Simon,
Fishermen are a big problem. One was taken off Cahill's Crossing a few
years ago. However, those at a place called Shady Camp are worse. One was
swimming for lures last year, I think it was. And then there are the people
who pose on top of croc traps.
Did you hear of an 11 year old being taken by a crocodile, last year I think
it was. Her mother told her she could go swimming in a place where they'd
swum for years - near Fogg Dam, I think it was. After the child was killed
Mum and grandparents wanted crocodiles to be culled from such areas - an
impossibility given the number of waterways in the Top End that are near
human habitation.
However, to lighten the discussion, I've a funny tale. A few years ago
the managing director of Tourism NT decided they would have their Christmas
function at the Leanyer sewage ponds. Her secretary Barbara and I arrived
early to set up a trestle table full of goodies, and then Barbara drove back
to the gate to let the others in. Meantime I set up my telescope in the
somewhat vain hope that some in the party might be interested in the birds.
It was a beautiful evening. The sun was beginning to set and the orange and
pink clouds were reflected in the ponds. Leanyer is certainly one of my
favourite places.
Then glancing idly around I noticed a largish crocodile swimming past, about
forty metres away. As I continued to watch it returned, this time swimming
closer. It continued to close in, possibly attracted by smell of roast
chicken. There was only one thing I could do to defend the food. When the
managing director and her party arrived, there I was, tripod sans telescope,
prepared to do battle!
Few were interested in the birds, but I did learn just how rudimentary the
bird knowledge was of some high up in tourism. The ex-director of a
multi-award-winning ecotour company couldn't recognise a Wandering
Whistling-duck. These days I'm not so surprised. Last year the owner of a
large, well-known and again multi-award-winning tour company sent me a photo
of a bird he couldn't identify. There it was, perched out in the open on
the tiles surrounding his swimming pool. This man had previously sent the
photograph to one of the most famous ecotour operators in the Top End who
couldn't recognise the bird either. It was an adult Nankeen Night-heron.
The latter bloke offers birdwatching on his tours!
Denise
on 23/5/10 10:42 PM, simon starr at wrote:
> I had an experience with a croc in the top end which I will never forget.
> We were staying at Cooinda in Kakadu. I drove down to the bridge over the
> Alligator river, aptly named, for some general birding, and really hoping I
> might chance on a Black Bittern ( it still eludes me). A great spot, so I
> thought I'd just find a nice place to sit and see what came past. In
> hindsight I was a little foolish to choose to climb up a large eucalypt trunk
> which leaned out over the water. But at the time it seemed like the perfect
> lookout. I was a reasonable distance above the water, but I knew that if I
> fell in it would be a bit dodgy. Anyway I enjoyed the views for a while
> until directly below me in the water I spied two eyes looking back up at me.
> Below me was a very large croc, and it was checking me out !! Now this is
> definately the first and only time in my life that I have eyeballed another
> creature and felt like I was being sized up as a meal. Its eyes were quite a
> long way apart, so I knew it was a biggun !.
> Needless to say I rapidly, but VERY carefully removed myself from the
> situation.
>
> The next day I returned to the bridge, but stayed on the bridge. On the river
> was a chap fishing from a little tin tub. He was standing up right at the
> bow of his wobbly excuse for a boat, happily with rod in hand. From where I
> was up on the bridge it was clear that what was probably the same very large
> croc was on the move in the water and not far away from him. The croc was
> bigger than his boat, and would only have had to nudge the side of it and he
> would have been in the water. I doubt from where the fisherman was that he
> could see the croc, but from the bridge the whole scene was clear. He was
> certainly dicing with death,
>
> I certainly wont be hanging around next to the waters edge in the top end
> again.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Simon Starr,
>
> Pyramid Hill,
> Victoria.
> ==============================www.birding-aus.org
> birding-aus.blogspot.com
>
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> send the message:
> unsubscribe
> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> to:
> ==============================
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
