Kangaroos – and a few birds
Western Grey Kangaroo, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia
Okay – so this site is supposed to be about Australian Birds. Every now and then, however, I come across something interesting to photograph which doesn’t fall into that narrow field. Here is one example.
On our recent short holiday to Yorke Peninsula we visited the lovely and secluded Pondalowie Bay. The weather was quite unpleasant with light showers and almost gale force winds. The birding was consequently very limited. I did see several Pacific Gulls along with a few Silver Gulls and a solitary Sooty Oystercatcher. Two Pelicans braved the wild conditions in the bay and a small number of Crested Terns kept watch from some rocks. A Nankeen Kestrel used the wind to its advantage, soaring on the rushing air to search out a late afternoon snack.
Leaving the shoreline and driving inland a few hundred metres the wind abated somewhat in the lee of the sand dunes and thick coastal vegetation. Here the birding was a little better and I sighted a small list of species, including
- Masked Lapwings
- Galahs
- Willie Wagtails
- Grey Currawongs
- Silvereyes
- Singing Honeyeater (also seen near the water)
- Rainbow Lorikeets
- Crested Pigeons
And just as we were leaving the camping ground area we sighted a group of five juvenile Western Grey Kangaroos grazing near the road. They are used to vehicles in this area and didn’t stop their grazing as I stopped to take some photos.
Western Grey Kangaroos, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia
Australian Magpie, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia
Malleefowl, Innes National Park
6 Comments »8th June, 2011; Category: Bush birds
Malleefowl, Innes National Park Visitor Centre
The Innes National Park at the southern tip of Yorke Peninsula is one of the more reliable places to see the endangered Malleefowl. On our recent holiday there I didn’t manage to see any, but I was delighted to get some good photos all the same.
I cheated.
The birds I’ve shown here on this post were stuffed birds on display in the park Visitor Centre!
I have seen this species here on previous visits many years ago. A friend of ours used to have access to some non-public roads so he could set up his beehives in the mallee which is the predominant tree in the park. Allan was able to set up his 8mm movie camera and film the male malleefowl working at the nest mound. One memorable scene showed him scratching at the dirt with the male bird alongside busily scratching the dirt back onto the mound.
Malleefowl males make a nest by scratching earth, leaves, sticks and other vegetation into a mound, often 2 – 3 metres across and 1.5m high. The vegetation then rots, just like a compost heap, and the heat produced hatches the eggs. The eggs are placed in the mound by the female, often laying 20 – 30 eggs over the spring and summer months. The male then tends to the nesting mound, keeping the temperature at a constant level by adding more dirt, or removing it. On hatching, the chicks dig their way out of the dirt and then run off into the bush, tending for themselves from the first day.
Malleefowl nest, Ferries McDonald Conservation Park, South Australia
Malleefowl, Innes National Park Visitor Centre
Ramsey Way Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
Ramsey Way Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
On our way to Edithburgh for a short holiday last week we took a short detour on a side road a short distance off the main highway. This dirt road took us through some farming country and passed the small Ramsey Way Conservation Park (see photos above and below).
I’ve done a little research online and can find only two references to this park: the government declaration of the park concerning mining restrictions (2008) and notice of a field trip visit by the Native Orchid Society of South Australia next Sunday (June 5th 2011). It is not even listed yet on the National Parks website list of conservation parks. Now that I know that I would have spent a little more time there doing a bird and plant survey. Still, it was late afternoon and the light was fading quickly, so it would have been an inadequate survey.
I’m sure that a longer survey of the park would reveal a diverse and interesting bird and plant list. This park is one of only a few remnant bush areas in the region and so is a valuable asset regarding the local flora and fauna. My list seems very inadequate, but given the time restraints it is a start:
Bird list:
- Little raven
- White-browed babbler
- Magpie lark
- Australian Magpie
- Willie wagtail
- Yellow-rumped pardalote
- Weebill
- Spiny-cheeked honeyeater
- Grey butcherbird
- Crested pigeon
- Common Bronzewing pigeon
- Silvereye
- Red-rumped parrot
- Nankeen kestrel
Ramsey Way Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
Ramsey Way Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
Flat Rock Creeek to Middle Harbour, Sydney
2007 New South Wales trip report #25
While we were staying with our son in Sydney he decided to take an afternoon off from work (he works at home) and take us on a walk from Artarmon along Flat Rock Creek to Middle Harbour. This harbour is a small part of the greater Sydney Harbour.
The walking track took us through nearby suburbs and we enjoyed looking over people’s back fences into their gardens. The track also took us under several major roads and a freeway. Most of the first part was a sealed or concrete walking path shared with cyclists. This first part didn’t yield many interesting birds but it was a very enjoyable walk anyway.
Flat Rock Creek, Northbridge, Sydney
The track then changes to a narrow dirt track and plunges quickly 50 or 60 metres down into Flat Rock Creek. When we reached the creek bed the path then follows the creek along to the harbour. I was not surprised to see Laughing Kookaburras along this part, and observed on flying in a hollow. This could indicate nesting but the hollow was too far away over the creek to investigate further. Pied Currawongs were seen and heard frequently as were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Superb Fairy-wrens flitted in and out of the bushes along the path, but never stopping long enough for a photo.
At one stage I saw several Red-whiskered Bulbuls but couldn’t get a clear shot of one. I did manage to get a nice shot on the return walk. This was a new bird for the trip list and a nice one to see despite it being an introduced species. I’ve only ever seen it about three times in total.
Red-whiskered Bulbul
I was also delighted to see two Chestnut Teal, a male and a female, swimming in the creek which at that point seemed rather polluted. Nearby several Red-browed Finches caught our attention and White-browed Scrubwrens called from nearby bushes. Noisy Miners were everywhere and we heard several Striated Pardalotes, a Grey Butcherbird, several Australian Magpies and the occasional Australian Raven flew overhead.
I haven’t seen too many pigeons and doves in this part of Sydney, but on our walk I saw Crested Pigeons, Rock Doves and Spotted Turtledoves. Thankfully not too many Indian Mynas were seen in this part of the city. I saw no House Sparrows; they seem to be absent from around here. At the harbour we saw Welcome Swallows and Silver Gulls.
Rock Doves, Northbridge, Sydney
On the return walk I only added Common Koel to the list. As this was another “lifer” for the trip I was pleased. This species has just arrived from its spring migration south. The whole walk took just a few minutes short of four hours, the return part being largely uphill with some very steep parts. We were pleased that we achieved this as both of us are not as fit as we should be. Our son thought it was just a pleasant stroll, but then he walks the area nearly every day.
My first visit to Round Hill Nature Reserve
2007 New South Wales Trip Report #11
Round Hill Nature Reserve
On returning to the Tourist Information Centre well after the scheduled opening time, we found it still closed. So we headed down the street to the Shire Council Office. The workers there were most helpful and provided maps and information about birding in the district.
We headed off north to the small, sleepy township of Euabalong and then west towards its twin hamlet of Euabalong West. Just before reaching it we stopped down by a creek for morning tea and to investigate what birds and plants were present. I saw nothing out of the ordinary but did manage to add Yellow Thornbill to the rapidly growing list for the trip.
Round Hill Nature Reserve, central NSW
A short drive on further west brought us to the Round Hill Nature Reserve. I had wanted to visit here for a long time, ever since reading about it from other birders on Birding-Aus. Along the way we stopped to take some photos of flowering plants on the side of the road. I managed to get several great shots of a very cooperative male Red-capped Robin.
Red-capped Robin (male)
We drove to the lookout near the top of Round Hill. Actually, there is no official lookout. The road goes over the ridge near the top of the hill and the view is great. We then backtracked a few hundred metres to a dirt track leading off the main road. We drove along this track for a few hundred metres before finding a suitable spot for our picnic lunch.
During lunch, I observed several more Red-capped Robins, Southern Whiteface, Willie Wagtail and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. Striped Honeyeaters were calling everywhere but I only managed to see one of them. Crested Pigeons fed on the ground nearby and Striated Pardalotes in the trees above. A male Mistletoebird also posed long enough for me to focus my binoculars on him, but not my camera.
As we drove off a Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo was calling nearby. Immediately a Pallid Cuckoo joined in. We drove about a hundred metres until my wife pointed out a bird sitting on a branch of a dead, fallen tree. I was delighted to get a good photo of the Pallid Cuckoo.
Pallid Cuckoo, Round Hill Nature Reserve
We drove on for a few minutes before turning around and heading out to the main road again. I suspected that the track we had been following might go all the way through to another main road, but the map I had did not show the track so I could not be sure.
Update: this article was updated on May 30th, 2019.