A caper

You may recall that back in November 2012 Paul and I drove all the way to the south coast of Victoria to try and find a Franklin's Gull. On that occasion, having stayed in the area for two weeks, the bird decided to leave the very day before we got there.

Lake Barambah

Now, just over a year later, another Franklin's Gull has turned up on a reservoir 3 hours north west of Brisbane. Ordinarily this would be a bit outside of my range but Paul and I had unfinished business with this particular gull and so a plan was hatched for another inter-state twitching caper. If we could get cheap flights and a car we'd give it a go. And so, 3 and a half weeks after the bird was first reported, we were heading north on a painfully early flight into Brisbane. Three hours drive each way to the reservoir gave us a 4 hour window to find it before we had to be back at the airport for our flight home.

 A neck pillow and hire car make a fine tripod

Once again the gull had chosen a thoroughly unpleasant place to stay. An ugly man-made reservoir with dry scrub and dirt round the edges and none of the lush Queensland rainforest that I was hoping for. We staked out the boat ramp, which was apparently a regular haunt, and also popped round to the dam wall at regualar intervals but no sign of the bird. However, with about 45 minutes to go we spotted a gull roosting way away on the far side of the water. Through the scope we could see it had a black head so not one of the local Silver Gulls. It was dwarfed by the few Caspian Terns around it and also lacked the red beak of that species. Bingo! Franklin's Gull #444. Unfortunately it just stayed over there and soon we had to leave and so, as ticks go, not a very satisfying one. I think if another turns up in the future closer to home I'll be going along for a better look. 

Grey-crowned Babbler

The gull continues to be seen about 5 weeks now after it arrived and everyone else is publishing very nice pictures of it sitting on the boat ramp. I'm thinking Paul and I still have unfinished business with this one.