Hi Everyone, I’ve just returned from 6 weeks travelling and tutoring in outback SA and lower NT. There were lots of birds and flowers and rain and mud all over the place and may get to post about some of my experiences later. On the way home I even had a few surprising experiences to break the stresses of driving all the way back from Uluru alone in 6 days.
My second last overnight stop was at Murray Bridge. As I have a friend living there I have made this a stop on a few occasions over the last few years in different seasons and now make a visit to the Rocky Gully Wetlands on the road to Mannum on the western side of the river a regular call. This wetland is overlooked by the meatworks and just after crossing the railway line.
On Tuesday evening it was at its best I’ve ever seen. Water everywhere and birds everywhere. I notched up a respectable list of 26 species within about half an hour. Several species were obviously breeding, including Silver Gulls, Black-winged Stilt and Grey Teal.
Walking around the track on the western side I noticed a wader of some kind standing on the narrow, low footbridge that forms part of the track. Looking through my scope my first instinct was snipe. I’m not very good with wader ID, so hoping not to disturb the bird, I quietly returned to the car for my camera.
The bird was surprisingly still on the footbridge. After taking the first couple of photos I tried to move closer and of course it moved – but only as far as a nearby relatively bare bank of the wetland. I was able to take a series of photos over about 10 minutes as I circumnavigated the north-west corner of the wetland on the track. I got some reasonable photos of the bird (and some wonderful ones of grass seedheads between the bird and myself).
On the way back to my motel room I desperately tried to remember the name of the Murray Bridge contributor to Birding Aus – Trevor…, Trevor H…, Trevor Ham.., Trevor Hampel! Access to my computer to check whether I still had his name in my inbox was difficult, but the motel room did have a local phone book and could find a T. Hampel living in Murray Bridge and gave the number a call before I lost my bravery. A woman answered and said Trevor the birder did live there and was able to speak to me – BINGO!
Trevor talked me out of thinking I’d seen a Snipe – maybe a Common Sandpiper with a long beak, and hadn’t been there lately but would look the next day. On looking at the photo with birding friend Alan Crawford on the way home two days later we felt it was definitely a Snipe – Painted Snipe – male. But looking at my photos once more its not quite like any in the books – it didn’t have a white stripe over the crown.
I have no way of putting my photos on the web, but am willing to send them to anyone interested for verification and/or interest.
If you are passing through or in the area please try to find it again – it might be worth watching.
This site is well worth a visit if you are passing through. Easy access with its own carpark.
Cheers
Elizabeth Shaw Phillip Island Victoria
PS. Thanks for taking my call Trevor! ============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
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