A bird’s eye view
Little Pied Cormorant, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia
The Laratinga Wetlands at Mt Barker in the Mt Lofty Ranges certainly have a large range of water loving birds. Included in this list are several species of cormorants. On my last visit early last week the only cormorant I saw was the Little Pied Cormorant shown in the photo above. It was either taking advantage of the view from the dead branches of a eucalyptus tree or just having a rest.
The feathers of cormorants are not water repellent, so they are often seen sitting on branches like this, or logs or rocks or on the bank with wings outstretched for drying. This one must have dried its feathers before I had arrived because at no stage did it spread out its wings while I was watching.
These wetlands boast a large number of water birds. The water comes from waste water in Mt Barker. It is purified through filtering via a series of ponds and reed beds before being reused for irrigation nearby. In addition, it provides an excellent habitat for a wide range of water birds. The tree plantings along the ponds also provide great shelter and food for wrens, honeyeaters, parrots and many other species.
Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia
Nankeen Kestrel breeding
5 Comments »9th November, 2009; Category: Baby birds, Eagles Hawks and Kites, Garden birds, Murray Bridge
Nankeen Kestrel, Laratinga wetlands, Mt Barker SA
This morning I was working out in the garden early before the heat of the day. I had been doing some mowing after all of the rain we’ve had over winter and spring. I’d just switched off the mower, that noisy beast, when I heard a familiar bird call overhead.
Three Nankeen Kestrels were flying low over head, two of them chasing after the first while calling. I recognised the call as that of the young birds begging for food. They are a regular breeding species here in Murray Bridge, South Australia but I don’t often get to hear or see the young ones. It’s good to see this species thriving here.
Nankeen Kestrels are found throughout Australia but they are uncommon in Tasmania I understand. They are one of our raptor species and are the smallest of the kites found in Australia. The Letter-winged Kites and the Black-shouldered Kites are just marginally larger.
This species is most commonly encountered along country roads in rural Australia. They can been seen hovering 5 to 10 metres above the ground or hanging motionless on a stiff breeze while searching for a feed. Their diet consists usually of mice, grasshoppers, insects and small lizards.
Their preferred habitat is grasslands, plains, farmlands as well as roadside verges, but they are equally at home in the built up CBDs of towns and cities.
Perhaps the most spectacular view I’ve had of this species was an individual soaring at eye level within metres of where I stood on a visit to the control tower of Melbourne Airport.
Nankeen Kestrel, Laratinga wetlands, Mt Barker SA
Wedge-tailed Eagles
13 Comments »24th July, 2008; Category: Eagles Hawks and Kites
On a recent trip to Adelaide I was delighted to see two Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring high over the freeway near Mt Barker. I have driven this route many hundreds of times over the last twenty five years but this is the first time I’ve seen this species while using the freeway.
This sighting was just north of the golf course and the Laratinga Wetlands area on the eastern edge of town. It is good to see that this species is surviving in an area of the Mt Lofty Ranges that is rapidly becoming swallowed by suburbia. Several thousand houses have been built in this area over the last decade.
I didn’t have my camera with me at the time. Moreover, I couldn’t legally stop at that point anyway. Instead I have included a photo of a captive Wedge-tailed Eagle taken by my son Sim’ at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria.
Wedge Tailed Eagle - Healesville Sanctuary
Great Birding Moments #15 Long Billed Corellas
3 Comments »15th October, 2006; Category: Cockatoos and Corellas, Great Birding Moments, Parrots and Lorikeets
Long Billed Corellas
This great birding moment occured not in the field but at my computer. A few weeks ago we visited Laratinga Wetlands at Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. It was a calm and mild evening and we had a cuppa and a few biscuits while sitting on a log placed near the water’s edge. There was the usual squadron of ducks, grebes and coots swimming about – or headed in our direction hoping for a tasty handout. (Word must be out that my wife’s Anzac biscuits are superb).
Long Billed Corellas
A small flock of Corellas flew in and landed on a nearby tree. “Little Corellas” was my immediate thought and wrote that in my notebook. It was only when I downloaded the photos to my computer that night that I realised that they were actually Long Billed Corellas. Oops. Never assume anything – check them out carefully. It’s a good rule of thumb when birding. I had momentarily lapsed into thinking that they were Littles when in fact both species are common in our state.
Related articles:
- Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker – includes a bird list.
- Little Corellas – about calls to cull the large numbers of corellas in parts of South Australia.
Updated November 2013.
Australasian Shoveler
Australasian Shoveler
On a recent visit to the Laratinga Wetlands near Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills I was pleased to record and photograph an Australian Shoveler. I have not observed this species of duck very often here in South Australia. I have probably been looking in the wrong places!
Related article: