Plan A and Plan B

Plan A - To take a short run out of town for some photos of birds that are normally always in this location in plentiful numbers, only to find just one off in the distance. The other 200 or so must have decided to go up north or out west where they have been having flood rains.
At least the Plumed Whistling-Duck were still there. Very hard to get close though, as the slightest movement and they would fly away. They don't seem to mind the cows moving around.

Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni

It always pays to have Plan B - Off to the local park to see if our elusive bird was there. Just as we arrived we heard a Darter calling, so we went looking and found him near one of the islands not far away. In the trees on the island were Cattle Egrets, (nesting), Australian White Ibis, (nesting), Little Pied Cormorant, (nesting), and Little Black Cormorant. (No elusive bird).

Darter Anhinga melanogaster

As we walked around the waters edge we saw the usual bird life such as Black Swan with young, Pacific Black Duck, Dusky Moorhen, Royal Spoonbill and something a little unusual at this location, two Black-fronted Dotterel feeding on the mud uncovered by the Australian White Ibis among the water lilies. To far off for a clear photo though.

Black Swan Cygnus atratus

Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa

Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa