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Lathams Snipe at Last!

January 29, 2014 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

… I think. I can never be too sure.

I had gotten to the end of a stressful but somewhat rewarding birding session at Jerringot. I’d ‘dipped’ on all my target species and was somewhat frustrated. I paused to look at some swamphens when I heard a new birdcall and saw a flash of movement. I was too busy saying ‘shit! SHIT!’ in my head to get a photo in time. I was sure it was a snipe as it had the right body shape.

!IMG_9106

I think this particular bird was but alas, I wasn’t confident enough to ID it. Later, I was going through my photos when I saw this:

!IMG_9010

I’m fairly certain that I’ve just crossed the lathams snipe off my list!

It’s hard to describe just how difficult it has been to find this bird. I’ve visited once a month since they’ve meant to have arrived and have had no sightings. I’ve had very few sightings of many of the birds commonly seen here. It’s demoralizing and I’ve felt like a fake birdwatcher.

It’s also highlighted the importance of getting a pair of binoculars and maybe even a scope. I have no idea how I’m going to afford it but I’m learning that it is a definite necessity. My current method is get photos of any shapes or movements and look at the photos later. I miss out on a lot of birds this way.

I have no idea what to look for or how to even start the research.

~

Slightly off topic, but I was telling Seth about the sighting and he started telling me about the fictional birds he had seen. The funniest was the ‘booby snipe’ 🙂 I love his enthusiasm but there is a little bit of guilt there as I always get the giggles when he mentions birds with ‘boobie’ in the name.

~

Back to the birds!

!IMG_9104

 

I’m not sure what these two are. I’m guessing juvenile wattlebirds? They were very cute!

!IMG_9054

 

Again, I’m not sure what these are. I need to consult a proper field guide. They don’t match any birds that are normally seen at Jerringot.

!IMG_9081

 

Another one that stumps me. Maybe a dusky woodswallow? Really hard ID’ing animals when a five year old has ‘borrowed’ your field guide.

!IMG_9032

 

This is one that I am really excited about. A pink eared duck! I love them but have never seen one here. I don’t think it is usual as there are no reports on eremaea. I don’t know whether I should tell anyone about it as there is the resident one at Balyang.

!IMG_9007

 

A great egret (I think.) All the birds seem to have moved from the site at the golf course, as it is drying out, to this area closer to the road. There were about 5 herons today, more then usual.

!IMG_8998

 

Rabbits are generic, and a pest. This image is purely for my nephew who still gets excited when he sees one. We’re city kids.

!IMG_8993Black winged stilt. It is seen here about 1/5 of the time so it’s no ‘big deal’, but it is still the first time I’ve seen one locally. Pretty exciting. It flew off when it saw me enter the hide. I located it at the back of the swamp with the ibis and spoonbills.

It was a very productive visit. Still no sign of the crakes and rails! It’s hard sneaking in birdwatching with all this hot weather we’ve had lately, I try not to be outside too much if it gets above 30. Am contemplating returning to Serendip and maybe even join a local birdwatching club! Birdwatching gives me such a high.

Filed Under: Barwon River, Geelong Tagged With: black-winged stilt, lathams snipe, pink eared duck

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