Ben Cruachan – natural history

I called in to Lake Guyatt and Flooding Creek, don’t know what I’ll call the next visit, umpteenth and one? Anyway it’s not very often that I come away without a picture or two, and I got more than two on this occasion. I was hardly out of the car when I heard the reed warblers singing, this bird is a spring/summer breeding migrant from further north, and I managed to tuck myself into the paperbarks fringing Flooding Creek to wait for opportunities. It was obvious that one pair was nest building in the phragmites directly in front of me, while another pair was feeding young, judging by the frequent trips with food. Photographing them was difficult, when one decided to prop for a moment there were always reeds in the way, and the only keeper I got was this one with the bird collecting material from the reed it was clinging to.

From time to time a New Holland Honeyeater would land briefly high up on a reed, but always too far away, then a Brown Thornbill busily worked its way through and I managed one keeper from four shots.

A couple of Little Wattlebirds were cackling close by, but of course by the time I gave the warblers best and emerged into the open they were gone. A Grey Shrike-thrush gave me a nice concert and a chance though, lovely bird.

There wasn’t much to see on the lake, the water level is high after the rain so there are no mud flats. A few coots, chestnut teal and black duck, swamp and moorhens and the odd darter and cormorant were the most noticeable, with a pair of Black Swans and cygnet in tow. Two swamphens were swimming, not such a common sight, and I was interested to see how they held their wings high to stop them getting wet.

And finally, to finish, a little cutie. Click all pictures to enlarge.