Not over yet

Just when I thought that the twitching was finished for the year it turned out that there was ample time to add another two birds to the list! When a rarity like the Hudsonian Godwit turns up in Australia it obviously attracts a good number of twitchers. And when the twitchers are in town they're certain to find any other rarities lurking in the area and so it was that only two days after I was down at Lake Wollumboola a second mega sighting was reported at the same site. 

Lake Wollumboola

What could I do but jump back in the car on New Year's Eve and once again drive the 200 km south to Culburra Beach. Remarkably I was the only birder to show up that afternoon but after hiking a couple of kms to the southern end of the lake it wasn't long before I got onto the Paradise Shelduck #473. The Paradise Shelduck is a New Zealander and, as far as I can tell, this is the first record for mainland Australia. The bird was almost certainly there when I was down previously but, with everyone's focus firmly on the godwit, it had simply been dismissed as just an unusually dark Australian Shelduck.

Paradise Shelduck and friends

It's a good job I had to go back again though as I also picked up a pair of Grey Plovers #474 on the walk back to the car. Bonus!

 Pied Oystercatcher