Birding again

I can't believe its been 4 months since my last post.  A combination of ill health, too busy at work and at home, (and the Aussie Rules Football season!) has kept me away from the camera and the binoculars.

I did make a quick trip up to Brookfield Conservation Park the other weekend though. Just inside the gate, and the first bird I see is a stunning male red-capped Robin.  He was very confiding, and was not bothered that I sat only a few metres from his song perch.  Not so confiding were any of the multitude of lustily singing Rufous Songlarks. They wouldn't let me within 20 metres before flying away.

A little further along the track I stopped for an immature Hooded Robin, and what I think is a juvenile Rufous Whistler |(happy to be corrected).

Just as unconfiding was a Pallid Cuckoo, about 50 metres was his limit! (so this is a highly cropped image)

It was to be a very short visit, so I only had time for the Bluebush Track.  As usual there were plenty of White-winged Fairywrens about, and I got close to a small party of females. It wasn't long before the male popped up, but he never gave me a unobstructed shot.

As I was about to leave I noticed this Southern Whiteface popping in and out of a Saltbush with insects in it's beak, a sure sign that spring is on it's way.

Brookfield Conservation Park

This weekend I took a trip to Brookfield Conservation Park in the Murray Mallee with Chris Steeles

At our first stop we saw a female Mistletoebird, and then heard the soft call of Southern Scrub-robin. It didn't take long to track it down. As we got back to the car a large herd of feral goats crossed in front of us.

Next stop was the Bluebush Trail, where some Ground Cuckoo-shrikes had been seen the previous week,  Unknown to me, my camera had been knocked onto the manual setting, so the next lot of photos were all horribly overexposed.  I have managed to resurrect some using Photoshop, but most are beyond hope.  We did not find the Cuckoo-shrikes, but did see some lovely birds like Redthroat and Mulga Parrot,  There were plenty of Kangaroos there as well.

Luckily I spotted the problem with my camera, and carried on shooting this stunning Red-capped Robin .

On the Mallee Trail it was very quiet, but I managed a few shots of this flighty Yellow-plumed
Honeyeater,  Much more co-operative was this large Orb Spider.

Lastly, after dropping Chris at home, I waited to see his local pair of Australian Hobbies.

I was disappointed at losing so many photos, so went back the next day to try again.  On the way into the park I had a close encounter with Crested Bellbird, and then with this Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, normally a nocturnal animal.

Back on the Bluebush Trail, more Red-capped Robins, including the less colourful female, and on the way out an obliging pair of Hooded Robins.

Brookfield Conservation Park

Today I took a trip into the riverland to Brookfield Conservation Park. I wanted to see what difference the good winter had made to the park. The park is just beginning to dry out, but many of the bushes are still green. Most of the wild flowers are over. For most of the time I was there it was drizzling, which makes the photographs very washed out. One of the first birds I saw was Red-capped Robin. I couldn't decide which of these photos I like best, so here they both are. Whilst looking for the robin, I spotted this White-winged Chough nest. It is about 30 cm (1 foot) across. In the same area were hundreds of these small brown grasshoppers. A little further along was a busy little group of Inland Thornbills gleaning insects from the bushes. These bushes had small (2cm/1 inch) tubular flowers on them. When I got back to the car, I noticed this fly on the bonnet (hood). On the way back to Adelaide, I followed the River Murray southwards and called in at a small Wetland just outside Murray Bridge. I was hoping to see Latham's Snipe here, but despite conditions and habitat looking perfect, I couldn't find any. There were lots of Purple Swamphens, White-faced Herons and this very noisy and protective White-headed Stilt.