Finally, after wondering if I was destined not to see this very special bird (the first recorded sighting on the Australian mainland), I managed to see it, and get some decent photos and a couple of handheld camera videos of the Forest Wagtail.
It has now been in a backyard of an Alice Springs property for about a week, and many of the birding top guns have flown in from around Australia. (Maybe Tourism NT could arrange a few more of these to boost tourist numbers!) Being a bird-watcher and a resident of Alice Springs I was concerned all of these others would twitch this bird and I would miss out - a real shame job! As luck would have it though, I got my chance today, the same day as the Anular Eclipse. I should remember this day for one of these two reasons!
The Forest Wagtail doesn't have striking colours, or the chatter of the local Willie Wagtail. There are a couple of dodgy photos with both Wagtails as the local decided to come down for a play in the same area as the Forest Wagtail. If I had seen this bird in the wild, I couldn't be sure I wouldn't have past it off as some sort of Pipit. It is nice to know there are people out there who are able to identify strange birds to the local area.
With anything wild, it is impossible to tell how long the bird will remain in its current location, but I hope it stays a while so many more people are able to experience something new in Australia.
Finally, a huge thank you to Will and Anne Cormack for allowing me (and a lot of others) to come into their back yard and enjoy this experience.
It has now been in a backyard of an Alice Springs property for about a week, and many of the birding top guns have flown in from around Australia. (Maybe Tourism NT could arrange a few more of these to boost tourist numbers!) Being a bird-watcher and a resident of Alice Springs I was concerned all of these others would twitch this bird and I would miss out - a real shame job! As luck would have it though, I got my chance today, the same day as the Anular Eclipse. I should remember this day for one of these two reasons!
The Forest Wagtail doesn't have striking colours, or the chatter of the local Willie Wagtail. There are a couple of dodgy photos with both Wagtails as the local decided to come down for a play in the same area as the Forest Wagtail. If I had seen this bird in the wild, I couldn't be sure I wouldn't have past it off as some sort of Pipit. It is nice to know there are people out there who are able to identify strange birds to the local area.
With anything wild, it is impossible to tell how long the bird will remain in its current location, but I hope it stays a while so many more people are able to experience something new in Australia.
Finally, a huge thank you to Will and Anne Cormack for allowing me (and a lot of others) to come into their back yard and enjoy this experience.
Forest Wagtail
how wonderful Richard that you got to see this elusive bird and also picked up wonderful photographs to share..
ReplyDeleteThanks Carole. So glad it hung around until I could see it
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteLovely serie of this beautiful Forest Wigtail. I have never seen one.
Have a nice weekend
/Ingemar
It's about time
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the great sighting and great photos. I would be more thrilled to see a Willie Wagtail. It's good that the local Alice Springs birder, (twitcher?) did'nt miss it when so many visitors did see it. I saw a few of them in Thailand.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that Alice Springs does not get many vagrant birds. Where I live in Alaska, (being so close to Siberia) we get to see occasional Old World vagrants. Recent ticks were, Redwing, Dusky Thrush, Brambling, Eurasian Widgeon, and Siberian Accentor. Great birds all.
Thanks John. We do get a fair amount of "un-desert like" bird visitors in Alice Springs, but rarely a mainland Australian first. I hope you do get to see a Willie Wagtail one day, definitely one of the best characters in our group of birds.
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