Reminds me a lot of 1 January 1974 when I went with Richard Loyn after
the BOCA christmas camp to Omeo on the way home to John Izzard's
property near Finley NSW which had an influx of Red-chested
Button-quails, Little Button-quails and Stubble Quails. We saw lots of
all 3. After that Richard hoped to find Red-chested Button-quails, in
similar habitat in Victoria. We went across the border to a similar
looking oat field near Dookie. By chance I came across a small pile of
feathers at the edge of the field. I collected them. By comparison with
specimens at the Victorian museum they were clearly female from a
Red-chested Button-quail. No doubt victim of some predator. I wrote this
up in the Bird Observer (about April 1974). I wrote at the time that it
would probably be a long time before I encountered Red-chested
Button-quails again and I never have.
That was a great trip for a young fellow at that time (just before the
start of my last year at school).
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Rohan Clarke
Sent: Thursday, 30 December 2010 3:41 PM
To:
Subject: A big button-quail day
Hi All,
I drove up to Terrick Terrick National Park in north-central Victoria
last night to search for Red-chested Button-quail. Although usually a
rarity (or at least rarely encountered) in Victoria, there have been a
smattering of reports in the state in the last 3-4 months. As luck would
have it I saw at least eight individuals including several stunning
adult females. During the day and around dusk the native grasslands were
alive with the sound of Stubble Quail but it was after dark that the
button-quail were mostly heard. In the same area as the RCBQ, I also
flushed about 30 Stubble Quail including many young ones and about 10
Little Button-quail including one very cute chick.
On the way home this morning I stopped in a patch of woodland near
Heathcote and chanced upon a single Painted BQ - the third species of
Button-quail that occurs in Victoria.
I've posted photos of all three species taken in the last 24 hrs here...
http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/buttonquail
Thanks to Simon Starr (www.firetailbirdwatchingtours.com) for posting
the original report and for providing some additional tips on where to
search.
Cheers,
Rohan
--
Rohan Clarke
www.wildlifeimages.com.au
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