On the 23rd March this year while walking near Banyule Swamp, a repetative thwacking sound alerted me to a Kookaburra bashing prey against a tree branch. This is standard practice. The prey was sizable and I thought it might be large mouse or a rat. Closer inspection through binoculars revealed that it was a bird with orange legs and striped brown plumage. It was a brown quail! These native quail are occasionally reported at Banyule Flats, although I hadn't seen one before. There must be enough complex cover on the ground near the swamp for them to avoid the foxes (and kookaburras) that frequent the area. I  hope to see a living brown quail at Banyule Flats in the future.

James Deane