Today I visited Cuppitt’s
Lane off Cornwallis Road, Richmond walking
through the weedy fields looking for quail. The first bird I flushed was a
stunning female Red-backed Button-quail complete with yellow bill, red back,
intense red underparts with spots on the flanks and chest and golden leading
edge to the wing coverts. A spectacular bird. She gave
an excellent close flight view in the bins before she dived into chest high
paspalum. I flogged around for a further hour and a half flushing three Stubble
Quail and a Brown Quail and heard King Quail very close but no more
re-sightings of the button-quail. A few times I could see the grass moving
quail like in front of me but nothing flushed. There are numerous Singing Bushlarks, Golden-headed Cisticola
and some Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. This follows up
on sightings of Red-chested Button-quail in the same
site so it is in excellent quail condition.
Spent a short time at Pitt Town Lagoon seeing two Baillon’s Crakes, heard Spotless and had a great view
of a juvenile female Collared Sparrowhawk.
All the best
Dion
