Friday 7 August 2009

Several sarus seen

Yes, I saw sarus. And managed to get a photo of them while I was stuck at road works. True to form, the best view was at a spot where I couldn't stop, but I'm not complaining. (Photo taken with a 400mm lens and cropped. They were quite a distance away.)



They are very similar to endemic brolgas. The most obvious difference is the development of the red coloration, which extends onto the nape and upper neck in sarus but is a only skull cap in brolgas. At this time of year, you can see both species on the Atherton Tablelands. For anyone interested, the general location is shown in the map below.