Birding Port Clinton Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
Little Egret, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
On our way home from our recent holiday on Yorke Peninsula we stopped for a lunch break at Port Clinton Conservation Park, just north of Ardrossan.This conservation park stretches along the eastern part of the peninsula, between the main road south and the waterline.
The wind was still cold and we were experiencing occasional showers. Once again we decided to eat our picnic lunch in the car. This was followed by a warming cup of tea. As we sat there, windscreen wipers activated every minute or so, I did a bird list of species present, either on the tidal mudflats, in the nearby mangrove trees or in the bushland nearby.
Many of the birds I saw appeared to be resting in a position where they minimised the wind. Very few of the water birds were actually flying or swimming. Once again the list of species is not great, but you have days like that. Pity, though, I’d had 4 days in a row like that!
- Little Egret
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Pied Cormorant
- Crested Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Red-capped Plover
- Silver Gull
- Pacific Gull
- Nankeen Kestrel
- Tree Martin
- Singing Honeyeater
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
- Grey Shrike-thrush
- Welcome Swallow
- Willie Wagtail
- Little Raven
- Common Starling
Little Pied Cormorants, Silver Gulls, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
Mangroves and tidal flats, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
Birding at Coobowie, Yorke Peninsula
On our short holiday on the Yorke Peninsula a few weeks ago we left Edithburgh mid-morning on the last day of our four day visit. We travelled the short distance to Coobowie, another popular holiday destination on the southern end of the peninsula, especially in the summer months. We found a suitable parking spot overlooking the bay and had a cuppa and a few nibbles.
The wind was still very chilly and so we stayed in the car. Birding from inside a car has its disadvantages, but it was far too cold out. This part of the coast can produce a good variety of birds, especially out in the bay at low tide. On previous visits I’ve timed my birding to coincide with low tide. The exposed sandbars can reveal a good variety of shorebirds, especially when all the summer migrants are in town.
No such luck today.
The tide was high, the strong wind pushing the water even higher. Few wading birds were visible and so I had to look to the bush birds in the roadside vegetation and in the paddocks to bolster my list:
- Silver Gull
- Pacific Gull
- White-faced Heron
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Pied Oystercatcher
- Australian Shelduck
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Australian Magpie
- Magpie Lark
- Little Raven
- Singing Honeyeater
- Red Wattlebird
- New Holland Honeyeater
- House Sparrow
- Common Starling
Not a huge list but satisfying considering the poor weather conditions.
Silver Gulls
Birding at Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
We reached Corny Point on the Yorke Peninsula late on the third day of our holiday. The conditions continued to be wild: gale force wind, freezing cold and light showers skimming across the water. Not at all good for birding!
I parked near the lighthouse as shown in the photo above. The passenger side door was facing the full force of the wind and my wife could hardly open her door! Eventually, with a great effort, she did manage to emerge. Standing erect in the gale was another matter, and holding the camera steady yet another challenge.
It was a very disappointing from a birding point of view; I saw only 5 species:
- Singing Honeyeater
- Australian Magpie
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Crested Tern
- Nankeen Kestrel
The kestrel was the only one I managed to photograph – but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see that. Meanwhile, a few photos to show the wild conditions.
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Pacific Gulls
Juvenile Pacific Gull, Yorke Peninsula
At one stage while travelling along the south coast of Yorke Peninsula we pulled off the main road and drove down a rough dirt track towards the beach (see photo below). A solitary juvenile Pacific Gull was feeding on the sand. This species is found along coastal NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and southern Western Australia. While it is widespread it is not present in large numbers in most places. It is usual to see only one or two birds at a time.
The photo above shows the bird in the juvenile plumage which indicates a first year bird. For the next 3 years a variety of plumages stages can be seen, from the chocolate brown through to mottled brown and white until the full adult plumage is developed. Below I have included several photos of two birds in adult plumage at Victor Harbor earlier this year.
South coast of Yorke Peninsula
Juvenile Pacific Gull, Yorke Peninsula
Pacific Gulls, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Pacific Gulls, Victor Harbor, South Australia
A misty day at the beach
Crested Terns, Sheoak Beach, Yorke Peninsula
On our recent holiday on Yorke Peninsula we struck a weekend of wild weather. On Sunday morning the wind was blowing a gale and constant misty showers scudded across the sea and over the adjacent farmland. Undeterred we still went out for a drive knowing that this was the only way we would get to see anything. Walking was really not a pleasant option.
We stopped to have a cuppa at Sheoak Beach, parking the car so that we could sit in relative comfort out of the wind and rain – and yet be able to see the water and any birds on the beach. There was not much to see.
A few Australian Pelicans sheltered from the wind behind some seaweed tossed up on the beach (see photo below). A small flock of Crested Terns sat on the beach looking most uncomfortable in the atrocious conditions. Several Sooty Oystercatchers were hunched up against the wind too, and a few Silver Gulls valiantly tried to fly along the beach. A White-faced Heron also bravely battled against the wind.
Australian Pelicans, Sheoak Beach, Yorke Peninsula
As we drove off I opened the driver’s side window a little as it was on the leeward side. This was so I could add a few species I heard calling or saw as we drove along slowly. I saw several Singing Honeyeaters, Rock Doves and heard a Common Skylark calling out in a nearby field.
As you can see in the photos on this post, the conditions for photography were far from ideal, the misty rain making it impossible to get good shots.
Some birding days are like that.
Crested Terns, Sheoak Beach, Yorke Peninsula