Leeton to Lithgow, a driving day
2 November. A bit of a lie in, given it was after midnight when we got in last night, breakfast at 6.45am. We were soon on the road for a long drive from Leeton to Lithgow We did our best to bird from the bus but given the distance we could not make many stops. We did manage a quick look at a lake near Forbes which was heaving with birds. A Baillon’s Crake showed right in front of the hide, which gave everyone the chance of good views, previous sightings had been brief. Careful scanning of the wildfowl produced a single Freckled Duck, an angular headed dark mottled bird which lurked at the back of the water. We were just about to leave when a drake Blue-billed Duck swam across a gap in the reeds, panic as everyone tried to see it, sadly some missed its brief appearance and tension mounted as we waited for it to show again knowing that we should have been back on the road. Luckily this handsome duck, similar to Ruddy Duck, showed again and was joined by a female, so we were off again.Bird species total 3680.