G'day all,
Yesterday arvo about 5pm had a great sighting of a Latham's Snipe at Woodford
in the Blue Mountains (about 85 kms west of Sydney).
I flushed the bird from the side of a small dam on Garnet Creek and it took
off in it's very erratic flight, my immediate thought was Brown Quail but
realised it was way too big. The bird flew about 30 m away to a small bank and
landed. In flight I had a glimpse of the unusually long beak, the flash of
orangy rufous tail and the cryptic plumage. It stayed on the bank for about 30
sec. and I had a good look at it.
It then wandered into the scrub out of sight and I crept over for a better
look. When I got near to where I thought it was I heard it's frog like call and
it took off again.
Garnet Creek is a swampy creek which has been dammed at one point right at the
edge of the National Park. It has produced some unusual birds for me over the
years, including Plumed Whistling Duck, Southern Emu-Wren and now Latham's
Snipe.
I can find no record of any other sightings in the Blue Mountains but there
are a couple of other suitable habitats - freshwater swampy wetlands - like
Wentworth Falls Lake and Glenbrook Lagoon.
Also, heard then saw my first Black-faced Monarch of the season today at
Murphy's Glen. Migrants seemed to have taken advantage of the warmer weather
arriving a bit earlier this year. Saw a Leaden Flycatcher here at Woodford on
the 14th.
Cheers,
Mark Ley
Woodford, Blue Mountains.
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