bird identification sought

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Gillian
Gillian's picture
bird identification sought

Hello everyone, I live down near Timboon in Victoria. A few weeks ago, after heavy rain here, I was driving along, doing 100km, so quite fast. I spotted a bird I did not know in a pool of water. It looked like a wading bird, white with a yellow head and yellow back. Quite striking really. I looked at it twice and nearly ran off the road. I suppose I should have stopped. I have not been able to identify it however in any bird book or in the Birds in Backyards website. The nearest I get is the cattle egret. However this is described as having an orange head and neck in breeding season. My bird was definitely yellow...very bright! Can anyone help with identification. Thank you

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Hi Gillian,welcome, not that I know where "Timboon" is,(mountains, near water?),but, can you help a bit more? How big was the bird, long legs,short legs,etc..? Was it more yellow all over, or could it have been a "Masked Lapwing (Plover)? Might have looked more yellow, you doing 100km?

M-L

Gillian
Gillian's picture

Timboon is in Western Victoria. Undulating with hollow that fill with water after rain. Dairy country close to the sea. between Warrnambool and Port Campbell.

Wasn't a plover. I know them well and they are not big enough or this bird. In outline it was like an egret....it was standing in the water (black swans usually use this bit of water to bred in). It didn't have an S neck however, but longish legs...some of the leg was under water. I was going fast but I took 2 looks at it and it was the yellow that originally caught my eye. I thought to myself "head and back" which is why I am certain that is where the yellow was.

I wished I'd stopped!

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Sorry, I can't help you, may be it was someone's dinner, like a Pheasant, they look golden. I wish I could help, but at least I found out where Timboon is, thanks for that. Hope somebody else knows what bird you saw, good luck!!

M-L

cathshane

Hi there Gillian love your side of Victoria. We were down there recently to get some of the famous timboon cheese, unfortunatley it was unattended and we waited for over half an hour. We couldnt wait any longer so off we drove. :) Looking in our book i would say a cattle egret hmmm although it does say orange plumage as well but the photo in our book it looks like yellow.

Gillian
Gillian's picture

Cath and Shane,

Thanks for your reply. I have sort of decided it was a cattle egret..had another look at my book, and well I suppose it could have been. Haven't seen another one though and you'd think with all the cattle around there would be lots of them.

Timboon cheese. It has been bought out by a lovely French man who is making another brand. Can't remember the name - L'Artisan maybe? He seems to be making much harder cheeses, like Pecorino, still organic though. Had an Open Day recently, you should have timed your visit for then, though it was pouring rain!

If you come down and it is not open again try the supermarket (which sells it) or the Railway Shed - nice coffee shop. :D

birdie
birdie's picture

Did it look like this?


Cattle Egret

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Gillian
Gillian's picture

No actually it didn't look like that! Much longer legs and less duck looking. Yellow was a BRIGHT yellow not a dirty one. LOL Now I am all confused again....maybe it was a migratory bird from somewhere else?

edward
edward's picture

Hi Gillian,

Any chance it could have been a yellow-billed spoonbill? Perhaps the long yellow beak at 100kph might have looked like it's neck?? We don't normally see these in our area (Kilmore) but have spotted a few after the recent big rains.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Hi Gillian, have you had a look at DropLock's post? NSW....Road Kill? I still think ,as I said before, your yellow bird could have been a "golden" pheasant?!(someones christmas dinner going for a walk)

M-L

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