Some wetter areas around Bungendore
A few days ago my friend Julienne visited the big dam off Lake Road, Bungendore
(thank you Google Earth) and reported an excellent haul of waterbirds as shown in the following table. Three of the Carwoola push visited today - by chance with some members from COG, one of whom has provided some of her images, thanks Christine D, responding to Julienne's email - and recorded the 'Later' observations. (I have used .. to indicate approximately similar numbers but we didn't count as rigorously as she did.)
Here is a road level image of the Southern half of the dam:
The following are some of the residents. First a Red-kneed Dotterel
and then a Chestnut Teal, an Australian Shoveller and Grey Teal
I then went a bit further on down Lake Rd adding 1 Brown Falcon (image by Christine),
about 40 Little Ravens, 20 White-winged Choughs and singles of Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher and White-eared Honeyeater.
On getting to a point where it is physically possible to access the bed of Lake George I scanned the area with binoculars and telescope and can report that there was a good heat haze present. Due to the haze and the distance of the water from the road (I estimate at least 2km) I couldn't pick up any waterfowl.
Heading back to the village I glanced at the sewage ponds but there was little there other than Grey Teal and Australian Wood Duck. Had I stopped and looked more closely I would have picked u the Shovellers and Pink-eared Ducks captured by Christine.
The dam on Trucking Yard Lane, sometimes (but not today) the haunt of Whistling Ducks, had more Grey Teal and some larger occupants today:
A larger dam in the next paddock along Hoskinstown Rd was well supplied with Grey Teal, Australian Wood Duck and Pacific Black Duck but no Australian Shelduck that I could see. However Christine did spot some, seen here chatting with a friend.
My final call was to a dam beside Neil's Creek Rd. There is still water there, but it is well covered with reeds so very few birds - Grey Teal and Eurasian Coots - could be seen.
| Name | Julienne | Later |
| Latham Snipe | 2 | 0 |
| Freckled Duck | 1 | 3 |
| White-faced Heron | 4 | |
| Pink-eared ducks | 7 | 7 |
| Red-Kneed Dotterels | 15 | .. |
| Black-fronted Dotterels | 5 | 7 |
| Eurasian Coot | 140 | .. |
| Grey Teal | 90 | .. |
| Australian Wood Duck | 10 | |
| Australian Shovellers | 60 | 40 |
| Hoary-headed Grebes | 50 | .. |
| Australasian Grebes | 20 | 10 |
| Hardheads | 50 | .. |
| Pacific Black Ducks | 30 | 10 |
| Chestnut Teal | 30 | |
| Masked Lapwing | 2 | .. |
| White-fronted Chats | 2 | 0 |
| Magpie-larks | 6 | 2 |
| Crested Pigeon | 1 | 0 |
| Wedgie | 1 | 1 |
| Brown Goshawk | 1 | |
| Nankeen Kestrel | 1 | |
| Tree Martin | 20 | |
| Welcome Swallow | 5 |
Here is a road level image of the Southern half of the dam:
about 40 Little Ravens, 20 White-winged Choughs and singles of Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher and White-eared Honeyeater.
On getting to a point where it is physically possible to access the bed of Lake George I scanned the area with binoculars and telescope and can report that there was a good heat haze present. Due to the haze and the distance of the water from the road (I estimate at least 2km) I couldn't pick up any waterfowl.
Heading back to the village I glanced at the sewage ponds but there was little there other than Grey Teal and Australian Wood Duck. Had I stopped and looked more closely I would have picked u the Shovellers and Pink-eared Ducks captured by Christine.
My final call was to a dam beside Neil's Creek Rd. There is still water there, but it is well covered with reeds so very few birds - Grey Teal and Eurasian Coots - could be seen.
Comments
Also. Damn: the Herons were there yesterday, I just omitted to write them down! I shall add them now!
Martin