Trevor's Birding

Cruising Grey Teals, Laratinga Wetlands

No Comments »26th August, 2015; Category: Ducks Geese and Swans, Favourite Birding Spots, Good Birding Sites, Waterbirds

Grey Teal, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker

A few days ago I featured a Pacific Black Duck I saw at the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker.

Today it is the turn of another common species, the Grey Teal.

This great birding site is just over half an hour’s drive from my home in Murray Bridge here in South Australia. I don’t get to visit often enough. I know of birders who visit this place almost every day. The birding is usually very good with many opportunities for bird photography.

The ponds making up these wetlands have wide tracks along their edges and many locals and visitors use these tracks on a daily basis for walking, cycling and jogging. The adjacent picnic grounds are also very well set out and maintained.

On a recent visit I took these photos of some Grey Teal cruising along across one of the ponds. Many birders and photographers probably overlook this common species. It can be found in many parts of Australia wherever bodies of water exist.

I have seen lakes where there were thousands of these ducks. Just because they are common does not mean that they cannot be photographic. I like the photo above, but the one below is something special, in my opinion. The photo has only been cropped a little and has not been enhanced in any other way.

For more photos and further reading about the birds of Laratinga, click here.

Good birding.

Trevor

Grey Teal, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker

Hey Duck! Look here!

No Comments »23rd August, 2015; Category: Bird Behaviour, Ducks Geese and Swans, Photos, Waterbirds

Pacific Black Duck, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker

The Pacific Black Duck is a common bird in many parts of Australia. Wherever there is a dam, pond, lake, wetland, swamp, river, estuary or other body of water the observant birder will often see this species, frequently in large numbers. Many tend to overlook this species because they are so common, but I love to photograph them whenever I get the chance. I guess, to be honest, I just like taking photographs of birds.

On a recent birding visit to the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia, this Pacific Black Duck was resting on the wooden walkway over one of the ponds. I zoomed my camera lens in to get a good shot but it kept looking the other way. I tried asking it to turn my way but it generally ignored me. Eventually it sort of looked towards me – see the photo below – but wasn’t really interested in becoming the next big photographic star on the web.

Can’t say I blame it. It was freezing cold that morning. It was probably just trying to get warm in the early morning sun.

I will post more photos from from this site of more cooperative birds in the coming days.

Good Birding.

Trevor

Pacific Black Duck, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker

Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

No Comments »20th August, 2015; Category: Photos, Waterbirds

Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

One of the best places for birding near my home is the Laratinga Wetlands on the eastern edge of Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. It is just over a half hour drive from my home. I have featured birds from this spot on a number of occasions in the past – you can access them by using the search facility above.

While these wetlands are actually the sewage treatment works for the town of Mt Barker, the area is very pleasant and well landscaped. The treated water comes out in the final pond as reusable for local irrigation purposes. The various ponds have wide, flat walking and cycling tracks around them with plenty of seats to rest and just watch the birds. Hundreds of nearby resident use these paths daily for walking, jogging or cycling and many of them also use the barbecue and picnic facilities.

I’m not going to write about the many birds seen here; I will keep that for the coming days. Instead, I am just going to show some photos taken on a recent visit.

Good Birding.

Trevor

Picnic area, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

Reflections, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

Love and the Crested Pigeon

No Comments »17th August, 2015; Category: Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Pigeons and Doves

Crested Pigeon

I love seeing Crested Pigeons.

They are a resident breeding species in our garden and five acre block of land on the outskirts of Murray Bridge, South Australia. We see them every day around the house garden and throughout our small patch of mallee scrub. They love coming to our bird baths in the warmer months too which means we get to see them up close and personal on most days. We also delight to see the iridescent colours on their plumage as the sunlight catches the various shades of the rainbow.

One thing I have observed in this species is their proclivity towards breeding. They always seem to be courting, mating, nesting, brooding eggs or feeding young. All through the year. No breeding season for them – though one field guide I consulted says breeding takes place mainly in spring and summer but can be most months.

A few days ago I looked out of the window towards the bird baths as I was walking through our sun room. On the ground near one of the bird baths I saw two Crested Pigeons cuddled up to one another in the weak sunshine. We’ve had some bleak wintry weather in recent months. Over the next few minutes they took it in turns to preen one another’s feathers, mainly around the beak, head and neck. It was such a gentle, caring touch and seemed so loving – if I can show a touch of anthropomorphosis for a moment.

I didn’t take any photos. My camera was at the other end of the house and there was a stick in the way which would have spoiled the photo. The short episode was over in several minutes but I am sure that my memory of the moment will endure.

Happy birding.

Trevor

Birding at Mannum South Australia

No Comments »14th August, 2015; Category: Birds, Bush birds, Camera, Mannum, Photos, Waterbirds

Over recent posts here I have written about a trip we went on after a visit to Adelaide for a medical appointment. We travelled home via Gorge Road, Gumeracha, Birdwood and on to Mannum for lunch. Mannum is about a half hour drive north of our home in Murray Bridge and is also situated on the banks of the Murray River.

After buying our lunch at the local bakery – excellent food, by the way – we drove the short distance to the other end of town, stopping at Lions Park on the wetlands area next to the local caravan park. This is a lagoon which is usually full of water from the adjacent main part of the river. On most occasions I find that this is quite a suitable birding area with a good variety of both water-birds and local bush birds.

As I wrote in my last post I had forgotten to bring my camera with on this trip, something I rarely forget. Consequently I had to be content with sightings using my binoculars and not get too excited about potential photos. It wasn’t long before I was really regretting my oversight regarding the camera.

As we ate our delicious lunch a colourful male and female Superb Fairy-wren came hopping across the grass only a few metres in front of our car. They would have provided me with some wonderful shots, but that was not to be.

A few moments later – as if to taunt me even further – an Australian Reedwarbler came out of the reeds nearby and it also began hopping around on the grass only metres in front of the car. Over the years I have struggled to get good shots of this bird. One hears them wherever there are reeds but one only ever catches glimpses of them scurrying from one patch to another. They don’t seem to want to stop and pose in full view and in good light so my camera can do its work. To see one hopping around in plain view was just taunting me. Never mind – I will return!

All in all it was a quite productive hour of birding. Here is a list of my sightings:

Australian Reedwarbler
Superb Fairy-wren
Crested Pigeon
House Sparrow
Peaceful Dove
Galah
Purple Swamphen
Eurasian Coot
Little Black Cormorant
White-plumed Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
Masked Lapwing
Whistling Kite
Australian Pelican
Silver Gull
Noisy Miner
Pacific Black Duck
Grey teal
Red Wattlebird
Australian Magpie
Little Corella
Welcome Swallow
Little Grassbird
Caspian Tern
Little Raven
Magpie Lark
Willie Wagtail
Striated Pardalote
Black-tailed Native Hen
Red-rumped Parrot

I must go back again some time soon – and try to remember my camera.

Good birding

Trevor