Great Birding Moments # 24 Caspian Terns
Caspian Tern
A few days ago we were invited to the home of friends at Meningie, about an hour’s drive from here. Meningie is on the southern shore of Lake Albert and only a few kilometres from the world famous wetland, the Coorong. We decided to take a leisurely three hour alternative route and do some birding along the way.
This area has many dairy farms bordering the lake system. Swampy areas in this part of South Australia often have small lakes, lagoons and channels and this is a great place to see some of our water birds.
At one point we took a slight detour to a spot called Long Point in the Coorong National Park. This area is a favourite with those who like to go fishing in the Coorong and there is also a small camping area. No facilities other than toilets are present.
I was delighted to get some reasonable photos of a group of Caspian Terns resting on the beach. The wind was very blustery and bitterly cold, usually so for a few weeks from summer. Using my telescope was next to useless because of the vibration caused by the wind.
I normally see only one or two Caspian Terns at a time so it was a delight to see such a large group altogether in one spot. There were probably about twenty in all. There were also plenty of Whiskered Terns, Australian Pelicans, Silver Gulls and Sharp Tailed Sandpipers present but none of these were close enough to photograph.
Caspian Tern
Great Birding Moments #8 Silver Gull
Silver Gull
I love it when birds allow me to come quite close to them in their natural habitat. And it’s even greater when they pose in such a way that they make it so easy to get a great photo. Earlier this year on a visit to Sydney we were walking along near Circular Quay when I saw several Silver Gulls up close. The above photo is the best of those taken at the time.
Now for readers who have never been to Sydney, Circular Quay is a very busy place on the harbour. Trains rattle overhead every minute or so. Ferries and other boats are coming into the dock or leaving every minute or two. People on foot are moving past in their thousands every hour. It is a hustling, bustling and noisy part of the city.
Silver Gulls seem to thrive here. That’s not surprising, because the outdoor restaurants and food outlets are everywhere. Our Silver Gulls seem to adore takeaway and fast food!
Related posts:
Fat Sea Gulls
Silver Gull
In a recent report on ABC News it has been found that Silver Gulls are becoming overweight. Over the last two years University of Tasmania researcher Heidi Auman has been studying Silver Gulls in Hobart and on the Bass Strait islands. She has found that the city birds have a higher cholesterol as well as being overweight when compared to their island dwelling counterparts.
Poorer Breeding results
In addition to being fatter, the city dwellers are laying more eggs but there are less chicks surviving. The main reason for their unhealthy state is a poorer diet. The gulls are not getting the correct food as they scavenge rubbish tips – and get fed by people having picnics.
For more, click here. (Sorry – the link no longer works.)
Updated Nov 2013
Rocky Gully Wetlands, Murray Bridge
1 Comment »23rd March, 2006; Category: Birds, Camera, Ducks Geese and Swans, Eagles Hawks and Kites, General, Gulls and Terns, Murray Bridge, Photos, Waterbirds
Thursday 23rd March 2006
Today I visited a local wetlands area about one kilometre north west of the CBD of Murray Bridge, South Australia. Rocky Gully Creek drains from the nearby hills into the River Murray at this point. The wetlands area is only a short distance from the river.
When I was still teaching I would often drive pass this lagoon on my way to work and again on my way home to check out what birds were to be seen. Occasionally I would stop and walk around the perimeter for twenty minutes or so. I would also stop in the bird hide for a while.
This morning I spent about 40 minutes in the area. I took my camera with to see what I could photograph. The temperature by late morning had reached about 30 degrees C and the warm breeze from the north was strengthening.
Spoonbills
On my way to a meeting the previous evening I thought I had seen some Royal Spoonbills as I drove past. This is a widespread species in this area without being present in large numbers anywhere. Spoonbills are always a delight for me to see as it was a Yellow Billed Spoonbill in outback South Australia many years ago that gave me a life long interest in birds. This time it was the equally delightful Royal Spoonbill present at the lagoon. I managed to get some photos from a distance.
This was the first time I had recorded this species in this location. The bird lists in the bird hide indicate that other observers had also recorded it here too; I just hadn’t seen it when it was present. Both species are widespread throughout the eastern half of Australia as well as large parts of western and northern Australia.
Pelicans
Almost every time I drive past the Rocky Gully Wetlands I see at least 10 Australian Pelicans. Sometimes I estimate there would be about 30 present, usually resting on the artificial island in the middle of the lagoon. There must be a plentiful supply of fish in the lagoon and in the river nearby.
Australian White Ibis
There are hundreds of Ibis resident in the Murray Bridge district. I have observed loose flocks of over 300 flying overhead. Without them the area would have a massive snail problem. It is my observation that the Australian White Ibis is vastly outnumbered by the Straw Necked Ibis in this area. Today however, I saw only the White Ibis. Another relatively common species, the Glossy Ibis, still manages to elude me. I’ve never seen one in the wild.
Other birds
The other species present included:
White Faced Heron, Great Egret, Little Black Cormorant, Darter, Black Winged Stilt, Grey Teal, Eurasian Coot, Black Fronted Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, Silver Gull, Caspian Tern and Whistling Kite.
Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge
No Comments »22nd March, 2006; Category: Birds, Ducks Geese and Swans, General, Gulls and Terns, Lapwings, Murray Bridge, Waterbirds
Today my wife and I needed to go shopping for a new washing machine. While doing the washing yesterday I killed our old twin tub machine. It was 22 years old, so I guess it was a little tired and needed a rest. It obviously needed a long, long rest. Now it will get a permanent rest.
When we were finished it was lunch time so we visited our favourite local bakery. We bought some lunch and headed down to Sturt Reserve and parked in the shade of a tree where we could overlook the River Murray. By then the temperature must have been about 30 degrees so the birding was very quiet.
The following is the small list of species seen:
Masked Lapwing, Australian Magpie, House Sparrow, Magpie Lark, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Welcome Swallow, Silver Gull, Willie Wagtail, Superb Blue Wren, Noisy Miner, Little Black Cormorant and Black Tailed Native Hen.
Proud Mary at Sturt Reserve