Birding around Cape Dombey, Robe, South Australia
No Comments »29th July, 2007; Category: Darters and Cormorants, Pigeons and Doves, Seabirds, Shorebirds
Cape Dombey, Robe, South Australia
During our recent holiday in Robe in the south east of South Australia we went for a short drive to Cape Dombey. This is within walking distance of the main street but our cottage was at the other end of town so we drove.
Rock Doves, Cape Dombey, Robe, South Australia
The cape consists of some low but spectacular cliffs. We spent about an hour there during a beautiful sunny and calm morning, a complete contrast with the wild weather of the previous three days. I was a little disappointed with the birding while we were there. The most common birds were the Rock Doves roosting on the rock ledges or on top of the cliffs. Occasionally a small flock would fly over towards one of the rocks or small islands just off the coast.
Pied Cormorants, Cape Dombey, Robe, South Australia
I also saw a few Little Pied Cormorants and their larger cousins the Pied Cormorants. Some of these were seen flying or swimming out to sea, others, including those in the photo above, were resting on the nearby rocks. On a nearby rock ledge I also saw two Sooty Oystercatchers, but they flew off before I could get a photo of them.
Cape Dombey, Robe, South Australia
Other birds in the locality included Welcome Swallows gliding and swooping around the headland and the nearby scrub. In the bushy area in the nearby sandhills I also saw several Singing Honeyeaters, several small flocks of Superb Blue Wrens, a single Grey Shrike Thrush and several Masked Lapwings on the lawns of nearby houses as we returned to the cottage for lunch. I also heard several Little Ravens calling.
Oh – I nearly forgot the occasional small flock of Silver Gulls and a solitary Crested Tern.
Click on the photos to enlarge the image.
Birding around Guichen Bay, South Australia
1 Comment »26th July, 2007; Category: Darters and Cormorants, Ducks Geese and Swans, Gulls and Terns, Herons and Egrets, Lapwings, Seabirds, Shorebirds
Guichen Bay, Robe, SE South Australia
Last week we went for a short, five day holiday to Robe in the south-east region of South Australia. Robe is about a three and a half hour drive from home. This beautiful, historic seaside town is popular with tourists, with good reason. It is a quaint little fishing town catering well for the many visitors that flock there, primarily in the warmer months.
Being the middle of winter it was the off-season and that suits me fine, especially from a birding point of view. There are several downsides; the weather can be very dodgy and even bitterly cold. Another downside is the absence of wading birds; they all have better sense than us and head north for our winter. While the birding was quiet, I did record some good birds. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but satisfying nevertheless.
Guichen Bay, Robe, SE South Australia
During our stay I went on three quite long walks and several drives searching out the bird life of the region. I was also looking for some good scenery shots to include here and on my travel blog.
Twice I walked from the cottage we were renting past the Sea-Vu Caravan Park and then along the bay to the fishing boat harbour. Robe is situated on Guichen Bay. On my walks I went along the Town Beach, where the photos above were taken.
Birds seen:
Overall the birding was a little disappointing. We had a friendly Willie Wagtail in the back yard, along with Silver Gulls flying overhead and occasionally landing on the fence or the roof. Common birds around our cottage and in nearby streets included House Sparrows, European Goldfinches and Common Starlings.
The cottage backed on to the local golf course which was lined with trees. In these trees I saw Little Ravens and Grey Currawongs. Throughout the town there were many Little and Red Wattlebirds, New Holland Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails and Welcome Swallows. I also saw the occasional Common Blackbird.
Lapwings:
One noticeable species in many parts of the town was the Masked Lapwing. This species seems to enjoy feeding on the many spacious and very green lawns throughout the town. One pair even landed noisily on our back yard lawn, but they flew off again before I could fire up the camera.
Beach Birds:
On my walks along the beach I didn’t see many water birds. I did see two Black Oystercatchers on the rocks near the Town Beach, as well as Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants out in the bay. Silver Gulls were everywhere, but not in large numbers. I saw one Crested Tern. In the bushes fronting the beach there were many Singing Honeyeaters.
In the coming days I will write about other birds seen and other places visited while on my holiday.
Updated November 2013.
It was a dark and stormy day
Last week we went on a short five day holiday to the south east region of South Australia. I was accompanied by my wife, her mother and our adult daughter. It was our daughter who chose the destination: Robe on the Limestone Coast of southern South Australia.
Robe is a lovely seaside village with a very interesting history. Many original buildings from the middle of the 1800s are still in regular use. Oops – this is starting to sound like a travelogue – I’ll be writing more about that kind of thing on my travel blog here.
Back to the birding.
We left home in Murray Bridge mid-morning. The storm clouds had been gathering, along with a strengthening wind. By the time we reached Meningie it was time for lunch.
Lake Albert, Meningie, South Australia
It was useless trying to have a picnic lunch on the beautiful lawns on the shore of Lake Albert in the main street. I parked the Mazda Bravo directly into the prevailing wild wind, lowered the tailgate and tried to assist my wife preparing some lunch. Mother-in-law and daughter wisely stayed in the car. We had to hold onto the food – it was in danger of being blown into Victoria!
Lake Albert, Meningie, South Australia
White Caps:
Later we attempted to make a cup of tea. As we carried the mugs from the back of the car to the front to hand them through the window, white-caps appeared on the surface of the tea, splattering it all over the car. That’s wild wind. And it was bitterly cold.
I had to be content to do my birding from the driver’s seat in the car while I enjoyed my meal and cuppa. I didn’t take too many photos – there were very few birds to be seen. They’re not silly – they were probably sheltering somewhere sensible!
Camera trouble:
While trying to get a few shots of the scene I had some camera trouble. Actually the camera was fine – the batteries were flat, as were the next two sets of batteries I tried to use. It was one of those things I neglected to check before leaving home. Lesson learned. Fortunately I had a third set of batteries that kept me going during the short five day holiday. Just as well – I’d left the charger home.
A few hardy birds:
I did record a few hardy birds while we had our lunch. Several Australian Pelicans battled bravely with the wind out on the lake. A small flock of Silver Gulls huddled near some rocks, along with a solitary Dusky Moorhen. Two Little Pied Cormorants courageously sat atop a post on the jetty, defying the wind to blow them into the water. I also observed two Masked Lapwings on the roadside verge as we entered the town, along with several Australian Magpie Larks. Just out of town I saw a single White Faced Heron way out in a paddock – well away from the lake and the wildest of the wind. Two Crested Pigeons clung for dear life on a power line; I was amazed that they hadn’t been blown clear across the country. I think I saw several House Sparrows in bushes near the car, along with a Willie Wagtail and a Common Blackbird.
It was not an auspicious start to birding activities on my mini-holiday.
I’ll write about the rest of the week over the next few days.
An Icy Egret
Winter is well and truly in full swing here in South Australia. We have had some good rains to open the season for the farmers and more recently we have had plenty of cold showery days. In the last two weeks however, the frosts have come in with a vengeance. We normally get several dozen frosts every winter with temperatures around 1 to 4 degrees C.
Over the last two weeks the temperature has dropped below zero on many occasions. It is very tempting to linger awhile snuggled up in bed. A few days ago I needed to drive into town quite early in the morning. On my way home I took an alternative route past the Rocky Gully Wetlands. I wanted to check out the bird life there. These wetlands are quite close to the main road and consist of several large ponds.
The frost was still lying heavily all around, and the first rays of sunlight were sending spirals of mist from the water. Traces of fog lingered over the nearby River Murray. I saw a few Australian Pelicans on the shore of the wetlands. These were accompanied by dozens of Silver Gulls trying to warm up in the early morning sun.
Only one bird seemed brave enough (or was that silly enough?) to enter the freezing water. A solitary Little Egret was standing statue-like in one of the ponds. I’m not sure if it was frozen to the spot or just being very still trying to catch an early breakfast.
I didn’t wait around to see if it moved; I was racing home to my lovely warm fire and the morning paper.
Australian Pelicans, Rocky Gully Wetlands
Waterbirds at Goolwa South Australia
2 Comments »13th May, 2007; Category: Darters and Cormorants, Ducks Geese and Swans, Gulls and Terns, Pelicans, Plovers Dotterels and Lapwings, Waterbirds
Australian Pelican
On our recent visit to Goolwa in South Australia we went for a drive along the River Murray to the barrage near the mouth of the river. This barrage keeps the salt water from entering the river system at high tide.
This area is usually quite a good place for birding, though on this occasion there seemed to be just the usual birds one would expect. Nothing really exciting or out of the ordinary. Still, good birding days are usually like this. They make the really special days extraordinary.
Little Pied Cormorant
Along this stretch of the river we saw plenty of Australian Pelicans, White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Great Egrets, White-faced Herons, Pacific Black Ducks, Grey Teal, Little Pied Cormorants, Magpie Larks and Silver Gulls. Several Purple Swamphens stalked through the reeds while on the grassy areas a number of Masked Lapwings guarded their positions. Black Swans gracefully glided through the shallows and Singing Honeyeaters were the dominant species in the thick bushy areas along the sand dunes.