In the nineteenth century a Catholic nun was asked, `Have you ever been to Ireland?'
` No,' she answered, `But I've been to Boorowa.'
Now COG has also been to Boorowa, and to its highways and enchanting low-ways and by-ways, on the south-west slopes of NSW. Nearby, Frogmore's toilets were eccentric; at Koorawatha we ourselves were welcomed as rather eccentric (all those funny hats and bulging eyes) by a group of Filipina migrants; a fleeting glimpse of Murringo transported one back to Australia in the 1940s. Let's hope these exotic places will long remain unspoilt by the ignorant hordes who race up and down the Hume Highway between capital cities.
The excellent birding was due both to the extensive, detailed knowledge, and to the sharing skills, of Anthony Overs. When he was a national parks officer he covered this region and he knows it like the back of his very capable hand. The amiable Stuart Harris was his off-sider and chauffeur on the weekend of 5-6 July. We were grateful to these members, who had obviously prepared the outing thoroughly; they kept many treats a secret until we were almost upon them. Such treats were plentiful. The two days yielded about eighty species seen by the group, a congenial bakers' dozen. Some relative new-comers to bird-watching added several new birds to their lists.
Nothing went wrong. Fogs cleared, frosts thawed and the sun shone warmly, particularly on Sunday (fifteen degrees), unbelievable in mid-winter. One of the objects of our search was the Swift parrot. Although none were found, many other superb (yes, we saw one Superb) birds, seen only occasionally by many of us, made for exciting times. Highlights were: flocks of White-browed and Grey-crowned Babblers and their nests; Little Lorikeets; Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters; a Striped Honeyeater; a Turquoise Parrot; Southern Whitefaces; a Little Eagle with a Wedgie (Wedge-tailed Eagle); and a flock of Diamond Firetails at beautiful Bennett Springs on the Boorowa River. Near Koorawatha we saw open grassland that was so rewarding, we decided to re-name the spot Robinvale: there were Red-capped, Eastern Yellow, Flame (in their droves), Scarlet and Hooded Robins; also Jacky Winters. We were helped to experience all these wonders, including an echidna, by the fact that Anthony's ear is as sharp as his eyes, and they're pretty damn sharp.
After the expedition I filled up at the local Mobil Service Station. The owner `loves nature' and imparted this tip: those wanting to feast on the sight of Superb Parrots should visit in spring, during Boorowa's Wool Festival. Then, the `large tree' (unspecified) behind the Westpac Bank is covered in blossom and teeming with Superbs. Let's go again, at that time, and camp on the beautiful Spring Forest property?
Suzanne Edgar