Search Results for 'crested pigeon'

Galahs, Death and Country Roads

I recently had occasion to drive out to Karoonda, a small farming community in the Murray Mallee 65km north east of Murray Bridge. On the way one passes through wheat and sheep farming country with a little remnant vegetation on each side of the road. This mallee habitat is often surprisingly rich in birdlife.

The dominent species one observes along this road (and many others in the district) is the Australian Magpie. Little Ravens are also common as are Crested Pigeons. Flocks of Galahs are a common sight too, ranging in size from four or six through to hundreds.

Summer Road Toll
During summer, when the wheat trucks are carting freshly harvested grain, many Galahs are killed because they feed on the spilled grain on the side of the road. They gorge themselves on the bounty left by the trucks and are then sluggish in their attempts to fly out of the way. Because pairs bond for life, if one is accidently killed in this way, so, too, is the other of the pair eventually killed. The pair bonding is so strong that they stay with the dead one until they, too, fall victim to a passing truck or other vehicle.

Other Birds

Many other birds are encountered on this stretch of road. Mallee Ringneck Parrots cross the road like green and yellow arrows darting through the trees. Willie Wagtails flit to and fro catching the insects disturbed by passing vehicles. Welcome Swallows swoop across the road or skim the nearby paddocks looking for their meal. Red Wattlebirds and Singing Honeyeaters are observed checking out if any of the mallee trees (various eucalyptus species) are in flower. Sometimes one catches a glimpse of the bright yellow feathers of the Yellow Tailed Thornbills as they fly from one patch of vegetation to the next.

Larger Birds

From time to time one can see larger birds like the Little Eagle or the Wedge Tailed Eagle, or the smaller Nankeen Kestral and Black Shouldered Kite. Two other larger species in this area are the Grey Currawong and the White-winged Chough. This latter species is quite often seen walking along the side of the road or in the nearby scrubland. I have often been amused seeing them strutting along rather than flying.

Birds of Geranium

Last weekend we attended a native plant sale at Geranium. This is a small town of only about 80 residents. It is about an hour drive from Murray Bridge and is situated in the heart of the Murray Mallee. It is set in a wheat and sheep farming district and so much of the land has been cleared for this purpose. Along the road sides, however, there is a rich remnant vegetation strip and this provides a reasonably adequate habitat for a range of mallee loving birds, especially when it is in flower.

Honeyeaters

The area is dominated by honeyeaters. Over the last decade I have recorded the following honeyeater species in or near Geranium:

Red Wattlebird
Brown Headed Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
White Plumed Honeyeater
White Eared Honeyeater
Yellow Plumed Honeyeater
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Purple Gaped Honeyeater (rare)

Raptors

The common birds of prey include the Black Shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestral, Little Eagle and Australian Hobby. I am not sure of the status of the magnificent Wedge Tailed Eagle in this district. Down through the years since settlement this species has been seen in a negative light by many farmers who have shot them to prevent loss of lambs from their sheep flocks.

Pigeons

The Crested Pigeon is very common throughout the region as is the Common Bronzewing Pigeon where the habitat is suitable. The delightful tiny Peaceful Dove must also occur in this region but I have not personally recorded it. Around the town, especially the wheat storage silos, the introduced feral Rock Pigeon is present in the hundreds. They are also present around farm sheds.

Parrots

The most common parrot in this area would have to be the Galah. Flocks of hundreds can often be observed throughout the Murray Mallee districts. Little Corellas may also be present though I have not seen any near Geranium. The large Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo may also be a vagrant but not resident due to a lack of suitable food trees. Sulpher Crested Cockatoos may also occur in this district but I haven’t seen any. Purple Crowned Lorikeets are common, and Rainbow Lorikeets have been recorded. Other parrots resident in or near Geranium include:

Mallee Ringnecks
Red Rumped Parrots
Cockatiel
Blue Bonnets
Blue Winged Parrots
Budgerigars
Mulga Parrots

Other Birds

My total number of species for this area stands at 56 species. Here is a list of some other birds I have recorded in the district:
Willie Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Restless Flycatcher
Hooded Robin
Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
White-browed Babbler
Superb Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Brown Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Weebill
Southern Whiteface
White-fronted Chat
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Silvereye
Magpie-lark
White-winged Chough
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Grey Currawong
Australian Raven
Little Raven
Common Starling
House Sparrow

Unusual Sighting

The most unusual sighting I have made in Geranium is a single Cattle Egret feeding on the school oval.

An Early Interest in Birds

Like many birders I can trace my interest in birds back to an early age. I lived on a wheat and sheep farm at Taplan in the Murray Mallee district of South Australia. This area is hot and dry and often dusty in the summer time and cool, frosty and sometimes wet in the winter time. Most times it just forgets to rain – and the farmers struggle to grow a crop or enough pasture for their sheep or cattle.

Common Farm Birds of the Murray Mallee

There were about ten acres of mallee scrub surrounding the house and sheds. This was a quite rich area for native Australian birds, especially when the mallee trees were in flower. There were always honeyeaters around, mainly Red Wattlebirds, Noisy Miners and Singing Honeyeaters. Australian Magpies, Australian Ravens, House Sparrows and Common Starlings were common around the house, garden and sheds. Thornbills, Weebills, Pardalotes, Willie Wagtails and Magpie Larks were common too. The Magpie Lark was locally called a Murray Magpie and I was always intrigued by their mud nests.

Raptors

There were many rabbits in the district and sometimes these breed into plague proportions. Mice were also a problem and mice plagues come and go as well. This smorgasbord of food maintains a healthy population of raptors. Nankeen Kestrals, Black Shouldered Kites and Collared Sparrowhawks were common, the latter not welcome when there were chickens in the chook yard. Wedge Tailed Eagles are majestic birds as they soar on high; unfortunately my father occasionally shot them if they strayed too near the lambing ewes. Brown Falcons, Spotted Harriers and Little Eagles are also found in the district.

Pigeons and Parrots

The Crested Pigeon was the dominent member of its family, and they can been seen sitting on fence wires and on telephone wires throughout the region. There are a few Common Bronzewing Pigeons where the habitat is suitable and the feral Rock Dove is growing in numbers. Peaceful Doves are a delight wherever they occur and are found in this area too.

Galahs are the dominent parrot but I have also seen the stunning Major Mitchell Cockatoo in the district. Its bright pink breast and yellow and red crest bring a splash of colour to the sometimes drab mallee environment. Other common species include the Cockatiel, Mulga Parrot, Mallee Ringneck. Blue Bonnet and Budgerigar.

Collectors

I never followed the hobby of my cousin Ron. He was an avid collector of bird’s eggs, in an era when this was not frowned upon; indeed, some praised him for his excellent collection. I was a little hesitant about heights – and still cautious nearly fifty years later – and birds eggs are usually found up in trees. Such a hobby never got off the ground for me. Instead, I played it safe and sound on the ground collecting bird’s feathers. Both activities are not only frowned upon these days but are probably illegal.

The feathers I identified from my brother’s field guide (Calley’s “What Bird is That”) and then I sticky taped the feathers in a spare exercise book, carefully annotated with species name, together with the date and place collected. Unknown to me at the time but I was preparing myself for a life-long passion about birds, keeping records and studying the natural environment.

I wonder what ever happened to my collection of feathers?

Birds of Monarto Zoological Park, Murray Bridge

Yesterday I wrote about the birds contained in the collection of the Adelaide Zoo. The birds of Monarto Zoological Park are a totally different matter. This park is of the open range type of zoo – in fact, it is a park – not a zoo in the traditional sense. It is a place we visit often, for two reasons. It is only a few kilometres – about a ten minute drive – from our home. Secondly, I am a Life Member – so it only costs me the petrol to get in.

Visitor Centre

Upon entering the grounds of the zoo at Monarto, one has to drive several kilometres to the car park next to the Visitor Centre. This facility contains an information centre, shop and a wonderful restaurant. From here one is able to go for guided walks through the mallee scrubland that forms a very important part of the local habitat. Some of this scrubland is old growth mallee, something that is quite rare in these parts.

Bus Tours

Most visitors to Monarto Zoo book into one of the Bus Tours of the park. Each tour has a volunteer guide on board. Each specially trained guide is a mine of information about the birds and animals of the park. The tours usually take about an hour and they take one through different “habitats” of the park with great views of the animals up close. For example, one gets excellent views of giraffe, zebra, lions, cheetah, painted dogs and a range of other animals from around the world.

Birds of Monarto Zoo

Adelaide Zoo’s strength is in its vast collection of birds in aviaries. Monarto Zoo is quite different. There is a small enclosure with some Mallee Fowl in it. This is part of their breeding programme for this endangered species. They also have a large enclosure some several hectares in size for their ostriches. All other birds are free ranging, that is, they are part of the natural environment. Watching for birds while on the guided walks or the bus tour is therefore very rewarding; one never knows what one is going to see.

My Bird List

The most obvious bird in the park is the Emu. One is easily able to get good views of this species in many parts of the zoo. Australian Magpies, Galahs, Little Ravens, Masked Lapwings and Red Wattlebirds and Welcome Swallows are also very common. Along the watercourses (which often dry up in summer) I have seen Pacific Black Duck, Black Fronted Dotterels and Magpie Larks.

Scrubland Birds

In the mallee scrubland it is easy to see Singing Honeyeaters, White Plumed Honeyeaters, Spiney Cheeked Honeyeaters, Crested Pigeons, Rufous and Golden Whistlers, Grey Shrike Thrush, Willie Wagtails and Yellow Rumped Thornbills. Striated and Yellow Rumped Pardalotes can been heard calling from the trees all around. On several occasions I have even recorded Flame Robins and Peaceful Doves. Common Bronzewing Pigeons can also been seen and families of White Winged Choughs and White Browed Babblers are very conspicuous.

Parrots

I’ve already mentioned the most common parrot in the park, the Galah. Other species present include Purple Crowned Lorikeets, Red Rumped Parrot and Mallee Ringnecks. Adelaide Rosellas, Cockateil and Budgerigars do occur in the district but I haven’t personally recorded them inside the park boundaries. The same could be said of Elegant Parrots, a species I have seen only a few kilometres south of the park.

Birds of Prey

The only bird of prey I have recorded is the Brown Falcon. It is quite possible to see many other species that are common in the district. These include Wedge Tailed Eagles, Black Shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestral, Australian Hobby, Black Kite, Little Eagle, Spotted Harrier, Brown Goshawk and Collared Sparrowhawk. Barn Owls, Boobook Owls and Tawny Frogmouths are all present nearby and probably occur in the park too.

This is just a sample of what can be seen within the boundaries of the park. A full list would probably reach a hundred or more different species. Some, like the Rainbow Bee-eater, are seasonal (summer) visitors while others are occasional visitors.

More Birding at Victor Harbor

Beautiful Morning

This morning the sun arose to a beautiful day. Bright sunshine, clear blue sky, gentle cooling breeze and the nearby sea of Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor a brilliant deep blue punctuated by stunning white waves breaking on rocks out in the bay. Perfect. After lunch we sat in front of the caravan and just watched the sea. How relaxing.

More Bird Sightings

Around the caravan park I observed about 30 different species without really trying. There were quite a few Little Ravens around, mostly flying overhead. Spotted Turtledoves and Feral Pigeons are also resident birds, as are Striated Pardalotes. I only saw a few Crested Pigeons nearby.

Parrots
Galahs were in evidence throughout the park and nearby gardens. In the tree in front of our caravan we watched two juvenile Galahs begging for food from their harried parents. They seemed old enough to fend for themselves; it must be easier to sponge off parents. In previous visits I have seen hundreds of Little Corellas; this year I only saw about three individuals. Adelaide Rosellas are also common in the area but I only heard two flying past the van. I have seen Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos in this area in the past but not this time.

Birds of Prey

The only bird of prey I observed was a Black Shouldered Kite. I saw one several times over the weekend, presumably the same individual. The first time I saw it traversing the banks of the Inman River, occassionally swooping down to catch its prey in the grass of the bank. Later I saw it hovering over the sedge grass on the sand banks along the beach front.

Mammal Sighting

While standing on the beach taking photos of the yachts at anchor and of Granite Island we were suddenly aware of several dolphins in the bay between us and the island, some two hundred metres from the beach. They were too far to positively identify or photograph them but they were probably common Bottle-Nosed Dolphins.