Crested Pigeon and early morning grooming, Mildura
Crested Pigeon, Mildura
Just before we left the caravan park in Mildura earlier this year, I saw this Crested Pigeon sitting on a power line attending to its early morning grooming. It totally ignored me snapping away below it. After a frosty night it was probably enjoying the first rays of sunshine. So was I.
Finally it consented to pose properly for me (see photos below).
Crested Pigeon, Mildura
Crested Pigeon, Mildura
Early morning on the River Murray, Mildura
No Comments »24th October, 2011; Category: Trip reports
River Murray, Mildura
Sydney Trip June 2011
On the last morning of our holiday earlier this year we were up early despite the cold conditions. It was nice to have good air conditioning in our cabin. After packing the car I had a few minutes to wander down the caravan park driveway to have a quick look at what birds there were along the River Murray. I tried to find a path down to the river’s edge but there was limited access to the river opposite the caravan park. I had to be content with views from the cliff top (see photos above and below).
There wasn’t much to get excited about and I only made a modest list of birds seen:
Red Wattlebird
Crested Pigeon
Magpie Lark
Noisy Miner
Australian Raven
Red Rumped Parrot
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Common Starling
Australian Magpie
Galah
Welcome Swallow
Rock Dove
Silver Gull
Singing Honeyeater
Striated Pardalote
Rainbow Lorikeet
River Murray, Mildura
Caravan park we stayed in, Mildura
Magpies up close and personal part 2
Yesterday I wrote about a family of Australian Magpies that joined us for afternoon tea in a roadside rest area south east of Mildura. Today I include several more photos taken at that time.
You can buy a photo of a magpie on a coffee mug – click here.
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Magpies up close and personal
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Sydney Trip June 2011
Over recent days I’ve been writing about the birds seen on the return trip from a holiday with family in Sydney. Today I want to show a series of photos taken at the Malleefowl Rest Area south east of Mildura. we had stopped for an afternoon cuppa and a light snack of biscuits. we had just sat down at the picnic table and we were immediately accosted by a family of Australian Magpies (ssp black backed), including several juveniles from last season’s breeding.
The whole family gathered on and around the table waiting for handouts of whatever food we had in our picnic basket. I guess they are used to being fed generously by any humans who happen to drop in to their domain. If we hadn’t been smart about covering the biscuit tin they would have helped themselves.
I took the opportunity to get some very close up photos of the magpies as they sat nearby or on the table less than a metre from me. Some – like the one above – are decidedly nasty looking.
Tomorrow I’ll show several more photos.
You can buy one of my photos of a magpie on a coffee mug – click here.
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Australian Magpie (black backed)
Blue Bonnet parrots
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Sydney Trip June 2011
Yesterday I wrote about having a short stopover at the Malleefowl Rest Area on the road from Balranald to Mildura. We stopped to have a cuppa and afternoon tea in a patch of mallee scrub just off the highway.
While we were enjoying our break several Blue Bonnet parrots flew into a tree nearby and I was able to get some good photos of this colourful bird. At about 30cm in size this is one of our smaller parrots. While it is widespread in the mallee areas of Victoria, NSW and South Australia, it is generally not common anywhere. A small isolated population can also be found in SE Western Australia.
While I said that it is widespread in mallee habitats, it can also be found in several other habitats, including saltbush areas, grasslands, farmlands, mulga and acacias. I have yet to record this species on our home block but I have seen it within about 30 kilometres from our place.
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Blue Bonnet Parrot
Blue Bonnet Parrot