Queanbeyan

4 - 6 March 2015

We stopped for lunch in Yass and called my friend in Queanbeyan to announce our imminent arrival. Karen welcomed us into her home and Mick spent the rest of the day in bed asleep.

On Thursday morning, with Mick feeling somewhat better, we set off back to the ACT to visit the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, but don't be fooled, they are not in Jerrabomberra! The wetlands are on Dairy Road and we discovered - yes, thanks to the GPS - that there are two sections to Dairy Road, and of course we ended up on the wrong one. When visiting, please take the one that runs off Newcastle St. 

There are a number bird hides and easy walking paths, including a recently opened boardwalk, but no toilets. We found that curious considering the proximity to the sewerage works. The lack of water meant a lack of birdlife, but it was a very pleasant place to visit anyway, with no strenuous walking required.

A record shot of a Spotless Crake. A lifer for me, shame about the focus.

Black Swans warming up in the morning sun.

Australasian Shoveler in eclipse plumage.

Grey Teal.

From the wetlands we moved onto the Australian National Botanic Gardens. There is no charge to go in but you do pay for parking - $3 per hour or $11 per day. Lunch in the cafe was reasonably priced and tasty. We followed that with an easy walk, mostly along the Main Path, although paths criss cross all over the site. Before leaving we called into the book shop and inquired about a park where a Powerful Owl had been seen regularly in recent weeks, it had even made ABC TV.

An Eastern Spinebill pokes out its tongue as I try desperately to to get a decent shot.

In seems to be typical Canberra Fashion, Haig Park, actually covers a number of blocks in several suburbs so we were not sure exactly where to go. Mick had overhead some people talking at the gardens and they mentioned Bowls Club, so that was where we headed. Sure enough he found evidence of the owl, and some friendly local birders arrived and confirmed that we were in the right area but the bird was nowhere to be seen.

Canberra held so much promise but delivered so little... I'm talking about the birding not the politicians though the same can be said about them much of the time. I'm not criticizing Canberra, that's just the way birding is at times. I don't put much effort into research, get up super early or spend endless hours in the field, so when luck isn't on your side you only get out what you put in. 

I had hoped to see Gang-gang Cockatoos, Superb Parrots and the 'celebrity' Powerful Owl while searching Canberra's, well wooded parks and gardens. Maybe some Crakes and Rails and possibly a Blue-billed Duck at the wetlands. Well none of that was to be... except for a single blurry photo of a Spotless Crake, which happened to be a lifer, yay! Mick.

Spotted Jezebel.

White-browed Scrubwren, race frontalis.

Red-browed Finch perched in front of one of the hides.

We rose early on Friday morning and made return visits to both the wetlands and park, but with no success at either location. We stopped at the shops in Queanbeyan before returning to Karen's to pack ready for the next leg of our journey. We finally left around 12.30, following Karen's suggestion that we take to road to Cooma and beyond, through the "high country". This was a beautiful, but long and windy, drive, well worth the effort.