BIRDING AT POINT COOK

Hello All, On Sunday my self and others were at Point Cook hoping to see the American Golden Plover. We had no luck but I had a lovely conversation with Jacky and Dave about Iron Range. Afterwards on returning home I looked up my notes about seeing a Red-Bellied Pitta and thought you might be interested. Some of the details I had completely forgotten hence the importance of writing things down while they are fresh in one’s mind. Here is our account: ” As for the Red-bellied Pitta, it was an interesting story. Being so dry (Early December 2012) no-one had heard anything of the Red-bellied Pitta and so most of us thought we had no chance of seeing one. We were walking along the road near the T-junction, where the Lockhart River road turns off with no luck finding any birds when a bloke in a gas company ute stopped his vehicle and told us he’d seen and photographed a RBP the previous afternoon at Gordon Creek. He hopped out of his vehicle and introduced himself as being called “Lumpy.” He told us that before coming into the park the day before he had learnt the call of the RBP and then he heard one calling constantly at Gordon Creek but couldn’t get onto it. As he was about to give up and was going back to his ute, he noticed the Pitta midway up a tree and was then able to get a photo. He told us he had heard all about Klaus and that he was on his way back to Gordon Creek hoping to see the Pitta again. He also mentioned that he’d love to see a Northern Scrub Robin sometime. The next morning, or 4th day at Iron Range, Klaus took us straight to Gordon Creek and he heard what seemed like a distant RBP. He played his tape and I think got a responding call and headed off onto the bush to suss it out. We then all headed into the bush together but Klaus decided to go back out and try a different but close by, entry into the bush. We could all hear the RBP calling and it seemed to me to be on the other side of the river. Klaus headed off to the right with his scope in hand, set it up and beckoned us over. To my amazement there was the Pitta in the scope. It is a moment of unreality to be a seeing a bird I’d long given up on ever seeing. Some of the others got their bins onto it and lucky for me I managed to be having another turn at the scope and this time the RBP had turned from side on to front on and I could see the white on the throat when it called. Then it was all over. All of us were hoping we might get a chance for a photo like Lumpy had but it was not to be. As for whether the bird had stayed over, Klaus was not sure. On our second day we had been getting onto the Northern Scrub-robin at the Rainforest camping spot and we’d had quite a big downpour of rain for about 15 minutes and it was that afternoon that Lumpy had seen his RBP. So Klaus wondered if that might have been the trigger for the RBP to start calling. He said that early on they are always up trees and not found on the ground. But Klaus sure showed his birding skill in finding us the RBP.” Best wishes, Patrick Scully _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org