On the second day we went to Mamukala Wetlands. A viewing platform has been set up so you could see the birds. As the wetlands in Kakadu play a crucial role in the survival of the Magpie Goose as it offers the birds a lush feeding ground. It is not only the Magpie Goose that comes to Mamukala Wetlands to feed; some 60 different species will visit, some coming as far as sub-Artic.

We had thought we would see lots of birds but no. We saw a great egret and a comb-crested Jacana (those ones with the big toes.) Maybe we just weren’t in the right spot. We decided to take the scenic walk along the wetlands.

There were signs at the start telling everyone to stick to the walking track. The walk took us away from the water’s edge, to start with we thought this was a bit strange then it all made sense. The walking track would take in the area of water that would appear in the wet season. It did give a sense of how big the wetlands would be in the wet season as we could hardly see the water from where we walked.

I think I saw some magpie geese off in the distance but it was hard to tell. We did get to see some other birds and some green tree ants building a nest, which was interesting. Just as I was about to give up hope we spotted a lot of the geese. Most of them took off as we approached. I did laugh when I saw the photos I had taken. A black blurry mass but some did stay for me.

When we arrived back at the car we had a friendly visit. I had taken some photos of her when I decided to put my purse on the car to get a look at her size. She didn’t hesitate and climbed onto the purse and then didn’t want to get off. She was big but I was brave: I picked up the purse and waved it around. No luck. Tapped it against the car. No luck. Dropped the purse. She got the message then and slowly went on her way.