Tag: Straw-necked Ibis

Having my first Christmas back home since before the floods and great earthquake of 2011. (I have been back since then but not in summer). Niigata had a maximum of 8 yesterday and I imagine grey skies. Nice and blue here. The sun is strong if you stand under it but in the shade the breeze is cool and dry. Different from the radiant heat of Niigata in summer. The forecast here is for a temperature rise over Christmas however.

On Sunday afternoon I had a nice outing  with Michael Atzeni and Rod Hobson to Wyreema. Many waterbirds about the place and we were looking for avian visitors from the west which would be avoiding the hot dry drought out there. Michael and Rod are highly efficient naturalists and we recorded some exciting records but I was too useless with my camera to get rarities such as Freckled Duck and a possible Black Honeyeater. 

Pink-eared Duck and Plumed Whistling Duck looked so beautiful and unique on ground an in air but even commoners such as Australian White and Straw-necked Ibis were familiar faces that I was so happy to see. I regret now that I didn’t spend more time trying to photo a Nankeen Kestrel that was busy going back and forth overhead. 

Had a nice outing the following morning with Kevin Williams and will post some pics in a couple of days. Just two short outings and over six hundred shots taken. 

I hope you are having a nice time this Christmas and I’m looking forward to having more time the next few days to check other blogs. Holidays are a grand time.