Cape Barren Geese
I have previously written about Cape Barren Geese near to Murray Bridge. On a trip to Meningie recently we saw several more flocks of this species. They too were grazing in dairy pastures. This was near the shores of Lake Albert. These flocks were not as large as that previously seen. Nevertheless, it is good to see that this species is doing quite well despite its relatively small numbers.
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Welcome Swallow
On a recent birding trip we saw several Welcome Swallows sitting on a barbed wire fence quite close to the road. I didn’t even have to get out of the car for these shots. I like this kind of photography.
It was a very windy day and these swallows were sheltering from the cold blasts of the wind. This spot was just behind an acacia (wattle) bush on the side of the road. Normally you see them gliding in the air for insects. At rest, they tend to head for power lines or phone lines but these were absent on this stretch of road. So they used the next best thing, a fence behind a bush.
Welcome Swallow
- Coverts: the smaller feathers that cover the bases of the tail feathers or wing feathers.
Birds have many different kinds of feathers. These include:
The coverts are smaller feathers covering the base of larger feathers or, in the case of the ear coverts, covering the ears. In the photo of the Zebra Finch below, the orange cheek patch of feathers are the ear coverts covering the ears.
Zebra Finch
On a recent visit to Meningie, about an hour’s drive south of home, we passed a swamp area next to Lake Albert. The River Murray flows into Lake Alexandrina which in turn flows into Lake Albert. It is near the significant wetland called the Coorong.
In this swampy area we saw a large number of Australian Pelicans (about 40), hundreds of Australian Shelducks and several hundred Grey Teal (mostly out of the photo). This was probably one of the largest concentrations of shelducks I have seen anywhere. In my experience they tend to spread out over a wide area as they graze. On this occasion they were probably sheltering together from the wild, stormy, freezing wind on that day. I took this shot from the car. It was about 14 degrees but a week later it was 41 degrees!
If you click on the photo you might be able to see several Pacific Black Ducks, a few White Ibis, and at least two Black Cormorants (also called Great Cormorants). Behind me and a little down the road were about 40 Cape Barren Geese.
Alas – no Glossy Ibis.
This is turning out to be a real bogey species for me.
Australian Pelicans, Lake Albert
The current Test Cricket match between Australia and England is being played at the beautiful Adelaide Oval in South Australia. Since England won back the coveted Ashes Trophy last year in England there has been great interest in this current series. Usually my daughter and I attend at least one day of the Adelaide Test Match every year. Because of the intense interest in this series I, along with many tens of thousands of other cricket enthusiasts, was unable to get any tickets.
So I am confined to the comfort of watching the cricket from my favourite chair in the lounge room. That is no excuse for not doing some birding. The Adelaide Oval is well known for the hundreds of Silver Gulls that congregate on the grass during the match. The numbers seem to increase as the day progresses. I guess they come to help clean up the mess left by the crowd, things like dropped chips, meat pies, bits of rolls and other items of food from the fast food outlets.
Other species have noticed during the telecast of this test match are Welcome Swallows and Magpie Larks. On my various visits to the oval for cricket matches I have seen the following species:
This certainly is a good list. Many more species could be added if I included the nearby River Torrens and the parklands. Watching the birds during slow periods of play maintains one’s interest, to be sure. The photo below was taken several years ago during and interstate match. The white patch on the grass centre right is a large flock of Silver Gulls.
Adelaide Oval, South Australia