The excitement (or dare I say, flap) began early last week, when, during one of his regular wanderings around Giralang, keen birder Duncan McCaskill spotted an Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) lurking among reeds in Ginninderra Creek.

“I was looking out for the usual suspects, pacific black ducks, purple swamp hens and grey teals when I noticed a slight movement and a dark shadow at the water’s edge,” recalls McCaskill who immediately identified the bird. “It was out in the open, in the sun [and], I knew instantly from my field guides what it was: an Australasian bittern.” McCaskill says he "stared at it for a minute or so” before running home to grab his camera.

Unfortunately for the avian afficionada, when he returned, the bird had vanished. It was only after McCaskill reported his sighting to the email chat line for the Canberra Ornithologists Group that he realised the true significance of his find. “I wasn’t quite aware of how scarce ACT reports had been until other birders called me to explain that it hadn’t been spotted in Canberra since 1946.”

Word of the rare visitor travelled fast and within an hour a throng of twitchers had flocked (sorry) to the creek hoping to catch their own glimpse of the shy bird.

Among the crowd was Julian Teh who inadvertantly flushed it out of the reeds and watched it fly over William Slim Drive to nearby McKellar Wetland where he subsequently snapped a photograph of the bird in its classic pose with beak pointing straight up in the air. “I’d never seen one before, so this was a 'life-list tick' for me," says a jubilant Teh. “There’s always lots of excitement in seeing a new species, especially one so close to home.

“The typical view of Australasian Bittern is a fleeting glimpse of the bird in flight, so we were especially chuffed to see it sitting in the open,” says Teh.“They’re absolutely stunning birds, very prehistoric looking.”

Since McCaskill’s initial sighting, birdwatchers have been working in shifts, staking out several wetlands in the Belconnen area in the hope that it reappears. Regardless of whether the bittern is spotted again, it has firmly put the McKellar Wetland on the radar for Canberra birders. “There is actually a ‘'Patagonia Picnic Table Effect’'* happening here says McCaskill. “Since all the birders came to McKellar to look for the Australasian Bittern, they have also seen Little Bittern and Spotless Crake - two other cryptic species.”

*a phenomenon, first noted in a picnic area in Patagonia, Arizona in 1971 in which an influx of birdwatchers following the discovery of a rare bird at a location results in the discovery of further rare birds at that same location, with the end result being that the locality becomes well known for rare birds, even though in itself it may be little or no better than other similar localities.

Postscript: While McCaskill was showing me the stretch of creek where he sighted the Australasian bittern his phone rang with a call from another birdwatcher reporting that the elusive bird had been sighted at the AIS Ponds (corner of Ginninderra Drive and Braybrooke Street, Bruce). Not wanting to miss the opportunity to eyeball a rare species, your akubra-clad columnist high-tailed it over to the ponds and observed the bird sitting high in the reeds for 20 minutes or so before dusk closed in. Isn’t it wonderful that just metres from one of our busiest throughfares we can have such wildlife experiences — positive reinforcement that Canberra really is the bush capital.

Out-of-place koala

Two separate incidents in recent weeks of motorists swerving to miss a disorientated koala crossing Pialligo Avenue have prompted a local wildlife rescue group to erect home-made warning signs along the highway between Canberra Airport and Queanbeyan.

James Fitzgerald, koala co-ordinator for the Queanbeyan-based Wildcare (wildcare.com.au ) who have rescued and rehabilitated five koalas in the Queanbeyan area since 2011, believes the lone koala is likely to be a young male that’s been pushed out of its home range by dominant adult males.

Fitzgerald is urging anyone who spots the koala to call Wildcare on 6299 1966. “We don’t mind if it’s in the middle of the night - the area around there isn’t ideal habitat so this koala is very likely in urgent need of help,” says the wildlife warrior.

Although it is extremely unusual for a koala to be spotted in Canberra, the known population of koalas in the area extending south of Queanbeyan along the range to Numeralla is one of only a handful of populations in NSW to be actually increasing in numbers.

SIMULACRA CORNER

Last week’s expose on my Top escapades around Braidwood (Braidwood and Beyond) prompted a number of readers, including Bruno Yvanovich of Waramanga, to submit photos of their own favourite haunts in and around the heritage town.

While recently exploring the beautiful Araluen Valley [30 minutes drive to the south of Braidwood] Yvanovich “I was surprised to spot this jabiru some distance away from its normal habitat in the Top End”. If it’s not a jabiru, maybe it’s “the bones of the Lake Bathurst bunyip that recently featured in your column”, (May 24) muses Yvanovich.

MAILBAG

Greek odyssey

Canberra resident, Theo Pantazis currently of Jakarta has tracked down a photo of the Greek cafe (May 17) bearing the name of our fair city. For those not fluent in Greek, according to my far-flung correspondent, the first word on the sign means ‘'coffee shop’', the second word ‘'[The] Canberra’' and the last word is the cafe owner’s surname. According to Pantazis, the cafe located in his mother’s village, Aghia Paraskevi, on the island of Lesvos in Greece, was “opened by a migrant who after living briefly in Canberra, loved our city so much, when he returned home, he named his business after our beautiful city”.

BEST WEEKEND

Rattle ‘n bang!

What: To mark the winter solstice, Sullys Cider & Wine at the Old Cheese Factory in Reidsdale (15 minutes drive to the south of Braidwood) is putting on a wassail — an ancient southern English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good apple harvest the following year and scare away evil spirits.

When: Sunday, June 22. The ‘'wassailing’' begins at 3pm and all are invited to join in an afternoon of general hullabaloo and light-hearted mumbo jumbo.

Expect: A fun celebration centred on the toasting of the humble apple tree to encourage a plentiful harvest in the autumn. Festivities include wassail songs performed by the Braidwood Cantors, The Surly Griffin Morris Dancers, the burning of the ashen faggot and lots of noise and kerfuffle to wake up the apple trees and chase away the evil spirits.

Don’t miss: There will be cider for toasting and mulled cider for warming available. The end of the official celebration will be signaled by the firing of a gun over the apple tree, then the bonfire will be lit as the sun retreats.

Don’t forget: Participants are encourage to bring pots, pans, rattles, musical instruments and loud voices to make as much noise as possible.

More: Ph (02) 4846 1999 or braidwoodmade.com.au.

CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.

WHERE IN THE SNOWIES?

Clue: OK so it’s not the ‘'real’' snowies, but the white stuff sometimes falls here (and it’s much quicker drive than to the main range!)

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Last week: Congratulations to Felix Bowman-Derrick of Hawker who was first to correctly identify last week’s photo as the cool old chairlift seat located behind the chalets at Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa. “We stayed there for our honeymoon last month and had a great time exploring, including riding along the great mountain bike trails around the resort,” says Bowman-Derrick.

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am Saturday, June 21, with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.