White-faced Heron visits for a swim
White-faced Heron in our swimming pool
Yesterday we were delighted to have a special visitor to our swimming pool. Mind you – it would have been rather cold going for a swim. Winter seems to have returned after some very hot weather. Summer is officially just over a week away, yet we have had several days in the mid teens.
White-faced Heron in our swimming pool
This White-faced Heron wasn’t after a swim though. He was keeping a sharp eye on the frogs in our pool. Yes – you read that correctly. I’ve neglected the swimming pool for so long that the frogs have moved in. At least it’s getting some use.
The water level is down a metre too, and will take quite a deal of water to get it back to normal levels. Despite the current water restrictions, I feel okay about doing this. I haven’t added any water for several years now, relying only on rainwater from part of our roof.
White-faced Heron in our swimming pool
From memory, this is only the second time a White-faced Heron has landed in our garden in over 25 years. It’s about time the Little Pied Cormorant paid a visit.
You can enlarge the photos by clicking on the images.
Another White-necked Heron sighting
Earlier in the week I wrote about a sighting of a White-necked Heron near Meadows in the Adelaide Hills. I commented that I have rarely seen this species over the years as a birder, despite it being widespread throughout much of Australia.
Well – I saw another one yesterday. It was in the same spot as the sighting earlier in the week, so presumably it was the same bird. This time I had my camera with me.
White-necked Heron
The photo is not as good as I would have liked. This was because the bird was some 80-100 metres away. Click on the photo to enlarge the image.
This species has eluded me on many birding trips. Now that I’ve seen one twice in the same week, I’ll probably see them everywhere.
I hope that rule also applies to the Glossy Ibis. This ibis has frustrated me endlessly. I’ve seen it from only a metre away in a walk through aviary at the Adelaide Zoo, but I have yet to see one in its natural habitat. I am hoping that once I see my first one, I’ll see them everywhere. That appears to be an unwritten Law of Birding.
White-necked Heron
I was travelling from Meadows to Echunga in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia this morning when my well trained eyes spotted a rare bird. Well – rare for me, that is.
I came to a screeching halt at the side of the road – after checking the mirror of course. This road is often used by large trucks thundering along at break-neck speeds. What I didn’t want was one of them breaking my neck by plunging into the back of my vehicle.
In a swampy area some 80 metres from the road was a single White-necked Heron feeding in the water. This is a widespread species in Australia but one I have rarely seen. In fact I think I’ve only seen it three or four times in the last twenty years. I have obviously not been looking in the right places, or I need to get out birding more often.
I didn’t have my camera with me but that was no great loss as the bird was probably too far away for a good shot anyway. To see a photo of this species click here.
Other interesting species feeding in the swamp included Black Swans (with several cygnets), Eurasian Coots and Chestnut Teal. Dozens of Tree Martins were swooping low over the water.
My enforced five minute interlude from work (delivering parcels) was very rewarding.
Birding around Guichen Bay, South Australia
1 Comment »26th July, 2007; Category: Darters and Cormorants, Ducks Geese and Swans, Gulls and Terns, Herons and Egrets, Lapwings, Seabirds, Shorebirds
Guichen Bay, Robe, SE South Australia
Last week we went for a short, five day holiday to Robe in the south-east region of South Australia. Robe is about a three and a half hour drive from home. This beautiful, historic seaside town is popular with tourists, with good reason. It is a quaint little fishing town catering well for the many visitors that flock there, primarily in the warmer months.
Being the middle of winter it was the off-season and that suits me fine, especially from a birding point of view. There are several downsides; the weather can be very dodgy and even bitterly cold. Another downside is the absence of wading birds; they all have better sense than us and head north for our winter. While the birding was quiet, I did record some good birds. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but satisfying nevertheless.
Guichen Bay, Robe, SE South Australia
During our stay I went on three quite long walks and several drives searching out the bird life of the region. I was also looking for some good scenery shots to include here and on my travel blog.
Twice I walked from the cottage we were renting past the Sea-Vu Caravan Park and then along the bay to the fishing boat harbour. Robe is situated on Guichen Bay. On my walks I went along the Town Beach, where the photos above were taken.
Birds seen:
Overall the birding was a little disappointing. We had a friendly Willie Wagtail in the back yard, along with Silver Gulls flying overhead and occasionally landing on the fence or the roof. Common birds around our cottage and in nearby streets included House Sparrows, European Goldfinches and Common Starlings.
The cottage backed on to the local golf course which was lined with trees. In these trees I saw Little Ravens and Grey Currawongs. Throughout the town there were many Little and Red Wattlebirds, New Holland Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails and Welcome Swallows. I also saw the occasional Common Blackbird.
Lapwings:
One noticeable species in many parts of the town was the Masked Lapwing. This species seems to enjoy feeding on the many spacious and very green lawns throughout the town. One pair even landed noisily on our back yard lawn, but they flew off again before I could fire up the camera.
Beach Birds:
On my walks along the beach I didn’t see many water birds. I did see two Black Oystercatchers on the rocks near the Town Beach, as well as Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants out in the bay. Silver Gulls were everywhere, but not in large numbers. I saw one Crested Tern. In the bushes fronting the beach there were many Singing Honeyeaters.
In the coming days I will write about other birds seen and other places visited while on my holiday.
Updated November 2013.
An Icy Egret
Winter is well and truly in full swing here in South Australia. We have had some good rains to open the season for the farmers and more recently we have had plenty of cold showery days. In the last two weeks however, the frosts have come in with a vengeance. We normally get several dozen frosts every winter with temperatures around 1 to 4 degrees C.
Over the last two weeks the temperature has dropped below zero on many occasions. It is very tempting to linger awhile snuggled up in bed. A few days ago I needed to drive into town quite early in the morning. On my way home I took an alternative route past the Rocky Gully Wetlands. I wanted to check out the bird life there. These wetlands are quite close to the main road and consist of several large ponds.
The frost was still lying heavily all around, and the first rays of sunlight were sending spirals of mist from the water. Traces of fog lingered over the nearby River Murray. I saw a few Australian Pelicans on the shore of the wetlands. These were accompanied by dozens of Silver Gulls trying to warm up in the early morning sun.
Only one bird seemed brave enough (or was that silly enough?) to enter the freezing water. A solitary Little Egret was standing statue-like in one of the ponds. I’m not sure if it was frozen to the spot or just being very still trying to catch an early breakfast.
I didn’t wait around to see if it moved; I was racing home to my lovely warm fire and the morning paper.
Australian Pelicans, Rocky Gully Wetlands