Not quite Mallacoota birds

 On 11 July we headed for Merimbula.  Our first stop was Pambula to check for the Magpie Geese, which were sitting on the edge of the small pond waiting to be seen.

(About 30 minutes later I checked my email and there was a rare bird alert for NSW, including these birds!  Isn''t the internet amazing!)

I discussed the birds with another couple (based in The Fishpen) who had heard that this species requires some additional birds before they will breed .  The Social Organisation  section of the HANZAB entry for this species includes "Family parties always contain a male and a female, but may contain additional males or females or both. Trios of male and two females seem common."  The section goes on to describe in detail the involvement of the auxiliary birds, but stops short of requiring more than two birds before breeding.  However the HANZAB  article does say, under Breeding dispersion  " ... rarely nest as single group but one breeding group of four birds has done so in wild at Seaham Swamp, NSW. "

I searched the fringing Melaleuca hoping for a Nankeen Night Heron and found 2 lurking just above the water.  Pretty well camouflaged.

After a little retail therapy in Merimbula we visited the Osprey site.  Their nest is well obvious and a bird was seen on a nearby tower.  It soon flew over and perched next to the nest ...

.. and then hopped in for a little tidying.

Frances saw two birds at once, while I was entering the record to eBird!  A little later I saw what I thought, from the very long legs, was a White-faced Heron.  It turned out it wasn't a Heron, but one of the Ospreys carrying a metre long stick which was quickly built into the nest.