It's not often that we manage to get away for a long weekend. Last weekend we went to Port Victoria on the Yorke Peninsula. With a population around 350, Port Victoria boasts a hotel, a general store and a kiosk/post office. In it's heyday, it was a thriving port for the bagged cereal trade, where bags of wheat and barley were manually loaded onto small boats at the jetty, before being transferred to ships anchored offshore. Being on the west coast of the peninsula it also has some beautiful sunsets.
I didn't have far to go to see some birds, with a pair of inquisitive Singing Honeyeaters coming close, closer, and sometimes too close.
There was also a regular Nankeen Kestrel hunting between us and the beach
On the boat ramp there were the usual pelicans and Silver Gulls, and on the local beach, Pacific Gulls and a single Hooded Plover.
At the end of last week, I went to Innes National Park as the South-western tip of the Yorke Peninsula. I drove the eastern then southern coastal roads, birding as I went.
First stop was Clinton Conservation Park. There were 9 Caspian Terns here, along with a lone Crested Tern, some Little Black Cormorants and about 150 Red-necked Avocets on the pool. A great start!
As I headed further south, a lone Little Egret was feeding close to a bridge and Welcome Swallows were busy collecting mud for their nests.
In Edithburgh, there were some Galahs feeding amongst bright yellow flowers, and nearby some Silver Gulls doing the same. (Or is this a new species - Yellow-breasted Gull???)
The southern coast is very rugged and ideal for wind farms as it faces the prevailing wind.
As it warmed up lots of Shingleback Lizards started moving, and the Kestrels were about, alternating between soaring and perching.
Innes is stunning at the moment - full of amazing red Cockies Tongue (Templetonia retusa ), Emu's with stripey chicks, and Kangaroos. This Western Grey Kangaroo had this season's joey in the pouch, and last season's still tagging along behind.
One interesting spot is Ethel Beach near Cape Spencer where the wreck of the iron barque Ethel can still be seen on the beach. It ran aground in 1904.
The birdwatching is great here, with a good population of Malleefowl and the easternmost population of Western Whipbird (unfortunately I saw neither of these on this trip). I found this pair of Sooty Oystercatcher with a nest at Cable Bay. The park is overrun with Silvereyes at the moment, as well as White-browed Scrubwrens.
One bird I haven't seen in ages is Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, and a pair were very happy to pose for a few photos, as was this inquisitive Striated Pardalote.
On the way back, another stop at Clinton produced first one, then eventually 9 Great Egrets roosting in a small mangrove tree.
The last couple of pics were from a visit to Murray Mouth yesterday. Pied Oystercatcher and Red-capped Plover - tagged on here as there is not enough for a post in its own right.
