This survey yielded a higher numerical tally than usual. The several highlights were the return of Black-winged Stilts; a hunting Black-Shouldered Kite watching from one of bridge light standards that killed and devoured a mouse as we watched; two groups of Red-Browed Finches; two Darters on the river and accompanying full house of cormorants; the Brown Quail seen near our Todd Road entrance; and Fantailed Cuckoo clearly heard nearby by two of the survey team. Moreover, at the survey’s end we observed Crested Tern and Pied Oystercatchers – one of the latter was feeding avidly in the shallows despite a broken bill.
A negative aspect was the presence of 10-20 Noisy Miners along the lakeside track between the deck and the bridge near Railway Dam; the group was putting up a very noisy chorus. We hope this presence is temporary.
As usual, a special thanks to Ursula Dutkiewicz for her very pleasing and interesting photographs.