A Snail’s Eye View of Birds and other Things
I’ve recently started reading a blog called A Snail’s Eye View. Now that’s an interesting perspective on life.
Anyway – it’s…. An occasional blog about natural history, travel, books and writing … and anything else that catches my attention.
And the natural history part is often about birds.
Bird Words: bird watcher, birder, birding
Today’s word is not just one word, but three words. This is because they are all very similar.
- Bird watcher: a birder, someone who watches birds as a hobby.
- Birder: a bird watcher, a person who enjoys watching and studying birds.
- Birding: the hobby of watching and studying birds
Typical Pose of Husband
This is a photo of a dedicated birder in action.
I didn’t realise at the time that my wife had taken this shot of me.
For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.
Great Birding Moments # 19 King Parrot
I remember the first time I ever saw a King Parrot. It was back in the late 1970s on a holiday in NSW. We’d been several days in Sydney and we drove to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. We were planning to take the children on the Scenic Railway which happens to be the world’s steepest incline railway and then cross the valley in the scenic skyway which takes you towards the famous landmark, the amazing rock formation called The Three Sisters.
We did all of those things and it was one of the highlights of our holiday. Unfortunately, we did not have a great view of the valley, the surrounding mountains or the Three Sisters due to thick fog for most of the morning. One thing did stand out in the fog, however. For the first time I saw an Australian King Parrot. As you can see from the photo the male is bright red and green. Viewing this species for the first time, from a few metres away, when everything around you is dull, foggy and damp is an amazing memory I have.
King Parrot at Adelaide Zoo
Related articles:
- Great Birding Moments – a list of the articles I have written in this series, with links.
Cape Barren Geese
8 Comments »5th November, 2006; Category: Ducks Geese and Swans
Cape Barren Geese
On Thursday we travelled south from Murray Bridge to the shores of Lake Alexandrina. The River Murray flows into this lake near Wellington before flowing out to sea near Goolwa. Just west of Wellington is a reliable spot to see Cape Barren Geese. They congregate in their hundreds here to feed on the local irrigated pastures.
Cape Barren Geese breed on the islands in Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania and also on the islands of South Australia and Western Australia. During the summer months they disperse to suitable grazing areas on the nearby mainland in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. In total there might be less than ten thousand birds, though some might dispute this figure.
On previous occasions I have counted over 500 birds in the one paddock where the above photo was taken making this locality a significant feeding ground for this species. Smaller flocks occur around the perimeter of Lakes Albert and Alexandrina, often in association with White Faced Herons, White and Straw Necked Ibis, Masked Lapwings, Australian Shelducks and the occasional flock of domestic geese.
Cape Barren Goose
Great Birding Moments # 18 Golden Headed Cisticola
9 Comments »4th November, 2006; Category: Great Birding Moments
Golden Headed Cisticola
Last Thursday we visited the Tolderol Game Reserve near Langhorne Creek, South Australia. It had been quite a time since my last visit and I was anticipating plenty of ducks, waders and other water birds to be present.
A Disappointing Day
It was a disappointing day. All the ponds were dry due mainly to the severe drought we are experiencing at present. It has been the driest winter, spring and October on record in this part of the state. The channels between the ponds contained some water but overall the birding was very disappointing. There were a few Black Swans, Whiskered Terns, Swamp Harriers, Masked Lapwings and White Fronted Chats. I saw a solitary Caspian Tern, several Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants and no Silver Gulls. Several White Ibis flew overhead as did a small flock of Straw Necked Ibis. A group of three Purple Swamphens skulked near one of the channels.
Feeling Despondent
As we were leaving I was feeling rather despondent. So few birds and nothing really special. I was wrong. A male Golden Headed Cisticola in breeding plumage emerged from the low scrubby bushes next to the rough track our vehicle was travelling on. He proceeded to sit out in the open and sing at volume, perched in a variety of poses for a good two to three minutes while I took a series of photos.
Range of the Golden Headed Cisticola
The Golden Headed Cisticola is not a species I have seen very often so this was an extra delight. The species is found throughout India, Nepal, SE Asia, Indonesia, Philippines and China. In Australia it is found in the northern, eastern and south eastern parts of the land, usually no more than 300km from the coast and only where suitable habitat exists.
Preferred Habitat
The Golden Headed Cisticola inhabits areas of tall grass, rushes, shrubby areas near wetlands, drains, sewage plants, irrigated paddocks and river flats. The Tolderol Game Reserve is part of the Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert regions near the mouth of the Murray River. This area is probably its stronghold in this part of the state.
So the birding overall may not have been great, but the day ended on a happy note.
Golden Headed Cisticola