NEW BIRD ON SWEERS!

Previous visitors to Sweers Island will be familiar with the birdlife that wanders freely around the lodge area. Bustards, Curlews, Lapwings - and then there was Bluey, the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike who adopted us for a whole season before growing up and flying away(click here for Bluey's Blog)

Well, Sweers just had a visit from a new bird! Horatio the Heron. This juvenile Pied Heron just wandered in to the lodge in much the same fashion as Bluey did a few years ago. He has been here almost a week now and thinks he owns the place. He appears to be in good health; we have seen him catch insects and drink water on his own, but he is very happy to have a water dish and chopped fish handed to him. We think perhaps he was born on one of the swamps left over from the Big Wet here on Sweers and perhaps his parents have gone back to the mainland and left him behind?

Regardless, he has adopted us in much the same manner as Bluey did. He associates the quad bikes with food, and flies alongside whoever is travelling down to the filleting table/beach. He stalks over to watch Lee water the plants or watch Tex cement a rockwall, or stand beside Mick while he works at the filleting table. He has taken food from Lee's hand, but we are also encouraging him to take fish out of the deep water dish in the middle of the bar area, so he will learn to take fish out of the rock pools as he gets older.

He's a cute little thing! With heaps of personality. Tex wants to re-name him "Squirt" as there is obviously nothing wrong with his digestive system...

And as we write this, it seems Horatio might be media-shy - and has not been seen since! Perhaps he just needed to feed up before travelling further afield with mum and dad... we haven't seen him since yesterday smoko time, but we will assume he is fine and hope that he might drop in again one day!

Horatio the Heron steps up to a dinner of raw fish, fresh of course! He also catches his own insects.

Horatio is definitely Commander material, just needs a ship's deck to stand on!

We marvelled at the way he never one tripped over those big feet!

And even in May, there are still stormy showers around!

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