As it was the weekend of the ABSA conference, there were a few banders keen to do some mist netting.
Wally Klau, Don Reid et al. threw up some nets, and I saw my first Striated Grasswrens ... close-up!
Don also got a Weebill (pictured), and Wally a Crested Bellbird. Elsewhere, a Scrub Robin was caught by Richard Donaghey.
This young Grey Butcherbird "did a frogmouth", and indeed looked very much like a stick, despite being well and truly caught.
On the Monday morning, I woke up before dawn, and wandered down to Whistler tank, to check out one of the new bird hides.
Each hide overlooks an elevated drinking water trough.
This water was provided following the closure of dams, and allows birds to drink water, without attracting feral goats and other destructive herbivores ...
Mulga Parrots are one of the most common visitors to the water. Ringnecks also come in to drink in good numbers, as do some of the honeyeaters and other bush birds.
The 12-hour drive (each way) was made worthwhile, not just by attending an interesting conference, meeting lots of people, and (finally!) seeing Gluepot with my own eyes ...
BUT ALSO by the discovery of a potential study animal - one of my all-time favorite birds - the highly endangered, stunningly attractive Regent Parrot, already identified as being vulnerable to climate change (one of the focus areas of my PhD).
Please, Kevin, forgive me for falling asleep in your talk! (and note: I did hear enough of it to get me very, very interested ...)
