Today I spent the day birding in the Area around Old Noarlunga and the Onkaparinga River with local birder and fellow Pom Tony Bainbridge.
We met up in Old Noarlunga, at a local reserve that holds a well known roost of Rufous Night-herons. There were around half a dozen roosting there and some of them were quite cooperative.
There was also a White-faced Heron there, and some Feral Rock Doves.
A walk along the Onkaparinga brought the usual cormorants, with Little Black Cormorant and Little Pied Cormorant both sitting still and in the open. The Great Egret was a bit further away.
Australian Pelicans were always in view, and always make a photogenic subject.
At the wetlands, we saw a pair of Blue-billed Ducks in amongst their more common cousins, as well as Blackbirds and plenty of Eastern Rosellas.
On Sunday, I had the opportunity to join a boat trip out to the Black-faced Cormorant colony on the Outer Harbour breakwater.
As we made our way to the boat, there was a lovely Rufous Night-heron, who was quite happy to pose for us.
As we rounded the breakwater, we saw a few Cormorants on the water, and one flew in nicely to land in our wake.
There were quite a few cormorants still at the colony, some were tolerant of the Silver Gulls, others less so.
The chicks were all very well grown, and some looked bigger then the parents!
There was always a procession of birds flying around the boat, including Black-faced and Pied Cormorants, Silver Gulls, Crested Terns and Australian Pelicans.
As usual, the Caspian Terns were lazing on the sand bar in the middle of the river!, but this time we could get a little closer.
On the Port River, we saw HMAS Hobart, the first of the new Air Warfare Destroyers, which is nearing completion.
On the way back, we stopped at the end of the breakwater, where the usual Sort-nosed Fur Seal (formerly New Zealand Fur Seal) was lounging.
We finished as we started, with the Rufous Night-heron still happy to pose for portraits.
Thanks to Skipper Tom, and fellow birders Alan, John and Leoni for a very convivial trip!
Yesterday I spent the day in Coorong National Park looking for the highly endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. You can read more about this rare bird here. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to find one, but I will try again next winter.
The Coorong is a special place of salt lagoons, sand dunes and mallee, all great habitat for birds and other wildlife.
I saw a wide variety of birds, including Straw-necked Ibis, the ever present Australian Pelican, Purple Swamphen and some distant Red-necked Avocets.
Some birds gave the quickest glimpse, like this Grey Shrike-thrush. This Yellow-rumped Thornbill almost hopped around my feet. Two Rufous Night-herons spooked from their roost and circled above me for a while.
In the roadside fields and paddocks were Galahs, Cattle Egrets and Cape Barren Geese.
