Kites and Kestrels
No Comments »19th May, 2006; Category: Eagles Hawks and Kites
On our recent trip to Clare I was interested to note the large number of Black Shouldered Kites and Nankeen Kestrels near the road as we drove along. Normally on the two hour trip we see one or two of each of these two species of raptor. On this trip, however, I must have seen at least a dozen of each species. This is an estimate – I didn’t do an exact count as I drove along.
Both species are common and widespread throughout the rural areas of South Australia. They are frequently encountered along country roads. From time to time they are very numerous, often in response to mice plagues which occur every so often in the Australian farming areas. Another species, the Letter Winged Kite, which looks very similar to the Black Shouldered Kite, is also known to breed very quickly in response to a mouse plague, and irruptions of this species occur in southern regions which are not normally part of their range.
Musk Lorikeets
While staying with my daughter in Clare in the mid-north of South Australia last weekend I was aware of the large numbers of Musk Lorikeets in and near her garden. Just over the fence in a neighbour’s back yard is a tall Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon Scented Gum). It is about 10 metres high and covered in flowers. These are clusters of creamy stamens several centimetres long. And don’t the lorikeets love these flowers!
Lorikeets in the garden
While I was doing some gardening in the back yard on Monday morning I stopped a number of times to observe these raucous creatures. As they are feeding there is the constant contact calls, a relatively quiet screech – if that is not a contradiction in terms. They scramble all over and through the foliage seeking the next flower for its nectar. After a few minutes of this two or three of them would suddenly take off towards another tree, perhaps a few houses away or in the next street. Sometimes they would head arrow-like towards the park a block away, or towards the trees lining Lake Inchquin or the golf course next to it. As they fly they frequently emit high pitched screeches. You would have to be totally deaf not to be aware of these noisy birds zooming overhead.
Photo opportunity
As I watched one bird in particular I was aware that it was feeding on the outer foliage closest to where I was working. Of course the camera was inside. Would this flighty bird stay long enough for me to take a photo? I raced inside, grabbed the camera and crept as unobtrusively as I could back to my spot. The lorikeet in question must have been very hungry; he was still there. Over the next five minutes I managed to take some photographs, mainly of the foliage! Eventually I did manage a reasonable shot of the bird on the outside of the leaves and in full sun. The brilliant colours show up quite well, especially the bright grass green of the back and sides and the brilliant red forehead.
Musk Lorikeet
Lorikeets in South Australia
Lorikeets are widespread throughout southern South Australia. There in the Clare Valley the Musk Lorikeet seems to be the dominant species, but I have also recorded Rainbow Lorikeets from time to time. The Purple Crowned Lorikeet may also be found in this area. In Murray Bridge where I live, however, the latter species is the most common, followed by the Rainbow Lorikeet. The Musk Lorikeet is not observed nearly as much in our area.
UPDATE: for related articles and more photos click on these links:
This article was updated on October 3rd 2015.
Australian Shoveler at Clare, South Australia
On Sunday I went for a short walk from my daughter’s home in Clare. At the end of a nearby street I came to an open area surrounding the local sewage treatment plant. I used to visit this area from time to time when we lived in Clare about 25 years ago. I had not visited the area again since.
Sewage Treatment Plant
Sewage treatment plants are very interesting places. They tend to attract quite a variety of birds. These, in turn, attract birders like me. On this occasion I was not disappointed. There were the usual suspects like Masked Lapwings along the edges, Pacific Black Ducks, Grey and Chestnut Teal and several Australasian Grebes. I was not surprised to see about twenty Pink Eared Ducks as well because I have often seen this species on Inchquin Lake a few hundred metres away. I was delighted to see about a dozen Black Swans as I can’t recall having seen them on the lake. Perhaps the lake, with its nearby picnic area on one side and golf course on the other, is too populated and noisy.
Australian Shoveler
One species I hoped to see was the Australian Shoveler. I had not observed this species of duck for over twenty years and only on a handful of occasions at that. I have only ever seen it on one occasion elsewhere so I was very pleased to record it again here. In the past I can only recall seeing up to about five individuals. This time there must have been over thirty present. It made me wonder if this species is a regular visitor, or is it actually a breeding resident species. I must remember to check it out more regularly as I visit my daughter.
Other birds seen
Other birds heard or seen nearby include Australian Magpie, Magpie-lark, Musk Lorikeet, Galah, Crimson Rosella, Willie Wagtail, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, White Plumed Honeyeater and New Holland Honeyeater. On the nearby Inchquin Lake I observed Blue Billed Ducks, Wood Ducks and four Black Fronted Dotterels.
Southern Boobook Owl
1 Comment »16th May, 2006; Category: Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars
Cold Night
Late last Saturday evening we were travelling back from visiting relatives in Jamestown in the mid-north of South Australia. It had been a lovely autumn day, clear sky, lovely sunshine and no wind. As soon as the sun set, the air had a sudden chill, as if a frost was settling in for the night. We saw the full moon rising soon after sunset.
Night Driving Hazards
As we travelled past the pine forests south of Jamestown I was on the alert for kangaroos on the road. Nephew Steve had warned me before we left to be on the alert as he had killed four roos in recent years in that area. When travelling rural South Australia I am always on the lookout, usually for sheep that have strayed through fences on to the road. Kangaroos and, in some parts, wombats, are very dangerous hazards on our roads, especially at night.
Wombats
Fortunately I had hit very few kangaroos, probably about five, in all my years of driving in Australia. I have never hit a sheep or cow and I never want to hit a wombat. It would be like hitting a rock, I’d imagine. I came close to one crossing the road one night near Swan Reach. Scary!
Owl
Now back to the bird sighting last Saturday night. At first I thought there was a rabbit sitting on the side of the road. As it flew off into the darkness I realised my mistake. At first I thought it was a Barn Owl, but the markings were all wrong; it was too dark. It had to be a Southern Boobook Owl, one of Australia’s most widespread and best known owls.
Its “boo-book” call is a familiar nocturnal sound throughout rural Australia. It is even heard in built up regions where suitable habitat exists. I have only heard it on one occasion near our home in Murray Bridge despite it being resident in the area. We have heard it far more often in Clare near my daughter’s home. It is a species more often heard than seen.
Update: I’ve just recorded it for the second time in our garden. To read about it click here. The article includes a photo. Posted on 4th May 2010
Spotted Nightjar
Spotted Nightjar
Last week when we were travelling back from Geranium to Murray Bridge I observed a bird species I have not seen too many times in my birding life, a Spotted Nightjar. In fact, checking my birding database I had only ever only seen this species once before. That occasion was on my brother’s farm in the Murray Mallee near Loxton.
Spotlighting
We were out in the paddocks spotlighting for rabbits and foxes at the time and we flushed the bird from the grass. It was quite easy to identify it in the beam of the high powered spotlight. I was able to follow the bird as it flew away because I was operating the spot on that occasion. There have to be some benefits to getting frozen on a frosty night on the back of a farm ute.
Car headlights
On this occasion, however, we were travelling at about 95kph along the Mallee Highway heading home. It was a still, quiet evening after the storms and rain earlier in the day. The moon had not yet appeared. As we came around a bend in the road a Spotted Nightjar suddenly flew from the middle of the road through the car’s headlights and off into the scrub lining the highway. It may have even flown over the trees into the neighbouring paddocks – it was hard to tell because we only had a fleeting glimpse as it flew off.
Nightjars
Nightjars are nocturnal. There are three species found in Australia; the Spotted, the White-Throated and the Large-Tailed. They are closely related to another species, the Australian Owlet-Nightjar which we often see or hear at home. The Spotted Nightjar is common and widespread throughout mainland Australia. It lives in a wide range of habitats, not just the mallee area where we observed it. These include dry eucalypt woodlands, mulga, pine scrubs and grasslands.