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
Masked Lapwings
This evening as we arrived home from a meeting we heard two Masked Lapwings flying over head. It was a still, bright moonlit evening and their calls carried far. At one point one of the birds flew directly above me but I was unable to see it, despite the bright moon light.
Masked Lapwings are a common species around our home town of Murray Bridge. They are often seen near water or lawned areas, such as ovals and parks. From time to time we hear them nearby, or flying over head. Sometimes we even get to see them, but I have never actually seen them on the ground on our two hectare (5 acre) property. The nearest oval is some 500 metres away so they must have been disturbed from there, and then flew over our house.
For more information about Masked Lapwings, including a photo, click here.
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeaters
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Above: A photo of a Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater.
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeaters are a resident breeding species in our garden in Murray Bridge, South Australia. While they are not very common or numerous in this area they are widespread. They tend to be found in the drier, inland regions of Australia but can also be found in some coastal areas. They are not present in the tropical northern regions.
Hardly a day goes by without several of them visiting the bird bath near our sun room. They are often seen feeding on the vast array of native Australian plants in our garden. They have a particular preference for the Correas, Eremophilas and Grevilleas which abound in our garden.
While their calls can be somewhat haunting, I love hearing their “yoo hoo” calls as they scrabble around searching for a feed.
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Zebra Finch
Above: Photo of a Zebra Finch
We went to visit Pangarinda Arboretum again today. This is a large plantation of Australian native plants just east of Wellington, South Australia. This is about half an hour from Murray Bridge, or just over an hour from Adelaide.
As is my custom these days my attention was divided between watching birds, making a list of birds I see for my database, photographing any birds I see and photographing the many beautiful flowers in this arboretum. Summer is fast coming to an end here in the Murraylands region of South Australia so there are not too many native Australian plants in flower at present, but still enough for me to get some very nice shots.
The birding was also quite good with 23 species recorded. The best sighting of the day was that of Zebra Finches. I have recorded this species here before, but not in such good numbers. They almost outnumbered the commonest bird in the garden, the New Holland Honeyeater. A number of finches, including an obliging male, came close enough for me to get some lovely photos.
