I went to Sandy Camp Road Reserve, Wynnum yesterday and got good sightings of a Baillon's Crake (about 15 minutes) and average pics
I had earlier got a good sighting of a Spotless Crake (about 8 minutes) and just average pics, but better pics than from the day before at Buckley's Waterhole, Bribie Island
They don't make it easy, do they, being amongst all the stems. Good job. I saw a blob run into bushes on the edges of a small lake a couple of months ago ... someone told me it was a crake
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
Quietly patient does it, I think pacman.
The name Spotless Crake has often amused me. Bird names often reference an obvious physical feature. This one obviously has no spots but does that help to identify it? If you'd never seen one would you therefore assume it has stripes, checks or maybe even spirals? Could it be a reference to it's hygiene? Did Ms/Mr Spotless name it? Is there a Spotted Crake?
Schulzzz, Toolamba
good questions
what is now known as the Australian Crake used to be called the Australian Spotted Crake; the are a numbe rof other differences between the birds other than the spots
Peter
thanks pacman. that's a very logical explanation. shame one of the more whimsical options wasn't correct.
schulzzz, toolamba, vic
my sense of humour nearly had me telling you about Mr Ralph & Mrs Lucinda CRAKE who had migrated, with their dog Spot, from England in 1843 and ..............
Peter
pacman. i've checked the 1943 newspaper records re Ralph & Lucinda Crake. they lost their dog soon after arrival.
on a slightly more serious note, it seems this posting has inadvertantly covered all Aust representatives of the genus Porzana.
schulzzz, toolamba, vic
I guess after the Crakes lost their dog they were Spotless.
in a later newspaper article I read the Ralph & Lucinda's friend Harry Baillon adopted their only child when the Crakes were killed in a horse drawn carriage accident -
and that is why my 1st bird in this thread is known as ....................
Peter
Sadly the adopted child never recovered from the trauma of loosing her parents, and later went completely of the buff-banded rails.
M-L
It is really interesting to read the Crake family history.
Lucinda used to like wearing red stockings so she was often called ......................
Peter
you've created a monster pacman. been bush for a couple days so i've missed the chance to further contribute to the enjoyable banter. i like araminta's off the rails response.
schulzzz, toolamba, vic
I thought that we had created a ........ monster mash
Did oyu work out what Lucinda was called?
Peter
without even knowing there was such a critter as the Red-legged Crake. I'll never forget it now. You should patent this type of exchange as a learing tool.
schulzzz, toolamba, vic
a bit like me Ralph went grey from an early age but he never liked facial hair
and then he lost his hair so he was bald
the village folks used to call him ... ...
Peter