Adelaide Rosellas
Adelaide Rosella
From time to time we have the local Adelaide sub species of the Crimson Rosella in our garden here in Murray Bridge. This morning I observed two of them in the mallee scrub at the back of our house. They were in the company of the resident Mallee Ringneck parrots until they flew off.
Adelaide Rosellas are found in the Mt. Lofty Ranges and mid north of South Australia, as well as suburban Adelaide. The Crimson Rosellas are much brighter in colour (see photo below) while the Adelaide sub species has a washed out orange colouring on the front feathers. Throughout their range there is considerable colour variation in the intensity of the orange.
Here in Murray Bridge, some 75km south east of Adelaide, this species is near the eastern edge of their range. Consequently I only observe them several times a year. Normally I have to go 10-15 kilometres to the west to see them on a regular basis.
Crimson Rosella, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Galahs in Tintinara
Galah, Tintinara, SE South Australia
On my recent visit to Tintinara in the upper south east region of South Australia I went for a drive around town checking out the local birds. At several points I stopped to take some photos. The shot above of a Galah perched in a gum tree lit by the early morning sunshine is rather pleasing to the eye. It’s almost as if it was posing for me.
I’m not sure if it is a male or female. Even enlarging the photo digitally I can’t see if the eye is brown (male) or red (female). Going by the rich colours of the breast feathers, I’d say it is probably a male. It also looks like it is perching near a hollow; perhaps it is where he and his mate nested during the recent breeding season. There was another Galah a little higher up in the tree.
Further reading:
- Possible Galah nesting attempt – in our garden
- Galahs nesting?
- Galah
Long-billed Corellas, Tintinara
1 Comment »26th February, 2010; Category: Cockatoos and Corellas, Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets
Long-billed Corellas, Tintinara, SE South Australia
On my recent visit to Tintinara in the upper SE of South Australia I took a drive around the streets. On every other visit to this town I had just driven through except once when we stopped for a toilet break. I occasionally do some deliveries for a local courier so I took this opportunity – after I’d delivered the urgent parcel for the veterinarian – to look around the town and see if I could spot any interesting birds, and perhaps get some good shots.
On the grassy verge of the main road near the oval I saw several Long-billed Corellas feeding on the grass. Several Galahs added to the number. I just pointed the camera out of the window and took the photos on this page. The photos are not very good as I shot them quite quickly. The corellas were a little flighty, and when I tried to get closer by getting out of the car, they flew away. I also saw a small flock feeding on the cones of a pine tree near the oval, but couldn’t get close enough to photograph them.
Long-billed Corellas are found throughout most of south-eastern South Australia, western Victoria and into the Riverina region of NSW. In some other areas there are feral flocks which established themselves via escapes from aviaries, or deliberate release.
I’ve personally not recorded this species here in Murray Bridge where we get large, noisy flocks of the very common Little Corella.
Long-billed Corellas, Tintinara, SE South Australia
Long-billed Corellas, Tintinara, SE South Australia
Further reading:
What parrot was that again?
Fire safety sign near Pinnaroo, South Australia
On my recent trip to Pinnaroo east of here in Murray Bridge I saw the above bushfire prevention sign on the side of the road. As I flashed past I thought, “My readers might like to see that.”
So I came to a screeching halt and backed up. Well – I checked the mirror first. Good thing too – a big truck was following me about a hundred metres back. I let him pass before taking the photo.
Most local councils in Australia have strict regulations about lighting fires, especially in rural areas. Many farmers still use burning off as a strategy for controlling weeds. Lighting a fire during the summer months is asking for trouble, hence the signs.
The message of this sign seems to be appealing to bird lovers.
But what kind of bird?
The two parrots depicted by the artist appear to be rosellas, but they are nothing like any of the rosellas in my field guides. I guess the artist wanted to depict a generic type of parrot, appealing to a very broad audience.
I suspect the artist has adapted an illustration from a children’s colouring book. I’m sure I’ve seen something very similar in one of those “Colour by Number” type books.
I doesn’t matter – if it gets the message across and prevents fires, then it has achieved its purpose. Pity though – I’d like to have a photo or two of the parrots featured. They’d look good here on my blog.
Related articles:
Pink Cockatoo
Cockatiel and Pink Cockatoo in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
The photo above shows a Cockatiel (left) and a Pink Cockatoo (centre) in the aviary in Pinnaroo, eastern South Australia. Both species are relatively common in the area. This is not a particularly good photo of the Pink Cockatoo – see below for a better shot which my son took some years ago at the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney.
The Pink Cockatoo is also known as the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, named after an early Australian explorer.
This beautiful member of the parrot family is widespread throughout much of the arid and semi-arid regions of mainland Australia. It is far less common than other cockatoos. It is always a special bird to see in the wild, especially when they land and they raise their stunning crests.
Major Mitchell Cockatoo (also called Pink Cockatoo)
Related articles: