Buff-banded Rail
Buff-banded Rail, walk-through aviary at Adelaide Zoo
The Buff-banded Rail is normally a reasonably shy bird, preferring to skulk around in dense vegetation on the margins of rivers, lakes, dams, wetlands and swamps. On a few occasions, however, I have managed good views and excellent photos of this species where they are very accustomed to people being around. The bird in the photo above was a captive bird, taken while visiting one of the walk-through aviaries at Adelaide Zoo.
On another occasion I was surprised and delighted to see one wandering around my feet in a picnic ground in the Lower Glenelg River National Park in far south western Victoria. That was before I had a good digital camera, so no photos of that one. More recently I managed several excellent photos of this species while visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. The photo below shows one shot of this bird which casually strolled along the path in front of us. This section of the gardens is visited by thousands of people daily, so it was not at all concerned by my camera and its flash. It had been eating some melting chocolate that had fallen from someone’s ice-cream. I hope this was not a regular part of its diet!
Further reading:
Buff-banded Rail, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Diamond Doves
No Comments »8th February, 2011; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Aviaries, Garden birds, Pigeons and Doves, Zoos
Diamond Dove, Adelaide Zoo
The Diamond Dove is one of our smaller doves here in Australia. This beautiful little bird is very popular as an aviary bird as is quite easy to keep in captivity, I believe.
Diamond Doves are found over a large part of the Australian mainland except for southern Western Australia and coastal South Australia and Victoria. It is a bird of the drier parts of the country except it is absent from the very driest desert areas.
This photo was taken through the wire of one of the aviaries at Adelaide Zoo. Sadly, I have not seen this bird in its natural environment, only in aviaries. I must get out birding more often, though to see this species I might have to travel a little as it is not present around where I live. It has been sighted on a few occasions just north of Adelaide.
While I miss not having the Diamond Dove around here, my disappointment is partly compensated by having Peaceful Doves occasionally in our garden.
Good birding.
Related article:
Peaceful Dove, Cleland Wildlife Park
Lyrebirds, Adelaide Zoo
Superb Lyrebird, Adelaide Zoo
I have only seen the Superb Lyrebird in its natural environment on a handful of occasions. On each occasion they were fleeting views not conducive to good photos. That is one of the reasons I enjoy visiting places like the Adelaide Zoo. They not only have a wide range of Australian birds on display in their collection, they also have two large, well maintained walk-through aviaries. In this way I am able to get close-up photos of birds I normally would struggle to shoot.
The Lyrebirds in Adelaide Zoo are quite used to hundreds of people strolling through their home every day. They just go about finding their food in the leaf litter of the aviary, quite oblivious of one’s presence only a metre or two away. I’m always pleased to get good views of the Lyrebirds whenever I visit this zoo. You see – there are no Lyrebirds in the wild here in South Australia. I have to travel by car for at least 8 – 10 hours to find one in the mountains near Melbourne, or 14 – 15 hours travel to near Sydney. Adelaide Zoo is a mere 55 minutes away from my home.
On the other hand, seeing a captive bird in an aviary doesn’t quite have the thrill of seeing one in its normal environment.
Superb Lyrebird, Adelaide Zoo
Figbird, Adelaide Zoo
Figbird (female), Adelaide Zoo
The Adelaide Zoo has a very strong collection of Australian birds, including some that are rare and endangered. It also includes a number of species I have yet to see in their natural environment. Observing these birds in the zoo’s aviaries is a good way to become familiar with these birds before heading out to see them. The two walk-through aviaries are also a great opportunity to hone my photographic skills. Being able to get close to the birds is a great advantage.
One species in the collection which I have yet to add to my Australian list is the Figbird. There are two races: the Green Figbird (shown here) and the Yellow Figbird. It is a bird of the rainforests and woodlands in northern and eastern Australia where it is common. It also occurs in PNG and Indonesia. Its preferred food is fruit, hence the name.
The top photo is a close-up of a female who later sat on her nest – shown in the photo below. The third photo is a very poor, out of focus shot of the male. I only include it to show the difference in plumage colours between the male and the female. Next time I walk through that aviary I will try to get a photo which is in focus.
Further reading:
- Adelaide Zoo – articles from my archives
Figbird (female) on nest, Adelaide Zoo
Poor photo of a male Figbird, Adelaide Zoo
Tawny Frogmouth, Adelaide Zoo
3 Comments »29th January, 2011; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Aviaries, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars, Zoos
Tawny Frogmouth, Adelaide Zoo
It is not easy to get good photos of nocturnal birds like the Tawny Frogmouth shown above.
I have had some unusual opportunities to get good shots of the Southern Boobook Owl, Spotted Nightjar and the Australian Owlet Nightjar in the past, but generally it is more a matter of taking unique opportunities when they present themselves.
The Tawny Frogmouth is certainly one of my favourite birds. We first encountered this fascinating bird while camping at Hattah Lakes in Victoria many years ago. The bird on that occasion was perched on a branch above our tent calling persistently and annoyingly – until we found out what it was in our torchlight. Once we knew what it was we were able to relax and get some sleep. Its “oom-oom-oom-oom” call has an unusual quality; it seems to be coming from far off but can be only metres away.
Tawny Frogmouths are found throughout Australia in a wide range of habitats. While they are most often heard at night it is possible to see them during the day. If other birds become aware of them roosting in a tree they can draw attention to the bird by mobbing it. I’ve expereinced this a number of times in recent years. While I can’t say this is a resident species in our garden, it is probably a more frequent visitor than we realise. It is certainly present in our district and we are only aware of one when we hear it calling at night.
The above photo is the best I have of this species but it is not brilliant. It was taken through the wire of an aviary at Adelaide Zoo.
Further reading:
- Southern Boobook Owl in our garden
- Australian Owlet Nightjar in our garden
- Spotted Nightjar
- Australian Owlet-nightjar does exist