Trevor's Birding

Little Pied Cormorant, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

4 Comments »16th May, 2010; Category: Darters and Cormorants, Garden birds, Nests, Waterbirds

Little Pied Cormorant, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Little Pied Cormorants are common throughout much of Australia, wherever there is suitable habitat. Their preferred habitats include coastal areas, islands, estuaries, rivers, lakes, farm dams, sewage ponds – in fact, almost anywhere there is water. We’ve even had one visit our swimming pool!

I can also remember being fascinated as a child by the occasional visit of a cormorant to our garden tank which was open at the top. My father installed this tank to store water for watering the vegetables because the mains water pressure on our farm was unreliable. Dad had also put a few small fish in the tank to eat any mosquito wrigglers, so I guess a visit was well worthwhile for a little snack. My father had a different opinion!

The birds shown in these photos were in a walk through aviary at the Adelaide Zoo. Below is one of the captive birds shown at a nest.

Little Pied Cormorant on nest, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Tawny Frogmouth, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

2 Comments »14th May, 2010; Category: Aviaries, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars, Zoos

Tawny frogmouth, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

On my recent visit to the Adelaide Zoo I managed to get some good photos of some of the animals and birds on display.

This photo of a Tawny Frogmouth is not one of them.

I was really struggling to get a good shot because of a number of factors:

I was shooting through some rather thick wire. There were several large black cockatoos in the same aviary and they will easily chew through thin netting.
The light was dodgy and the flash reflected off the wire.
The keeper was in the aviary replacing some of the decorative tree branches, and so the frogmouth was uneasy.
Frogmouths are naturally well camouflaged. Can you pick it out against the tree stump on which it is sitting?

If you click on the photo you can enlarge the image, and that might help. (Hint – the bird is right in the very centre of the photo.)

Update: I’ve recently posted a new article on this species, including a better photo here.

Flock Bronzewing pigeon

1 Comment »12th May, 2010; Category: Aviaries, Pigeons and Doves, Zoos

Flock Bronzewing pigeon, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

The Flock Bronzewing is a pigeon found in the inland grasslands of Australia. They can be found in the northern parts of Western and South Australia, the Northern Territory inland Queensland and northern NSW. They were once found in large flocks numbering in the thousands but almost became extinct due to habitat loss. In more recent years they seem to have recovered a little.

This is one species of Australian birds that I have not yet seen in the natural environment. The photo above was taken through the wire of one of the aviaries at the Adelaide Zoo.

For more articles about Australian pigeons and doves click here.

Great Egret at Adelaide Zoo

2 Comments »10th May, 2010; Category: Herons and Egrets, Waterbirds, Zoos

Great Egret at Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

I find that the identification of the Australian family of egrets can be confusing and difficult, even when you get a close up view like this one. I was photographing the birds in the Adelaide Zoo collection when this Great Egret posed nicely for me.

At least – I think it’s a Great Egret. Any readers who disagree with me can do so by leaving a comment. I can easily amend the captions on the photos. This individual was in the Australian Pelican enclosure but I’m not sure if it was part of the official zoo collection – meaning its wings had been clipped by the keepers – or it was just visiting in order to get a free feed. I suspect it was a visitor because I saw what I think was the same bird a short distance away a little later in the afternoon. That one was definitely free flying and probably came from the River Torrens which forms the northern boundary of the zoo.

Great Egret at Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Princess Parrot

1 Comment »8th May, 2010; Category: Aviaries, Parrots and Lorikeets, Zoos

Princess Parrot, Adelaide Zoo

The Princess Parrot of inland Australia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of our large array of beautiful parrots. Sadly I have not seen this species in its natural environment, but I have seen it many times in captivity. It is a very popular aviary bird and breeding pairs can be quite expensive, such is the demand.

I took this photo recently through the wire mesh of an aviary at the Adelaide Zoo. Although it is not a brilliant photo I was shooting through black wire mesh so it is reasonable I guess.

The Princess Parrot – also known as Alexandra’s Parrot – is very much a bird of inland Australia where it is quite rare. Any sighting is exciting and notable. Its natural range covers much of NW South Australia, SW Northern Territory and eastern Western Australia. In this range it is highly nomadic, often being absent from any one area for many years until reappearing suddenly in response to good conditions.