Where's Wally?

You're having trouble spotting the Baillon's Crake? That's just the way the crake likes it, keeping itself well out of trouble, in hard to photograph reed beds.

If you have a good memory you might recall I noticed a Baillon's Crake at the pond a while ago. Knowing that Baillon's Crakes are migratory and that many show up in Victoria, I was keen to know whether the November crake was checking in for long stay or a was a mere fly by nighter. To date, I have seen a crake, five times since and the bad photograph above, is from a sighting yesterday. Each sighting has been a week or more apart so the crake is good at cover. Since the first sighting I have only seen it up close once, in a tiny mud patch. Usually it's in the weedy, reedy sections of pond where it walks on water like a jacana. Sometimes it is so fast, I think of it as a mini goose on speed.

I'm really happy to know that the crake stuck around. I have read they like artificial wetlands (how they work this out I'm still wondering)and they also like sewage ponds so possibly maybe they aren't too choosy. The interesting thing I've noticed about Baillon's Crakes, is that although they are secretive, they will also happily go about crake business when people are watching. My kind of bird.