Birding Port Clinton Conservation Park, Yorke Peninsula
Little Egret, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
On our way home from our recent holiday on Yorke Peninsula we stopped for a lunch break at Port Clinton Conservation Park, just north of Ardrossan.This conservation park stretches along the eastern part of the peninsula, between the main road south and the waterline.
The wind was still cold and we were experiencing occasional showers. Once again we decided to eat our picnic lunch in the car. This was followed by a warming cup of tea. As we sat there, windscreen wipers activated every minute or so, I did a bird list of species present, either on the tidal mudflats, in the nearby mangrove trees or in the bushland nearby.
Many of the birds I saw appeared to be resting in a position where they minimised the wind. Very few of the water birds were actually flying or swimming. Once again the list of species is not great, but you have days like that. Pity, though, I’d had 4 days in a row like that!
- Little Egret
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Pied Cormorant
- Crested Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Red-capped Plover
- Silver Gull
- Pacific Gull
- Nankeen Kestrel
- Tree Martin
- Singing Honeyeater
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
- Grey Shrike-thrush
- Welcome Swallow
- Willie Wagtail
- Little Raven
- Common Starling
Little Pied Cormorants, Silver Gulls, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
Mangroves and tidal flats, Pt Clinton Conservation Park
Birding at Coobowie, Yorke Peninsula
On our short holiday on the Yorke Peninsula a few weeks ago we left Edithburgh mid-morning on the last day of our four day visit. We travelled the short distance to Coobowie, another popular holiday destination on the southern end of the peninsula, especially in the summer months. We found a suitable parking spot overlooking the bay and had a cuppa and a few nibbles.
The wind was still very chilly and so we stayed in the car. Birding from inside a car has its disadvantages, but it was far too cold out. This part of the coast can produce a good variety of birds, especially out in the bay at low tide. On previous visits I’ve timed my birding to coincide with low tide. The exposed sandbars can reveal a good variety of shorebirds, especially when all the summer migrants are in town.
No such luck today.
The tide was high, the strong wind pushing the water even higher. Few wading birds were visible and so I had to look to the bush birds in the roadside vegetation and in the paddocks to bolster my list:
- Silver Gull
- Pacific Gull
- White-faced Heron
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Pied Oystercatcher
- Australian Shelduck
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Australian Magpie
- Magpie Lark
- Little Raven
- Singing Honeyeater
- Red Wattlebird
- New Holland Honeyeater
- House Sparrow
- Common Starling
Not a huge list but satisfying considering the poor weather conditions.
Silver Gulls
Birds of the Edithburgh Nature Reserve
Eucalyptus erythrocorys (red-capped gum), Edithburgh Nature Reserve
We’ve visited Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia a number of times over the years. We used to go regularly when my brother-in-law lived there. On our recent visit we were pleased to revisit some of our favourite spots. One of these was the Edithburgh Nature Reserve, just across the road where we used to stay just two minutes’ walk from the main street.
This large park near the main shopping street of this coastal town is a wonderful asset to the community and is maintained by local people, though on this visit we noticed that there has been some recent neglect. It is in need of some tidying up and the list of plant species at the entrance has been badly vandalised since our last visit.
On the last day of our recent short holiday in the region we packed up and then spent about an hour in this park. The showers of the previous two days had gone, the sun was shining but the southerly wind was still bitterly cold. I’ve spent some hours birding in this park over the years, usually with some interesting species. I didn’t have high hopes on this occasion, being the start of winter and quite cold.
Grey Shrike-thrush, Edithburgh Nature Reserve
The Grey Shrike-thrush shown above caused some puzzlement at first. I heard it off in the distance and tracked it down. It’s call was distinctly different from the birds I’m familiar with at home. The bird took pity on me and responded to my imitations and came quite close, posing several times for a photo.
Over the next hour I steadily added to a small list of species seen in or near the park. Welcome Swallows swooped low over head and New Holland Honeyeaters flitted from bush to tree and back again, never sitting still enough for photos. Silvereyes flew overhead and I heard several Weebills calling nearby. Several Australian Magpies searched on the ground for a snack while a small flock of Galahs flew quickly overhead. A group of Crested Pigeons rested on the power lines while the Rock Doves settled on the roof of an old church over the road.
Red Wattlebirds gave their harsh calls and chased away the lone Singing Honeyeater trying to feed on the nectar of flowering trees. A Nankeen Kestrel glided overhead, causing alarm calls from the smaller bush birds. I heard a Common Blackbird give its startled alarm call from a nearby garden and Magpie Larks checked out the roadside puddles left by rain showers.
It’s not a big list, but it was an enjoyable hour of birding enhanced by getting several good flower shots. Oh, I nearly forgot the Willie Wagtail which refused to pose facing me.
Willie Wagtail, Edithburgh Nature Reserve
Calothamnus quadrifidus (one-sided bottlebrush), Edithburgh Nature Reserve
Eucalyptus erythrocorys (red-capped gum), Edithburgh Nature Reserve
Nankeen Kestrel, Corny Point
Nankeen Kestrel, Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
One of the most common birds of prey seen while driving in rural Australia is the small kite known as the Nankeen Kestrel. In fact, on a recent trip driving from home in South Australia to Sydney, a distance of just over 1300km, I saw more of this species than any other bird of prey. Although I didn’t keep a count, I seemed to see one every few kilometres.
Despite it being so common I have been frustrated in not being able to get a good photo of this species. I’m still frustrated; the photos on this post are far from perfect because they were taken in poor light late in the day and during fine drizzle which accounts for the haziness, but they are better than no photos at all. I’ll just have to keep trying.
The Nankeen Kestrel is widespread in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and occasionally in New Zealand. It is very easy to identify with the diagnostic brown colouring on its back. It is also very easy to see driving along because of its habit of hovering on the air watching for its prey, perhaps a grasshopper, beetle, small lizard or even a mouse.
The individual shown in these photos posed nicely for on a roadside fence post during a shower of rain just as we were leaving the Corny Point Lighthouse on Yorke Peninsula. He appeared to be quite wet and cold from the terrible weather conditions of the day.
Nankeen Kestrel, Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Birding at Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
We reached Corny Point on the Yorke Peninsula late on the third day of our holiday. The conditions continued to be wild: gale force wind, freezing cold and light showers skimming across the water. Not at all good for birding!
I parked near the lighthouse as shown in the photo above. The passenger side door was facing the full force of the wind and my wife could hardly open her door! Eventually, with a great effort, she did manage to emerge. Standing erect in the gale was another matter, and holding the camera steady yet another challenge.
It was a very disappointing from a birding point of view; I saw only 5 species:
- Singing Honeyeater
- Australian Magpie
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Crested Tern
- Nankeen Kestrel
The kestrel was the only one I managed to photograph – but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see that. Meanwhile, a few photos to show the wild conditions.
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula
Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula