Shoveler a 'No-Show' at Werribee

[Peter Shute <>]

It's still around, I found it easily at about 1pm today - I just drove to where 
all the cars were parked and got someone to point it out. I had driven past 
this spot 30 minutes before, and missed it. It's easy to see if it's facing 
you, not so easy if it's facing away or distant.

It was at the north east corner of Lake Borrie, and I think it had been there 
an hour or so before I got there. Soon after that, it flew to the north east 
corner of the pond to the west of Lake Borrie. This is the pond that's 
separated from Lake Borrie by a narrow causeway you can drive on.

Then it seemed to just drift with the wind almost to the east side of that 
pond, where it encountered 3 or 4 male Australasian Shovelers swimming south 
west. It swam hard to catch up with them, gave up, caught up again, then they 
all swam back to the north east corner. There it got out on the bank for a 
while till all the ducks there flew back into the water. I left at about 2.30 
after having watched it for about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Thanks to whoever found it first today, I think it was Steve Davidson, and to 
those who pointed it out to me later. Sorry you missed it, John, it's the luck 
of the draw when a bird could be at any of dozens of ponds. I tried a couple of 
times when there was one here in 2011, and never found it. Hopefully this one 
will stick around longer than that one did.

Peter Shute

________________________________
From:  
 On Behalf Of John Tongue 

Sent: Saturday, 18 May 2013 10:50 AM
To: Birding-Aus Aus
Subject: Shoveler a 'No-Show' at Werribee

Sadly, despite a day of concerted searching around Walsh's Lagoon, from there 
to the Borrow Pits, and around Lake Borrie, the Northern Shoveler was not to be 
seen.  A quick check around T-Section late in the afternoon also failed to turn 
up the Aus Bittern seen recently.

Not the most successful in terms of targets, but sill, a very pleasant day.

John Tongue
Ulverstone, Tas.

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