A photographic study of Silver Gulls part 4
Silver Gull, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Silver Gulls are the most common of gulls to be found in Australia. They can be found almost anywhere in Australia where there is suitable habitat. They are very common along shorelines of the coast, lakes, rivers, swamps and estuaries. They are also readily found near parks, sports grounds, airfields, car parks, jetties and piers, sewage ponds and often in huge numbers at rubbish dumps. In fact, anywhere there is scrap food easily obtained.
Look back over previous days for more photos of Silver Gulls.
Waterbirds at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
No Comments »21st March, 2010; Category: Ducks Geese and Swans, Murray Bridge, Stilts and Avocets, Waterbirds, Zoos
Grey Teal, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Monarto Zoological Park is just a few minutes’ drive from my home in Murray Bridge. We try to visit several times a year because I have a membership card which allows free entry. One of the interesting things about this open range zoo is the waterhole in the giraffe enclosure. This is actually an artificial dam which fills during and after good rains. The creek which runs into this area is an ephemeral water course. When there is water, there is always a small collection of water birds attracted by the water.
On our visit late last year observed a few Grey Teal (see photo above) and some Black-winged Stilts (photo below). The Black-winged Stilts are found over most of Australia where there is suitable habitat, including swamps, lakes, shallow river edges, dams, salt-fields, estuaries and mudflats. Their nest is often made of weeds or other plant materials on the ground or raised up a little off the ground or can even be a plain depression on the ground with little or no lining.
Grey Teal are one of the most abundant and widespread of the waterfowl species in Australia. Their preferred habitat includes rivers, lakes, swamps, reservoirs, estuaries, waterholes and even small farm dams – in fact, where ever there is some water.
Not far from this waterhole I photographed a Masked Lapwing sitting on eggs right next to one of the tracks taken many times every day by the visitor buses. You can read about that and see a photo by clicking here.
Black-winged Stilt, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Grey Teal and Black-winged Stilts, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Black-tailed Native-hen, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Black-tailed Native-hen, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Over recent days I have been sharing photos of some of the birds I saw during a visit late last year to the Monarto Zoo which is about a ten minute drive from our home in Murray Bridge.
During one of the bus trips through the park visitors are taken past a large lagoon. This is filled from Rocky Gully creek which flows through the zoo. I use the word “flows” loosely; it only runs after good rains and is quite often a dry creek bed for much of the year.
The zoo management has dammed this creek at one point to provide a semi-permanent water hole for the giraffes and zebra. When it contains water it attracts small numbers of water birds, including this one Black-tailed Native-hen shown in the photo above. Native-hens are widespread throughout Australia except the far northern coastline, the eastern seaboard, drier inland areas and it is also absent from Tasmania. (The similar species the Tasmanian Native-hen is endemic to Tasmania.)
It is quite unusual to see just one of this species. They are more often seen in small flocks and, when conditions are right, they can erupt into an area and breed rapidly, and can then number in the hundreds or even thousands.
Giraffes near the waterhole, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes near the waterhole at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Wittunga Botanic Gardens
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Hills
Late last year I had a brief visit to the Wittunga Botanic Gardens in the Adelaide Hills. I had a medical appointment nearby and when that was out of the way I drove the short distance to the gardens and found a shady spot to have lunch. This was in the spring last year, but it turned out to be quite a warm day.
These gardens used to be a part of a large private collection of plants, mainly exotic with a nice mix of Australian native trees and shrubs. In the spring time to exotics can put on quite a colourful show. After lunch I took the camera and strolled around the gardens trying to get a few bird shots. This is usually an excellent spot for birding but on this occasion the birdlife was a little quiet. Like me, the birds were probably feeling the first heat of the coming summer.
Little Pied Cormorant, Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Hills
The gardens feature some dense plantings of both native and exotic species. It also boasts some beautiful sweeping grassed areas ideal for picnics as well as several water features. Somehow the usual ducks, coots and swamp hens weren’t to be seen during this visit – except for the two Australian Wood Ducks shown feeding in the photo below.
Australian Wood Duck, Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Hills
Wittunga Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Hills
Related articles:
- Wittunga Botanic Gardens
- Wittunga Botanic Gardens part 1
- Wittunga Botanic Gardens part 2
- Wittunga Botanic Gardens part 3
- Wittunga Botanic Gardens part 4
Dusky Moorhens
Dusky Moorhen
Dusky Moorhens are found throughout the eastern half of Australia and in the southern tip of Western Australia. They are predominantly a waterbird and are common where suitable habitat is found.
Their preferred habitats include wetlands, lakes, parks, farm dams, rivers and irrigation areas. They breed during the warmer months, roughly from August through to about March. The nest is an untidy platform of sticks, reeds, grass or bark and is often built in reeds in or near water. They can lay from 7 to 10 eggs.
At a distance they can easily be mistaken for Eurasian Coots, with which they often associate. The red bill and skin on the forehead distinguishes it from the Coots which have white bills and foreheads.
Further reading:
Dusky Moorhen
Dusky Moorhen
Dusky Moorhen