… Don’t let it get away

It’s a beautiful day”

By

Paul David Hewson / Adam Clayton / Larry Mullen / Dave Evans, 2000

 

My first outing birding since getting back from Cairns. What a contrast. Instead of a nighttime temperature of 20℃ rising to 30℃ and humidity of 75% while walking through tropical rainforest the morning started at 0℃, with frost and mist as I walked through the jarrah forest that rings Lake Leschenaultia. As my dear old mum used to say I had more skins on than an onion. Honestly I looked like Bibendum the Michelin Man. 

 

I must say as I parked the car and started walking towards the lake I was a little apprehensive  – the conditions were pretty rank and I wasn’t really expecting to find anything much. Sometimes going birding is like an act of faith, you set out early in the morning not knowing whether you’ll find anything. I’ve been out on mornings with much more favourable conditions than this and not seen a sausage. So you can understand my trepidation. It turned out I was worrying needlessly. As I drew closer to the lake I could hear all manner of bird activity. Regular readers may remember that three years ago I spotted a Spotless Crake (Porzana tabuensis) near the boat shed and ever since then I’ve been loitering there every time I visit in the hope of seeing it again to no no avail. I developed a kind of “Crake mania” and started obsessively trying to see one, or its cousin the Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea). Now I was completely over it. I only paused to quickly take a landscape snap of the conditions and a grab shot of a Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) and headed off walking anti clockwise rather than my usual clockwise. 

 

Blimey the mist was thick and wet, a bit like members of the royal family, and I was glad that in a last minute decision I’d grabbed a waterproof as I left the house. The fog drip was making me pretty wet. As I crossed the dam wall I couldn’t see more than about 5m in front of me. I was quite surprised to see a small flock of Splendid Fairy Wrens (Malurus splendens) foraging on the path. Every now and again one would take a break and sit on the post and rail fence that stops people falling into the water. They were such a delightful sight that I stayed and photographed them for about 30 minutes. They were quite happy to let me get close and they only left when an angry Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata) chased them off. Carrying on walking I came to to a spot where the reed beds start on this side of the lake. The weak watery winter sun was starting to peak through the cloud and the scene looked so lovely that I stopped to take a photo. I was lapping up the bucolic setting and the warm sunlight when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something rummaging about in the shallow water at the base of the reeds. It was a Spotless Crake feeding on the fringes of the reeds. “Damn and blast!” or words to that effect, I’d altered the settings on my camera to take the landscape shot and now I was fumbling with the dials trying to switch it back again. My gloves weren’t helping matters here. The bird just carried on like it didn’t have a care in the world. I quietly got down onto my knees and fired off frames like there was no tomorrow.

 

After 20 minutes I decided to give the Spotless Crake a break and walked on only to see another two of them. To say that I was completely gobsmacked was a complete understatement. It was turning out to quite a wonderful morning. By now the sun was starting to burn off the morning mist and penetrate the woodland. It was a sublime feeling stopping in a little glade with the warmth of the sun invigorating my body. It made me feel so glad to be alive.