Monday, February 8, 2010

Cleland Wildlife Park

Yesterday I went up to Cleland Wildlife Park for a couple of hours. I visit here four or five times a year to get up close and personal with the native "wildlife". Although it is a zoo, they are active in many local, national and international conservation programs. As I parked, I saw a movement and saw this Common Bronzewing making the most of the peace and quiet before many people had arrived.

It was still a few minutes before opening time, so I had a chance to look the fine, life sized bronze of a koala in the visitor precinct. The park is mainly open paddocks, with a few enclosures. You can walk in amongst the kangaroos and emus, and there are three large walk through aviaries. The aviaries are split between Riverside, Forest and Arid Land, and contain a mix of birds and flora reflecting that habitat. In addition, there is a lake which is home to a mix of wild and captive waterbirds. Here are a selection of photos from the morning.

This Red Kangaroo is showing how it supports it's weight on forelegs and tail when its browsing. Australian Shoveler Cattle Egret Glossy Ibis Turtle sp. Darter Red-browed Finch Australian Shelduck When I grow up I want to be a......... Masked Woodswallow Zebra Finch Diamond Dove Tawny Frogmouth Rainbow Lorikeet And when I got home, there were a couple of Spotted Doves on my yard fence.

6 comments:

  1. Sounds like my kind of Zoo Tony. You got some great pics. That Cattle Egret looks a bit disgruntled!(-: I never realised that a kangeroo used it's tail quite like that! My fav pic is the Darter. Lovely pose.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jen, I spent a long time with the Darter trying to get a different angle, but with the sun, and the fact he was perched on the edge of a boardwalk I was pretty limited - I got a few interesting shots though. Yes, the roos use their tails in a veriety of ways - balance when they are bounding, and support when "walking".

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great collection of excellent Birds,love the Tawny Frogmouth.
    Good stuff Tony.
    John.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Jim and John & Sue. Glad you liked them. Yes, Tawny Frogmouths are great birds, and when you see them they will generally behave!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fantastic shots from the wildlife park. I love the birds, the frogsmouth is cool.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi eileen. Yes, they are great birds - I am thinking about doing a whols post on them as I have quite a few photos now.

    ReplyDelete