Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Australia has two species of spoonbill, the Royal Spoonbill, shown above, and the Yellow-billed Spoonbill. The latter has a special place in my birding life; you can read here about how this bird played an important part in me becoming a birder.
I love seeing either of our species of spoonbill, so they are rather special birds to me. While both species are widespread throughout suitable habitat in Australia, in my experience they are generally not encountered in large numbers anywhere, usually from one individual to three or four in the same locality. Or perhaps I’m not looking in the right places.
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Royal Spoonbill, Adelaide Zoo
Buff-banded rail, Adelaide Zoo
Buff-banded Rail, Adelaide Zoo
Buff-banded Rails are sometimes very shy, secretive birds that rarely show themselves, preferring to skulk in the reeds and rushes along watercourses, swamps and wetlands.
On the other hand I have sometimes encountered these rails quite openly enjoying the presence of people. One example was a close encounter I had with one bird in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
Buff-banded rails are a widespread species throughout Australia – except for the drier inland areas.
Further reading:
Buff-banded Rail, Adelaide Zoo
Pied Heron, Adelaide Zoo
Pied Heron, Adelaide Zoo
I took this photo of a Pied Heron on a visit to the Adelaide Zoo here in South Australia. The bird was in one of the walk through aviaries in the zoo.
You can see more of my photos of this species, along with more information about it by clicking here.
Eastern Reef Egret, The Bluff, Victor Harbor
2 Comments »6th October, 2012; Category: Great Birding Moments, Herons and Egrets, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterbirds
Eastern Reef Egret, The Bluff, Victor Harbor
Last month we went on a day trip with friends of ours to Victor Harbor. We primarily went to see the whales but in that quest we were unsuccessful. Best thing we saw was several seals. It was a wild stormy day and I guess the whales used their common sense and stayed under water as much as possible.
During the afternoon we drove to the base of The Bluff, a prominent hill on the south western edge of town. On the short drive to the fishing jetty there are many rocky outcrops close into shore. I’ve always found this spot to be good for birding. I was not disappointed on this occasion either.
This solitary Eastern Reef Egret (also called Eastern Reef Heron) was busy feeding around the rocks, the photo above showing he has a “crest” – it’s actually the blustery wind giving the bird a “bad feather day”.
This species in interesting in that it can be found in both the dark morph, shown in these photos, and a white version. As far as I know this species is not very commonly seen in South Australia, so I have reported this sighting to Birds SA. In fact, I’ve never seen it in South Australia myself. I’ve only seen it twice before – both times in Western Australia many years ago.
This species is not to be confused with the White-faced Heron, shown in the last photo below.
Eastern Reef Egret, The Bluff, Victor Harbor
Eastern Reef Egret, The Bluff, Victor Harbor
White Faced Heron
Silver Gulls, Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge
5 Comments »20th July, 2012; Category: Gulls and Terns, Murray Bridge, Photos, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterbirds
Silver Gull, Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge
I know that Silver gulls are very common throughout Australia, but I must admit that I always enjoy taking photos of them. Generally, they are not at all afraid of humans (except for those over-active little versions who insist on chasing them), so they are usually very easy photographic subjects to practice on. On my recent visit to the local Sturt Reserve I managed several acceptable shots of some of the gulls, as shown here on this post today.
Silver Gulls, despite often acting as garbage disposal units on beaches, river banks and picnic areas, are quite beautiful birds in my view. They have such clean lines and pure colours. I usually forget their scavenging habits and concentrate on the positive aspects of their appearance.
Silver Gull, Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge
Silver Gull, Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge