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Fivebough Bird Fair & Campbell Swamp

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Subject: Fivebough Bird Fair & Campbell Swamp
From: Carol Probets <>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 20:00:21 +1100
Hi All,

I too had the pleasure of attending the Fivebough Bird Fair last weekend at Leeton, NSW. May I reiterate what others have reported that it was a great weekend and I urge everyone to try and get to next year's event if you can.

In fact I've been on a high all week after the experience of spending a couple of early mornings and late afternoons at Fivebough Swamp - what a place! - in the present conditions amazing not only for the diversity but the sheer numbers of birds, all bathed in an intensely vivid light. Standing there at dusk and seeing a long wavy line across the sky and realising that it's some of the thousands of Glossy Ibis flying in to roost, or putting the binoculars up and seeing a dense cloud of hovering Whiskered Terns stretching for hundreds of metres. And all the other species that have already been mentioned by others, including crakes by the dozen. The funniest sight of the weekend was Sean Dooley leading his audience in birdwatchers' warm-up exercises!

I went back into the wetland on Sunday afternoon and stayed until dark in the hope of seeing a bittern or two. Heard at least 5 Little Bitterns calling and an Australasian Bittern, but didn't see either.

On Monday after leaving Leeton, I detoured to Griffith where I spent a bit of time exploring the nearby wetlands. The best of these was Campbell's Swamp, about 6km north of Griffith where, in the midday heat, large numbers of Spotted and Baillon's Crakes out feeding, Spotless Crake, Black-winged Stilts, Red-kneed Dotterels, Black-tailed Native-hen, Chestnut & Grey Teal, Shovelers, Glossy Ibis, both Spoonbills, Great Egret, Brown Songlark and many other species - and one Magpie-Goose. Two Australasian Bitterns and a Little Bittern were heard calling here also.

On the drive back home, 3 Superb Parrots seen at Lyndhurst, between Cowra and Bathurst.

cheers,
Carol


--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol Probets
Guided birding in the Blue Mountains & Capertee Valley
PO Box 330
Katoomba NSW 2780
Web: http://www.bmbirding.com.au
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