A rude Laughing Kookaburra
Laughing Kookaburra
Most people love to hear the call of the Laughing Kookaburra. It is one of the quintessential bird calls of the Australian bush.
Some people might be of the opinion that Laughing Kookaburras can be quite rude when they laugh at inappropriate moments. The bird in the photo above was being rude in a quite different way; he turned his back on me.
The bird shown in the photo today was one of the residents of one of the walk through aviaries at the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford north of Sydney. We went there on a family outing recently. It is my guess that there were also many more kookaburras in the surrounding bushland.
I’d better own up. The bird in the photo did turn around shortly after this photo was taken. Unfortunately I didn’t get the focus right and it turned out quite blurred, so I guess you can say that I was the rude one – for calling it rude in the first place!
Bronzewing Pigeons at the Australian Reptile Park
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
The Common Bronzewing Pigeon is a widespread species in the mallee areas of South Australia where I live, as well as being relatively common throughout its range where suitable habitat exists. It is scarce in the drier parts of the continent.
The photos shown in today’s post were taken on a recent family visit to the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford north of Sydney. These birds were not wild birds but individuals kept in one of the aviaries there. I feature them here because of their beautiful colours.
The bird immediately below this text is not as colourful. It could be a juvenile, or the lack of colour could be the angle of the sun on the feathers. It looks more fluffed up than normal; it was a very cold day.
The prominent yellow-buff colouring on the males in the top and bottom photos is particularly striking, something I haven’t observed in the natural environment. In their natural habitat they tend not to sit nicely like these in one of the walk through aviaries in the reptile park. I usually just see a blurred shape of a bird fast disappearing into the distance.
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
Brolga at the Reptile Park
No Comments »23rd July, 2014; Category: Zoos
Brolga
Over recent days I have been sharing photos and writing about our recent family visit to the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford north of Sydney. I’ve shown a few birds which were not in aviaries, and now I plan to show some of their captive birds.
Today’s photo shows a Brolga, one of our larger birds, once known as an Native Companion and even an Australian Crane. They are widespread in northern and eastern Australia, but are uncommon in southern parts of our country.
The bird in the photo was a captive bird in an enclosure at the reptile park. I have seen others in zoos, but only once have I seen this species in the wild. Many years ago a saw a dozen or so in a swampy area in the extreme south-east of South Australia.
Ducks at the Australian Reptile Park
Grey Teal
On our recent visit to the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford north of Sydney, I was constantly on the lookout for birds that I could photograph. When most people were having lunch in the park picnic area – which was very nice, by the way – I noticed that there were quite a few ducks also present.
This is a familiar sight in Australia; where people gather to eat, many bird species, including ducks, tend to gather. Unfortunately many people also feed the birds, ignorant of the fact that human food is not only unsuitable for our native species, too much can also be deadly to the birds’ health.
Of the prominent ducks present, I photographed three species in the picnic area: Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal and Australian Wood Duck. Also present nearby were a few Pacific Black Ducks, but I decided not to photograph those as I have plenty of shots of that species already.
Australian Wood Duck
Chestnut Teal
Some birds of the Australian Reptile Park
Rainbow Lorikeet
During our visit to the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford, NSW last Sunday, we heard a very entertaining talk about reptiles given by one of the keepers. All through the talk I kept an eye out for any birds flying overhead or perched on nearby branches, such as the Rainbow Lorikeet shown above. This species of lorikeet was probably the most common bird in and around the park, their constant screeching giving a noisy background for all the talks. Another common species was the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, also very raucous all around the park.
Featured in the presentation was the keeper’s pet alligator, Rosie, shown below. Rosie was well trained and very well behaved. Another animal shown by this keeper was the Lace Monitor, also shown below. The markings on the monitor, a large Australian lizard, are quite remarkable. The Lace Monitor, often called a goanna, is the second largest lizard in Australia. On one occasion I have seen this species in the bushland not far from my son’s home in inner North Shore Sydney.
Rosie the alligator
Lace Monitor