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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

A Ten Duck Day (1 Viewer)

Although my current job isn't perfect (I'm working as a secretary for a solicitor, when I have a degree in Conservation Biology), the location is brilliant. Herdsman Lake is a 3 minute drive away so I often go there for lunch.

Today is the first really warm day we've had in ages. And in the mere hour I had for lunch I spotted all ten duck species that you can see at this lake. Getting 7 - 8 species is usual, to get the full 10 there has to be the rare Freckled Duck in residence - and today there was a single female sitting among the (very common) Pacific Black Ducks.

Here's the list for today - (B) indicates breeding

Australasian Grebe
Australasian Shoveller
Australian Raven
Australian Shelduck
Australian White Ibis
Australian Wood Duck (B)
Black Swan
Blue-billed Duck
Clamorous Reed-warbler
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Freckled Duck
Galah
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe (B)
Great Egret
Grey Butcherbird
Grey Teal
Greylag Goose
Hardhead
Hoary-headed Grebe
Little Corella
Little Grassbird (H)
Little Pied Cormorant
Magpie
Magpie Lark (B)
Mallard (B)
Musk Duck (B)
Pacific Black Duck (B)
Pink-eared Duck (B)
Purple Swamphen (B)
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red Wattlebird
Rufous Night Heron
Senegal Dove
Singing Honeyeater
Spotted Dove
Swamp Harrier
Tree Martin
Welcome Swallow
Whistling Kite
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-billed Spoonbill

I think I might go check out another section of the lake after work - try for a few bushbirds. I'm awfully cheerful after getting sunshine and birds for lunch. :)
 
Click to expand...
Well done mate, Herdsman is a terrific place for birds. I reckon you were very lucky to see the Freckled Duck. In all the 37 years in Australia I never saw one and it was only when I visited Slimbridge and Martin Mere here in England did I ever see one. My best memory of Herdsman was when I spotted the three species of Ibis all feeding together there in 1968. My favorite duck in Australia is the Pink-eared Duck and thankfully they are quite a regular sight around the wetlands of Western Australia.
Keep your eyes open for the Goldfinches and the Chestnut-breasted Manikins that can be found around there, they are escapees and were getting established in the 1980's.
I look forward to reading more of your reports. Thanks mate,
Tanny.
 
I have seen Freckled Ducks once before in my 'birding career'. That was in December 04 at pretty much the same spot on Herdsman. There were about 10 of them that time.

I have seen the Mannikins twice at Herdy, never seen a Goldfinch in W.A.
 
I went back after work and added a few more birds to the list.

Silver Gull
Cattle Egret (a rarity in Perth, but there has been one hanging around a paddock next to the lake).
Black-winged Stilt
Little Black Cormorant
Pelican
Rufous Whistler
Western Gerygone
Silvereye
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
New Holland Honeyeater
 
This is becoming an impressive list for the Herdsman Lake area, glad to see the Cattle Egret is continuing to spread, I saw one many years ago at the Joondalup Lake and have just seen it two month ago for the first time here in England, looks like it's spreading north as well as south. I like your new Avatar, the Tawny Frogmouth was one of my favorite birds and I wrote a poem about one of my encounters with it. The poem is posted in the poetry thread in the forum. Best to go through my profile if you're interested in reading it. Another special bird I saw at Herdsman was the Restless Flycatcher, sadly I didn't have my camera with me when I saw it because it allowed a very close approach.
Keep up the good work mate.
Tanny
 
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