Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
A few weeks ago I took off a few hours from my writing to take my wife to Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington East, about a half hour drive south of our home in Murray Bridge, South Australia. This is one of our favourite picnic spots, so we packed a lunch and the makings for a cuppa.
The arboretum has been set up by the local residents in conjunction with the local council. Many thousands of trees and shrubs have been planted over the last decade or so. Many of these plants are now flowering. I enjoy taking photos of the native plant flowers as well as the birds. ON this occasion the birds were rather quiet and were not being very cooperative about posing for my camera, so I turned my attention to the flowers instead.
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Happy bird-day to my blog
Australian Pelicans, Mallacoota, Victoria
TODAY MARKS THE FOURTH BIRTHDAY OF THIS BLOG ABOUT AUSTRALIAN BIRDS.
Happy birthday to my blog.
It has just passed the 950th article about Australian birds and is going from strength to strength as far as readership is concerned. Over 600 readers per day, from over 100 countries, and several thousand comments from interested birders worldwide.
Thank you to all of my faithful regular readers. Welcome to all of my new readers.
Thank you also to those who take the time to leave a question or a comment. You are valued. I especially appreciate those who say how much they enjoy this blog.
To celebrate this special occasion I invite readers to leave birthday greetings in the comments section. And while you are here, don’t forget all those other articles reaching back over four years now. Browse through the archives, click on the categories in the side bar or look through the many articles listed in the contents section.
To celebrate I’ve featured some of the best photos from the last year. Click on the photo to enlarge the image.
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Galahs at a hollow
Male Flame Robin, Mt. Macedon, Victoria
Little Penguins, Adelaide Zoo
A Silver Gull eyeing off our lunch
Male Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Birds and Plants of Pangarinda Arboretum
Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum
Last week we had a short picnic at the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington East about a half hour drive south of our home here in Murray Bridge, South Australia.
It was a sunny winter’s day and the birds were very active, especially the honeyeaters. I didn’t get much of a chance to take photos of birds because none would sit and pose for me -except for one very cooperative New Holland Honeyeater.
New Holland Honeyeater, Pangarinda Arboretum
So instead of getting upset with the uncooperative birds, I spent most of my time taking photos of the many plants in flower.
Click on the photo to enlarge the image.
Wattle (Acacia) flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum
Hakea flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum
Flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum
Three days without birds
I’m back.
It has been a while since my last post. I’ve been here most of the time but I’ve been very busy coping with life. My studies have distracted me for many weeks now, but I can finally see the end of my course work.
Then I had a short stay in the local hospital. Kidney stones are no fun. Over that now, thank goodness. Then my wife had a stay in hospital. Between us we are keeping the local health services gainfully employed.
When I came home again I suddenly realised I’d gone 3 days without seeing a bird. There was a window in the room I was in, but the patient I was sharing with didn’t open the curtains much because he generally wanted to sleep. I knew there was something missing from my life those three days, and it wasn’t until I returned home to a garden full of birds that I realised what it was.
We are in the middle of winter now in South Australia and the bird life has diminished somewhat at present. Despite the cold conditions there is still enough activity around to keep one interested. That is one of the wonderful things about birding as a hobby. There will always be some birds around, and there’s always some form of activity. One just has to take a thirty second break from work and look out of the window to enjoy what is fluttering around or flying by. I’d certainly hate to work in an office where I couldn’t see out a window.
Enjoy the birds in your life.
Happy birding.
Birds and window strikes
Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia
I was working in my home office last week when I heard a sudden bang on the glass about a metre from where I sat. I immediately grabbed the camera and headed out into the garden. There on the garden bed was a little Silvereye, obviously quite stunned but alive. I was able to take a series of close up photos while it recovered. Within a few minutes it had flown off again.
Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Window strikes by birds is a constant problem around the world. Home windows, office blocks and anywhere glass is used in buildings create a potential hazard for flying birds. At certain times of the day or light conditions the reflections of the surrounding area – sky, garden, forest – give flying birds the false impression that they can fly straight ahead.
In reality, they fly straight into the glass which is acting like a huge mirror. I have read about various techniques for preventing bird strikes on windows but haven’t yet come across a foolproof way of preventing it.
Luckily for this little fellow, he survived.
Many don’t.
Further reading:
Click on any image to enlarge the photo.
Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia