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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