David James and I headed north from Sydney on Thursday mid morning 14 July.
The Rajah Shelduck was conspicuously absent from Riverside Park, Bulahdelah.
We made it to Emerald Beach north of Coffs Harbour and found the road to the
west and immediately stumbled onto a lovely lagoon covered in lotus complete
with Comb-crested Jacanas and Wandering Whistling-ducks. The only problem
was the lack of Green Pygmy-geese. A neighbour Terry came out and struck up
a conversation. I asked him if this was the only lake on this road and he
said no there is a bigger lake just down the road. Hasty farewells were made
as the winter sun was getting lower. We found the big lake scanning
furiously to no avail. It was looking grim after 20 minutes when at the
parked car about 20 metres away hidden in the cover we found the pair of
Green Pygmy-geese. Scope views in the dying light.
Driving south to Nambucca we awoke to Striped Honeyeaters on 15 July. At Hat
Head a pair of Lewin's Rails belched and grunted at us under our feet hidden
in dense wallum. The Wallum Froglets were just as cryptic. Southern
Emu-wrens, White-cheeked Honeyeaters and Tawny Grassbirds gave excellent
views while Relict Ravens perched conspicuously. A road-killed Swamp Rat
gave good views. At Gladstone near Kempsey an adult Square-tailed Kite gave
mega views. It had a bulging neck looking like it had just swallowed a
magpie or something similar. The Rajah Shelduck was reliable in its absence
from Riverside Park on the return journey. Fifty Swift Parrots were roosting
quietly (not like the 100 Little Corellas and pack of baying pit bull
terriers) at the Joshua Porter Reserve at Lake Macquarie-the largest flock
David and I have ever encountered in NSW. Tour de Pygmy-Goose was over.
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