Lake Ginninderra Jottings. Often about Black Swans!

 A late afternoon walk with Yori down to the basin in JKMP where I saw the pair BJB and CCL with four cygnets near the beach. During a  stroll up to the Ginninderra Drive bridge I could not find any other Black Swans on this eastern arm of the lake.

During a mid afternoon walk with Yori I found the brood with Red CCL and mate and they still had 4 cygnets. They were along the shoreline just N off the basin and the little bridge. In close to the shore and worried by seeing Yori. No sign of the nest that was just N of here with the second and still unidentified pair of which the Cob is certainly unbanded. Presumably the eggs have now hatched and the family must have been driven off by the pair mentioned above (or lost?). I need to survey the whole perimeter of the lake.  

 Another stroll around JKMP looking for the Blue Bonnet – with no success! I checked out a total of 40 Red-rumped Parrots ; all ground feeding. I found 15 of them along in the wooded areas near the ponds but 35 were out on the open grassland area between Aikman Drive and the outdoor Basketball court. Nearly all of these parrots were in pairs but a few as trios – not always a male and two female/immature. sexranio therefore about 50/50. The Australian Wood Duc k brood of four ducklings were feeding on the north side of the pond as we passed by them. They went to the water; because they could see Your I suspect. The pair of Black Swan  (BJB and CCL) with their five cygnets were in the basin and for a while CCL  was carrying two cygnets on her back! My poor iPhone image is barely good enough but will do as a 'record shot'. Pair BJB and CCL with five cygnets; tow are on the back of the pen CCL. North the of bridge to the little island I came across the unmarked cob of the ne...

 An early afternoon walk with Yori in JKMP, in part to see if I could find a  Blue Bonnet that for about a week has been see, most often in the company of  Red-rumped Parrots (first eBird report on 31 August 2022).   It is presumably an Eastern Blue Bonnet (listed as Greater Bluebonnet in eBird)   The Red-rumped Parrots have been feeding on other ground in several places – often below Casuarina trees but some have also been feeding in the extensive grasslands. I did not find it but I saw 18 Red-rumps, always in pairs or threes and, today, most of them were near at the junction of several paths near the wooden jetty S of the beach in the basin.  The Australian Wood Duck brood is still 4 ducklings. The other purpose of my walk was to follow up on the sighting of a pair of Black Swans with 5 cygnets. Sandra Henderson had reported them (with photo) in an eBird list for yesterday but I find another earlier listing on eBird of 5 cygnets being seen on 3 Septe...