Late on Sunday news came out of four Painted Snipe (an uncommon summer visitor to South Australia) had been seen at Whites Road Wetland. This is a bird I hadn't seen for many years, so I headed down this morning to try and find them.
Eventually I spotted three Painted Snipe deep in a tangled sedge bed, got the telescope on them for about ten seconds and off they flew!
I searched for a couple of hours, but no joy. The consolation prize was a very confiding Laughing Kookaburra, showing just how well camouflaged this large bird can be.
On the way back to the car I saw a lone Black-fronted Dotterel and some Fairy Martins picking up mud for nest building.
I decided to give the Snipe another try this evening. A repeat performance. Short views and then off they flew, only this time they settled on the far bank. I walked round and found them bathing in the shallows, before they flew again this time across a small channel. A bit of stalking and a few more pics. Success! Not the greatest pics as I was shooting through grass and trees most of the time.
After last night's storm, today dawned calm and sunny. But this was only to be a lull, as another front is forecast for tonight.
I decided to make the most of it and head to two local wetlands. The water was very high at Greenfields Wetlands so there were not many birds. A Little Grassbird was very confiding though, alternating between feeding and singing in a bush right by the road.
This Purple Swamphen had a small family of chicks with it, but they all disappeared as soon as I touched the camera!
At Whites Road, the water was a little lower. The Black Swans were feeding in one corner, with a single Australian Ibis and 100's of Black-tailed Nativehens in another.
On the way home I saw this White-faced Heron busily feeding in an old overgrown paddock. He slowly stalked back and forth until he found lunch!
