ML647115337

Poznámky

Bird at the back between the two deer.

Podrobnosti k pozorování

#227 for GSL The White-winged Black Tern was still just flying around 20m in front of us showing no signs of departing, leaving us with no choice but to start padding out our eBird list while watching the tern. We didn't get very far through when we reach Cotton Pygmy-Goose and Kirsch calls one 250m away in a bay on the opposite side of the lake in front of three huge stags cooling off in the lake. With Cotton Pygmy-goose being an all-round respectable bird, I thought that was worth having a look at so I turned my scope towards it. "Huh. That looks weird", I think to myself. The bird is distant but it has blackish cap (not the white face and black crown of a male Cotton or dark crown and eye-line of a female Cotton). "Cotton Pygmy-geese don't have a blackish cap, female Green Pygmy-geese do"! I share my thoughts with my fellow esteemed birders and we are all in agreement that said pygmy-goose does not look like Cotton and is looking good for a female Green! As the sun began to set behind the trees, we continued to stare and noted the distinct blackish cap, whiter cheek and greyish throat, neck, breast and underparts which are possibly vermiculated but it's tricky to tell at that distance. The back was blackish appearing dark emerald green in some light and at different angles. Quite long-tailed in appearance and blackish as well. Staring a little longer, I could make out what appeared to be white edging to the secondaries in the closed wing. Distance was sub-optimal but all-in-all we were happy with the ID! But I wanted icing on the cake, and the bird, as if reading my mind, then took flight towards us did a couple of little laps to ensure I could get my camera settings right for fading light and presented its rack of gleaming snow white secondaries before plopping on the water 100m away. Perfection 🤌 After a few more minutes the bird took flight again low in a north-east direction following the shoreline and around the corner where we lost it to view around sunset.

Další druhy

• Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
• Hardhead Aythya australis
• Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena