Today I made a quick visit to Pengilly Scrub on the Adelaide Plains about 20 minutes drive from home. Pengilly Scrub was devastated in the 2015 Pinery Bushfire. Whilst the understory is recovering well, the bigger trees still have a way to go.
The first bird to play was a Dusky Woodswallow, who perched about 15 metres away just above eye level.
There were plenty of Neophema parrots there, but they were very flighty, and I couldn't get very close to them. There were groups of both Blue-winged and Elegant Parrots, and some young ones. The third pic is a young Neophema, and from the amount of yellow on its face I think it is most likely a juvenile Blue-winged Parrot.
Whilst wandering I came across this very agitated Willie Wagtail, and it didn't take much fieldcraft to find his nest complete with a clutch of three eggs.
On the fence line nearby were plenty of Singing Bushlarks.
Yesterday I made a long overdue return visit to Tolderol Game Reserve, on the edge of Lake Alexandrina.
On the way in, a Kestrel was playing cat and mouse with me, but eventually gave in and sat still to allow me a few photos from the car.
There were a few Black Swans on, and over the Lake.
Small birds were very busy singing and flitting about in the reeds, Superb Fairywren and Golden-headed Cisticola both eventually staying still long enough to get some reasonable shots
There was plenty of raptor activity, mostly Swamp Harriers, but also a Whistling Kite.
Terns were very much in evidence with around 80 Caspian Terns, smaller numbers of Crested and Gull-billed, and probably thousands of Whiskered Terns on the reserve.
I was looking for White-winged Terns in the Whiskered tern roost when they all suddenly flew up. I'm sure there will be one in there somewhere!!
The waders were all pretty distant except for this young White-headed Stilt.
Another sure sign of spring was this Bearded Dragon warming itself on a fence post.
Yesterday I headed north to check out Bald Hill Beach for migrant waders. Unfortunately, the armaments testing range was active so the road was closed. Plan B was to visit the boat ramp and seasonal wetland at nearby Port Wakefield.
The tide was just ebbing as I got there, and I soon found a Common Sandpiper fossiking along the exposed mangrove margins. There was also a single Black-tailed Nativehen there - not something I expected - they usually prefer fresh water. There was a Spotted Dove perched on the railing, and as I was leaving I heard the strident call of a Sacred Kingfisher perched in the mangroves. In the town were plenty of White Ibis, and a single Masked Lapwing.
At first glance, the wetlands was fairly quiet, so I settled myself down in the samphire and waited. Soon, an immature then an adult Red-necked Avocet came within range, followed by White-headed Stilt and Red-kneed Dotterel.
Then some smaller waders appeared from the other direction, a migrant Red-necked Stint, and a pair of resident Red-capped Plovers, first the bright male, and then the female.
I headed back through the backroads of the Adelaide Plains, stopping for a couple of Brown Falcons, an older lighter bird, and then a darker bird that I thought might have been a Black Falcon. At another stop I heard and soon tracked down a Brown Treecreeper.
I also spotted my first Bearded Dragon of the summer, warming on a concrete fence post.
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.
