Yesterday I had a very enjoyable walk at Laratinga Wetlands in Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills. The water levels are just starting to recede following record breaking rain in January.
All of the usual ducks were there including Grey Teal, Maned duck and Pacific Black Duck.
Coots and Purple Swamphens were a plenty as well.
As usual, Superb Fairywrens were pretty easy to spot, and unusually, the Australian Reed Warblers were also co-operating.
There were a few muddy margins, so the Black-fronted Dotterels were back, and a few Australian Spotted Crakes were darting from cover to cover.
This is a well grown juvenile Australian Spotted Crake just starting to get his/her colour.
In the last photo are about seven Australian Reed Warblers letting the Swamphen know he is not welcome. They were extremely agitated, behaviour I have not seen before.
I have done a couple of quick birding walks in the last couple of days. The first one was to the Greenfields Wetlands. On the way to the hide there were lots of Welcome Swallows on the fence, and amongst them was this lone Tree Martin.
There were lots of birds seen from the hide, but they were all too far away to photograph. Back along Magazine Road, more good birds, but nothing close. Australian Shelducks are regular here, but the Freckled Ducks and Australian Shoveler less so. This photo gives an idea of the distance away.
Using the car as a hide, a Black Swan came a bit closer. I saw this Little Pied Cormorant resting in the sun so manoeuvred as close as I dare. I noticed a movement, and out popped an Australian Reed-warbler.
Checking the pools along the side of the expressway, there were a couple of White-headed Stilts. (I couldn't decide between the two photos, so included them both.)
More movement in the reeds, this time a Little Grassbird, but much further away, and then this non-breeding plumaged Little Grebe popped up right in front of me.
Yesterday, When I walked Kobe around the wetlands, I saw lots of Purple-crowned Lorikeets, but only had my "point and shoot" with me and they were way out of range. So this morning I was armed with my DSLR and 100-400mm lens. Guess what....not a Purple-crowned Lorikeet in sight!! Never mind, there is always tomorrow.
There were plenty more common birds around, and this Red Wattlebird was too intend on calling to worry about me and Kobe, as were this pair of Musk Lorikeets.
Other birds seen on the way round included Crested Pigeon, Magpielark, White-plumed Honeyeater, White Ibis, White-faced Heron and New Holland Honeyeater.
