Australian Wood Ducks Laratinga Wetlands
Australian Wood Duck, Laratinga Wetlands
The Australian Wood Duck is one of the more common duck species here in Australia. Wherever there are bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, rivers, dams, swamps and wetlands one can often see pairs or small flocks of this species. On many occasions the number can be many dozens up to loose flocks of hundreds if the habitat is suitable.
This species is not restricted to water however. They will also be found far from water, feeding on pastures, grasslands, sports fields and parks. They can be found throughout much of Australia except the extreme drier regions in central Australia.
In the photo below, the female is on the left while the male is on the right. A Purple Swamphen can be seen in the background. The photos were taken at the Laratinga Wetlands near Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.
Further reading:
Australian Wood Ducks, Laratinga Wetlands
Happy 10th Birthday to Trevor’s Birding
Happy Birthday to Trevor’s Birding.
10 years old today.
Goodness, how the years have flown since my very first post on this site. That was actually on a different platform and has been updated several times over the years.
A few statistics
- A total of 1668 articles about birds and birding
- Well over 5300 comments from my readers
- Several thousand photos shown
- Visitors from over 200 countries and territories
- Over a million pageviews from well over half a million visitors
Travels
Wherever I travel I take my camera, binoculars, notebook and field guide and fit in times of birding (bird watching) and bird photography whenever I can. On many occasions I also go out and about near my home for the deliberate purpose of birding. On my return home I then enjoy writing on this site about the birds I have seen and sharing the best of my photos. Some of these travels take me to other states in Australia as well, especially when we visit family in Sydney, and friends in other places.
Archives
Some of my readers may not be aware of the many hundreds of articles in my archives – 1668 articles to be precise – and growing every few days with new articles. These can be accessed via the button at the top of each page and range from the most recent to the very first article. Here is a treasure trove of writing about birds.
Contents
Another way of accessing articles on specific areas of interest is via the Contents on the side bar, including
- How to be a birder
- Glossary of Bird Words – to help my readers understand any jargon used here (and it needs some editing – as well as be completed)
- Favourite Birding Spots – some of my favourite places to go birding (and it needs some serious updating!)
- Great birding moments – those special times when I saw a special bird, or got a lovely photo
Categories and search
Another way of searching for specific information on this site it to use the search facility (in the top right hand corner of each page). Just type in what you are looking for – you might be surprised what comes up. The categories section on the sidebar is another area where you can search for articles on a particular species or topic. If all that doesn’t work, try the contact form – also at the top of each page. Send your questions to me via email and I will reply as soon as I can, noting that there will be a delay if I am busy out birding and away from my computer.
Comments
Every article has a comments section and I would love to have many more. The 5300 comments so far are just the beginning. Just remember that they are moderated, and I reserve the right not to accept, or delete, or even edit comments, so keep them civil and in good taste. Children often read the articles here.
Photos
Over the years I have shared many photos here, with many more to come. Today, however, I decided to share a few of my favourite ones (see below).
Enjoy.
And keep coming back for more.
Good birding.
Trevor
Further reading:
- My first blog post
- Archives – you can access the complete list of articles on this site here or via the button at the top.
Crested Pigeon
Female Galah, Laratinga Wetlands
Male Variegated Fairy-wren
Musk Lorikeets
Beautiful Bronzewing Pigeons
No Comments »1st September, 2015; Category: Bird Behaviour, Bush birds, Good Birding Sites, Pigeons and Doves
Common Bronzewing, Laratinga Wetlands
Common Bronzewing Pigeons are, on first appearance, a reasonably plain bird. It is only when one gets an individual sitting quietly in a sunny position that you get a full appreciation of the subtle and quite beautiful colours in the plumage of this species. This is what happened to me recently on a visit to the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia. I seem to recall seeing at least three birds on that visit; there may have been more that I didn’t see.
In my experience Common Bronzewings are very flighty, nervous birds and will fly off rapidly as you approach. This can make them sometimes hard to photograph in the bush. At Laratinga they have obviously become accustomed to the hundreds of local people and tourists who visit this site every day. Walkers, joggers, photographers and cyclists frequently use the many good paths around the dozen or so ponds making up the wetlands, so it is not surprising that the local bronzewings will tolerate a person coming to within a few metres.
The birds in today’s photos were only about three metres from me so I was able to get some close up shots. The early morning sun shining on their feathers shows off some of the beautiful colours.
Further reading:
- Laratinga wetlands – articles from my archives
- Bronzewing Pigeons at the Australian Reptile Park
- Flock Bronzewing Pigeon
- Speeding Bronzewing Pigeon
Common Bronzewing, Laratinga Wetlands
Common Bronzewing, Laratinga Wetlands
Common Bronzewing, Laratinga Wetlands