Local Birding

Earlier this week, I took my camera with me on Kobe's walk in the wetlands,.  I photographed three different heron species, Pacific (also called White-necked) Heron, Great Egret and White-faced Heron.

Yesterday I had a couple of hours birding the backroads between St Kilda and Port Gawler.  It was very windy, so most of the birds kept well hidden.   Mr and Mrs House Sparrow were busy, so hardly noticed me when I stopped the car.

This Singing Honeyeater was perched strategically in the lee of a bush.

The Silver Gulls were enjoying a puddle in the car park.

There were a few waders, but no summer migrants yet.  Sooty Oystercatcher, Masked Lapwing and a young White-headed Stilt were all I managed to photograph before the heavens opened and I headed for home.

Goolwa

Yesterday we took a trip to Goolwa on the Fleurieu Peninsular, just south of Adelaide. We took the car onto the beach and drove towards the mouth of the Murray River. I stopped a couple of times. First for a some Sooty Oystercatchers, and then a small group of Banded Stilts. The stilts were all sub-adult, with some just beginning to show the chest band. Lunch was Fish and Chips by the River, and as usual a group of Silver Gulls turned up to share, but there was an interloper in this group. He's pretty easy to spot A Little Corella We then headed down the coast road towards Coorong National Park. I saw some Sharp=tailed Sandpipers, a Little Raven, ever present Australian Pelicans and Great Egrets, and a group of terns. Highlight for me was watching this young Royal Spoonbill chasing after Mum for a feed, which he eventually got. Finally, it was really windy on the beach, with sand and seedheads blowing everywhere. I new some debris was blowing across while I was photographing the oystercatchers, but didn't realise I had got this shot until I got home.

Sooty Oystercatchers

This weekend was another trip up to Whyalla, and as the forecast was dull, wet and windy, I didn't take my camera with me (to be honest I forgot it). Well, I'm sure we all know by know that weather forecasting is not an exact science, and Sunday dawned bright and breezy, so we took a walk by the Marina and Beach. I have often seen a small flock of Sooty Oystercatchers here, usually flying and calling, but never withing range.......until Sunday!! I did have my compact camera with me, so I started to slowly stalk them. The main problem with a beach is that there is nothing to hide behind!! So I slowly zig-zagged along the beach...... Getting closer.... Until I took one step too far.....

As you can see from the above photo, there was also an adult Pacific Gull on the beach, accompanied by a juvenile

And also what is locally referred to as "Whyalla Gull". It is actually a Silver Gull, and a number of them have had their plumage stained by iron oxide from the local steel works.

There was no sight of the pod of dolphins that usually haunts the marina, just one solitary Pelican......