This will be a collection of photos taken in various spots. The narrative may be even less coherent than usual. On looking through them sunsets are a feature!
I nearly always look at flocks of Corellas to see if a Long-billed is mixed in with the Littles. On 6 April I heard an aberrant call as we walked in Commonwealth Park and on checking 2 birds perched in a nearby tree found I had Bird of the Day.
Less exciting in Canberra, but very much so for anyone from overseas (with the possible exception of some, Macaw-infested, places in South America) was a Crimson Rosella perched on the sunviso outside my study.
The Shire, also known as the ACT Government, has set up a school holiday facility in Glebe Park where they have a container of junk which is spread out over the lawns. Kids then get stuck into the stuff to play with as they like. A brilliant idea which works very well. (As a side benefit it must give OHAS onanists conniptions!)
Sunrise on 7 April. Not
that spectacular but I don't want to be timeist in favour of sunsets.
Our trip today was to Bungendore to buy potting mix and list Plumed Whistling Duck for Bird-a-Day. Only three of them on Darmody's Dam but that was enough!
On the other visible dam there were 79 Australian Shelducks which was good to see, Also good to see near there were these fungi, which looked "odd" as I drove by.
On looking closely the scaliness and the black gills made me think Shaggy Inkcap (
Coprinus comatus) and that ID has been confirmed on iNaturalist. A first for me.
A backlit cloud. Looks good - no other reason needed IMHO.
Sunset on 7 April. Ibid.
The 8th saw us heading up to the Brindabellas looking for wet gully birds. With the Cotter Dam going over, wetness appeared to be in our future.
The road from Condor Creek to the turn off toward Warks Rd was appalling: purely corrugated rock. The Shire needs to put a grader over it asap. Fortunately we were in the Pajero. Warks Rd was walked upon and it was very pleasant. The Creek was running very nicely.
An orchid leaf I think!
Maidenhair ferns in profusion indicate dampness has been evident.
No 'good' birds were seen here: lots of calls, but the veg is very dense (and tall). However on getting down to the Urriara Crossing area we had a fleeting, but definite, sighting of a Pied Butcherbird. They have gone from a 'rip your shirt off' rarity to a resident bird in this area - but never reported from Mallacoota so a gimme Bird of the Day.
The sunset was spectacular! The first photo was used by ABC TV Canberra as shot of the day on the weather forecast on 9 April.
On the 9th we went for a stroll to Lake Ginninderra, mainly to check for interesting birds. The view from the tip of the Peninsula was interesting.
When we arrived in Canberra (1983) the Community Council were trying to prevent development of the foreshore of the (artificial) Lake. A proposal to build a 9 story "skyscraper" was greeted with considerable outrage. Presumably the occupants of these towers (and a couple more out of shot to the right) have ensured the viability of Belconnen Mall!
We found quite a few birds that are difficult to record, at best, in Mallacoota. I ended up selecting Red-rumped Parrot as my Bird of the Day, as they are unrecorded in Mallacoota. A male Gang-gang is always nice to see.
Australasian Swamphens do occur at Mallacoota, and not particularly photogenic, but I was surprised to see very young chicks in mid April.
In the afternoon we went for a game of croquet at the Canberra Croquet Club, courtesy of our friend Rob who has taken the sport up in place of running marathons. Here is the lawn.
The clubhouse on the RH edge is one of the oldest structures in Canberra, dating from 1928. The roof has just been repaired after being trashed by the hailstorm last year. A very enjoyable and educational outing.
On the 10th we went over to Glebe with daughter and progeny. A bloke turned up with a bubble blower of vast proportions and got lots of attention from kids and photographers.
In the afternoon I went to Tharwa to try for some interesting birds. Alas there were few birds around and none of them unduly interesting. Mount Tennant looked "interesting" after the ADF accidentally lit up most of Namadgi National Park. No bushfire Hazard there for a while!
On the way home I diverted to ANU to try to track down a Blue-faced Honeyeater reported from there. No luck, but I did see another Shaggy Ink-Cap fungus!
On the 9th we went for a stroll to Lake Ginninderra, mainly to check for interesting birds. The view from the tip of the Peninsula was interesting.
Australasian Swamphens do occur at Mallacoota, and not particularly photogenic, but I was surprised to see very young chicks in mid April.
In the afternoon I went to Tharwa to try for some interesting birds. Alas there were few birds around and none of them unduly interesting. Mount Tennant looked "interesting" after the ADF accidentally lit up most of Namadgi National Park. No bushfire Hazard there for a while!
On the way home I diverted to ANU to try to track down a Blue-faced Honeyeater reported from there. No luck, but I did see another Shaggy Ink-Cap fungus!
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