Penrith Lakes (18th February '06)

Sorry about the delay since the last entry. I'm sure you've all been desperately waiting for my latest chat. We've just moved offices at work and so I've not had access to a computer for a wee while. You know what its like in academic institutions. It seems like I've finally made it in life though, as I now have the corner desk with the city view!

Anyway, a couple of weekends back I headed out west to Penrith at the foot of the Blue Mountains. There is a large sand pit there with several lakes present as a result of the old workings. Half of the area has been developed substantially and was used during the Sydney olympics in 2000 for the rowing and canoeing. The other lakes are more overgrown and much less accessible. I only had a couple of hours before I had some rugby to watch but I'd been tipped off about breeding populations of grebe (both hoary-headed and great-crested) on the lakes and so it was supposed to be an easy score.

Much of the area has been developed for rowing

As it happened, the weather was ridiculously hot so not too pleasant and there was also a rowing competition taking place so most sensible birds were lying very low. As a result I only picked up a few coots, black ducks, wood ducks, various cormorants and a couple of darters. There were several black-winged stilts around the quieter ponds which was nice to see and fairy wrens and white-plumed honeyeaters in the trees along with the masked lapwings and magpie-larks out on the grass. Not much else to be had though and it was a relief to get back into the car which, incidentally, just passed its MOT and also now has functioning air-conditioning! Sweet.

Just to prove I was there....!

A darter shares the water with some dodgy rowing types

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The weekends since then have been mostly filled with rugby as the new Super 14 season has just kicked off. Hopefully it will start to cool down a bit too and then we can get out into the bush in much greater comfort.

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Target bird: Great-crested grebe (negative)

Catch the pigeon: Crested

Roadkill strike assessment: Minimal (Lycra-clad rowing types)