Seven observers gathered on the Park Street Bridge, in overcast, drizzly conditions - not ideal but the bird count was to surprise us. The first surprise was the presence of THREE Nankeen Night Herons on the weir to the east of Park Street Bridge. We rarely see this species and to find three was extraordinary. Chestnut Teals and Eurasian Coots were back in good numbers and the biggest surprise of all - a lone Australasian Shoveler. This was the first time in the eight years of the survey that we have seen this species. We recorded 194 birds across 20
 species, the highest counts for some years, a very satisfying morning of birding! We don't know why such a high count, although it continues a trend that we have seen for the past few months. Also, the fact that the lagoon was empty for much of the week may have contributed.
Count
Pelican 1
Little Black Cormorant 29
Little Pied Cormorant 1
Pied Cormorant 1
Masked Lapwing 4
Darter 3
Black Swan 2
Chestnut Teal 48
Grey Teal 2
Hardhead 2
Pacific Black Duck 11
White-faced Heron 7
Nankeen Night Heron 3
Royal Spoonbill 4
Australian White Ibis 8
Eurasian Coot 56
Dusky Moorhen 7
Cattle Egret 1
Australasian Shoveler 1
Total 194
Australasian Shoveler - a first sighting for the surveys
Photo by Andy Burton
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