Sixteen intrepid souls ventured to this locality for the Canberra Day long weekend and enjoyed the experience immeasurably. The quarters took us back to the glory days of Australia riding on the sheep’s back and great wool exports. The birding was good and the company excellent.
Around 14 people spent Saturday evening at the Stables restaurant enjoying fine food and wine while the rest of the company spent a quiet evening in the spacious kitchen of the shearers’ quarters.
Carey’s Cave was visited by some on Sunday afternoon and several walks enjoyed, including the first few kilometres of the Hume and Hovell Track. An evening spotlight outing netted 4 Brush-tailed Possums and the sounds of Southern Boobook and Australian Owlet-nightjar. On the Sunday morning walk the group had good views of a wombat out in the open and an echidna. This was interspersed with views of Rainbow Bee-eaters and two Nankeen Kestrels. A Spotted Grass Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis came and visited the shower block on Sunday evening and called repeatedly from the drain. They were also heard in the dam. The Monday morning walk along a creek was a delight with many birds seen, including good views of a male Golden Whistler, Satin Bowerbirds and several different honeyeaters. It was a delight for the writer to be among a good number and variety of avian fauna again.
One of the more interesting pastimes was watching all of the lambs that were being born in the paddock alongside the shearers’ quarters. Several of the group kept a very close eye on proceedings, including the first feeble steps of newly born twins and the Australian Ravens who were ever in attendance waiting for anything they could scavenge.
All in all it was a very enjoyable weekend and a special thank you goes to David McDonald for organising such an interesting range of activities.
John Cummings