In a late-morning visit today, I checked the Grubby Pond (really the settling-pond put in to collect silt and rubbish from the drain which enters the Swamp at its north-east corner). Blackberries were sprayed recently and the Pond is now more visible. Something brownish was moving on the far bank – binocs showed it was a Buff-banded Rail poking about among the rubbish and leaf-litter in front of the Cumbungi plants. I was able to sneak forward without disturbing the bird and took several photos, though at extreme range for the camera. The Rail continued to potter about and then it came right to the edge to stand on its reflection – then it flew, disturbed by the sudden arrival of a young Dusky Moorhen.
Visitors to Banyule Flats should get there very early on Sunday mornings if they want to find a parking space at Somerset Drive, before herds of young soccer-players invade the park. But if I hadn’t had to park in Banyule Rd, I wouldn’t have gone to the Pond.
Anthea Fleming ===============================
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
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
