Notes from Colin Hill, farmer and WET Trustee

This is probably one of the wettest winters I have experienced in over forty years here. The lake was high. This reduced the feeding areas for wading birds on the lake edge.

However, we have sighted some interesting birds on our farm. We saw a Scaup on the ponds next to our house. I saw two juvenile White Swans on the ponds in the deer paddocks and for the past two weeks we have had a resident Cape Barren goose. It walks among the Romney ewes as if it owns the high corner of our farm nearest to the lake. We can get within twenty metres of it and it does not fly away. We thought it must be ill or injured but it walks about feeding, and stands up and flaps both wings occasionally. It never attempts to fly away.  It looks healthy and contented.

A neighbour reported two Royal Spoonbills on his wet paddocks on Wolfes road North of Davidsons Road; quite a long way from the lake edge.  In the main bay nearest to the hut there is a pure Black Stilt. It has bands on its legs but the water is too deep to record them.

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