New contact form for this blog
No Comments »4th August, 2007; Category: General
A new feature on this blog for my readers is a Contact Form.
This will now be a constant feature on the side bar under the Contents heading. It is for my readers who wish to contact me via email for whatever reason – rather than leaving a comment or question in the comments section.
The usual comments section will remain of course. And you can also subscribe to my RSS feeds for both posts and comments. This facility is also on the sidebar.
Kalij Pheasant, Central Zoo, Kathmandu
An unexpected birding trip
2 Comments »2nd August, 2007; Category: General
I was busy doing some writing on one of my other blogs this morning when the phone rang. It was the boss of my friend Keith. I sometimes do relief driving for Keith on his courier round of Murray Bridge here in South Australia. His boss wanted me to do an emergency delivery from here in Murray Bridge to just north of Adelaide. I didn’t mind stopping my writing to do this job even though it would take out just over three hours of my day. I enjoy doing it because the company pays so well for me to have a lovely drive into the city and back.
Birds along the Freeway
I didn’t see all that many birds along the freeway in the city. The most common species appeared to be the Australian Magpies feeding on the grass verge of the road and in nearby fields. I was disturbed by the number of dead magpies; road kills are a real problem here in Australia. Little Ravens strutted across the road and along the fence lines and out in the fields. At one stage I thought I might collect a Willie Wagtail as it swooped across the road chasing an insect, but the bird flicked out of the way at the last moment. Several small flocks of Galahs crossed the road high above the freeway as we drove along.
Birds through the city
While driving through the city on the way to our destination I had to concentrate on the driving; it was only while waiting at the traffic lights that I was able to pay any attention to the birdlife. Small flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets seemed the most common species. I also noticed quite a few Noisy Miners flying between trees and bushes near the road. The introduced Spotted Turtle Dove appeared frequently on fences, footpaths and parklands, along with their native cousins, the Crested Pigeons. There also seemed to be many Australian Magpie Larks everywhere too.
Wetlands
As we approached our destination we passed an extensive area of wetlands. Storm water from nearby suburbs drains into these wetlands. We were driving too fast to see anything of note. In fact, a solitary flying Silver Gull was all I managed to see. I did ask my wife to produce a Glossy Ibis, a species I’ve not yet seen in the natural environment. She didn’t oblige.
Destination
At our destination I was not able to linger long in the extensive gardens surrounding the building where I delivered the parcel. I did see several Masked Lapwings feeding on the lawns, along with a large flock of House Sparrows. Along the road leading to the building I saw more Noisy Miners along with several Red Wattlebirds.
Return Journey
On our return journey I managed to add a Nankeen Kestrel to the list; this particular bird was being harassed by a very persistent magpie. Probably the highlight of the trip home was the Collared Sparrowhawk gliding low over the ground as it crossed the road less than twenty metres in front of the car. Another highlight was a single Sulphur Crested Cockatoo sitting on a light pole. This is always a delightful species to see.
Distressing sight
Perhaps the most distressing sight of the whole journey involved two species. An Adelaide Rosella had fallen victim to a passing car and was lying on the roadside. It is always sad to see this beautiful bird become a road kill. A Little Raven, however, was taking advantage of its misfortune and was steadily picking over the remains.
Conclusion:
It was a rushed trip we went on today. We didn’t stop anywhere to specifically go birding. Despite this I saw a long list of beautiful birds. It sort of made up for the lost writing time.
Related articles:
- Many of the birds mentioned in this article have separate articles about them – often with photos. Just click on the species name.
It was a dark and stormy day
Last week we went on a short five day holiday to the south east region of South Australia. I was accompanied by my wife, her mother and our adult daughter. It was our daughter who chose the destination: Robe on the Limestone Coast of southern South Australia.
Robe is a lovely seaside village with a very interesting history. Many original buildings from the middle of the 1800s are still in regular use. Oops – this is starting to sound like a travelogue – I’ll be writing more about that kind of thing on my travel blog here.
Back to the birding.
We left home in Murray Bridge mid-morning. The storm clouds had been gathering, along with a strengthening wind. By the time we reached Meningie it was time for lunch.
Lake Albert, Meningie, South Australia
It was useless trying to have a picnic lunch on the beautiful lawns on the shore of Lake Albert in the main street. I parked the Mazda Bravo directly into the prevailing wild wind, lowered the tailgate and tried to assist my wife preparing some lunch. Mother-in-law and daughter wisely stayed in the car. We had to hold onto the food – it was in danger of being blown into Victoria!
Lake Albert, Meningie, South Australia
White Caps:
Later we attempted to make a cup of tea. As we carried the mugs from the back of the car to the front to hand them through the window, white-caps appeared on the surface of the tea, splattering it all over the car. That’s wild wind. And it was bitterly cold.
I had to be content to do my birding from the driver’s seat in the car while I enjoyed my meal and cuppa. I didn’t take too many photos – there were very few birds to be seen. They’re not silly – they were probably sheltering somewhere sensible!
Camera trouble:
While trying to get a few shots of the scene I had some camera trouble. Actually the camera was fine – the batteries were flat, as were the next two sets of batteries I tried to use. It was one of those things I neglected to check before leaving home. Lesson learned. Fortunately I had a third set of batteries that kept me going during the short five day holiday. Just as well – I’d left the charger home.
A few hardy birds:
I did record a few hardy birds while we had our lunch. Several Australian Pelicans battled bravely with the wind out on the lake. A small flock of Silver Gulls huddled near some rocks, along with a solitary Dusky Moorhen. Two Little Pied Cormorants courageously sat atop a post on the jetty, defying the wind to blow them into the water. I also observed two Masked Lapwings on the roadside verge as we entered the town, along with several Australian Magpie Larks. Just out of town I saw a single White Faced Heron way out in a paddock – well away from the lake and the wildest of the wind. Two Crested Pigeons clung for dear life on a power line; I was amazed that they hadn’t been blown clear across the country. I think I saw several House Sparrows in bushes near the car, along with a Willie Wagtail and a Common Blackbird.
It was not an auspicious start to birding activities on my mini-holiday.
I’ll write about the rest of the week over the next few days.
Rearranging the nest
No Comments »22nd July, 2007; Category: General
I’ve not been posting many new articles on this blog in recent weeks. I’ve been very busy rearranging various aspects of the nest.
By that I mean we’ve been making a few changes to our house, rearranging the rooms. My new office – formerly our bedroom – has a lovely outlook over the garden and nearby trees – perfect for birding but a slight distraction from writing.
All the furniture moving, shifting and rearranging reference books, cleaning and so on has meant little time for birding and writing on this blog. Now that is all over – so back to birding and writing on this blog.
And thrown into this mix was a short holiday at Robe on the south east coast of South Australia last week. It was cold and the birding was good without being great. I intend writing about what I saw over the coming days. Stay tuned.
Bird Cinema
I always enjoy watching films, videos or DVDs that feature birds. I have mine own small and growing collection. It is a great way to learn about birds from other countries and is very cost effective.
Now bird lovers can watch these on a special dedicated web site called the “Bird Cinema: where the wild birds are always on.”
Enjoy.
And don’t forget my photo gallery here.