (Stockton Creek)- 3 Black Bitterns, 2 females and one jet
black male. At one stage all three bitterns were within 20 metres of
each other. Other birds here included Azure Kingfisher, Willie Wagtail
(nest on log over creek). Also the migrants that birding-aussers seem to
have been obsessed with over the last week (Koel, Channel-billed Cuckoo,
Dollarbird, Sacred Kingfisher and singing Rufous Whistler and
White-throated Gerygone).
Beauty Point (Dora Creek)- Grey Goshawk.
Cooranbong (Jigadee Creek)- Black Bittern (1 female). Other birds
included Olive-backed Oriole, Yellow-faced Honeyeater (apparently
migrating flocks).
Cooranbong (Dora Creek, upstream from freeway)- Black Bittern (2, male
and female), Azure Kingfisher. I got a crippling view of the female bird
here from a distance of about 10 metres.
On the way back to the car we saw another 2 Black Bitterns but I think
that they were probably from the 3 Stockton Creek birds seen earlier in
the morning. I approached where the last bird (a glossy black bird) had
disappeared) quietly (this was about 1230 pm) and after a couple of
minutes it flew out of the undergrowth (Lantana at this spot) over my
head and across the creek with a large skink in its bill, possibly a
large Water Skink, (Eulamprus quoyii). While I've seen more activity of
BB in the evenings, clearly some hunting is done throughout the day.
No photos unfortunately, I'm still not game to carry my camera out on
the canoe!
Cheers
Mick
--
Michael Todd
Wildlifing
Images & Sounds of Nature
Latest Additions: Sooty Owl, Spotted Pardalote, equipment for sale
www.wildlifing.com
Toronto, NSW, Australia
04101 23715
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