Following Keith Brandwoods sighting of 7 Red-chested
Button-quails in Richmond (approx. 55km north-west of Sydney CBD) a few days
ago, David Mitford, David
Koffel, Murray Lord, Roger
McGovern and I decided to have a look for ourselves for a couple of hours this
morning at the corner of Cornwallis and Cuppits Lane
(close to Bakers Lagoon). We did see 2 Red-chested
Button-quail amongst a few of both Stubble and Brown Quail. Also in that
paddock were loads of Singing Bushlarks. Raptors seen
included a female Brown Goshawk, 3 Swamp Harriers and a young White-bellied
Sea-eagle.
The Hawkesbury area west of Sydney is certainly a good place
to see Quail/Button-quail with Brown, Stubble and King Quail as well as Red-chested, Red-backed, Little and Painted Button-quails
having been seen in the area (I have seen all but the Red-backed at least twice
in the Hawkesbury area and have had only one sighting of 3 Red-backed
Button-quails in the same paddock we saw the Red-chested
Button-quails today).
Well done Keith for helping me to add another Sydney tick (my
second in 3 days after the Orange Chat). I have seen Red-chested
Button-quail previously at Bushell’s Lagoon (in
the 90’s) which is the wrong side of the Hawkesbury River for a Sydney tick.
Red-chested Button-quails appear
to have been turning up or probably more so being sighted more regularly in the
Hawkesbury with sightings also at Scheyville and Kurrajong within the last few years.
Edwin Vella
