Wandering Whistling-duck
Wandering Whistling Duck, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
I have never seen a Wandering Whistling-duck in the natural environment. Sadly, I’ve never been to areas where this species lives in the wild, namely northern Western Australia, Northern Territory and eastern Queensland. One day I’ll get there – but not yet.
Instead, I have to content myself to seeing this species in captivity, such as the bird shown in the photo above, taken recently in the walk through aviary at Adelaide Zoo.
We have two whistling-duck species in Australia, the other being the Plumed Whistling-duck. They get their name from their whistling call, usually when in flight.
Their preferred habitats include lakes and swamps, flooded grasslands, the edges of rivers and dams.
Further reading:
White-eyed Duck, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
Hardhead (White-eyed Duck), Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
The White-eyed Duck is also known as the Hardhead. I’m not sure why. If any reader can enlighten me, please do so via the comments.
White-eyed Ducks are found throughout Australia where suitable habitat exists. Their preferred habitats include permanent wetlands, lakes, reservoirs, dams and sewage ponds. They easily move around the country in response to either drought or abundant rain.
I’ve only managed to see this species in the wild state on a handful of occasions. The photo above was taken of a captive bird in one of the enclosures at the Adelaide Zoo.
Little Pied Cormorant, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
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
Waterbirds at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Grey Teal, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Monarto Zoological Park is just a few minutes’ drive from my home in Murray Bridge. We try to visit several times a year because I have a membership card which allows free entry. One of the interesting things about this open range zoo is the waterhole in the giraffe enclosure. This is actually an artificial dam which fills during and after good rains. The creek which runs into this area is an ephemeral water course. When there is water, there is always a small collection of water birds attracted by the water.
On our visit late last year observed a few Grey Teal (see photo above) and some Black-winged Stilts (photo below). The Black-winged Stilts are found over most of Australia where there is suitable habitat, including swamps, lakes, shallow river edges, dams, salt-fields, estuaries and mudflats. Their nest is often made of weeds or other plant materials on the ground or raised up a little off the ground or can even be a plain depression on the ground with little or no lining.
Grey Teal are one of the most abundant and widespread of the waterfowl species in Australia. Their preferred habitat includes rivers, lakes, swamps, reservoirs, estuaries, waterholes and even small farm dams – in fact, where ever there is some water.
Not far from this waterhole I photographed a Masked Lapwing sitting on eggs right next to one of the tracks taken many times every day by the visitor buses. You can read about that and see a photo by clicking here.
Black-winged Stilt, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Grey Teal and Black-winged Stilts, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Black-tailed Native-hen, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Black-tailed Native-hen, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Over recent days I have been sharing photos of some of the birds I saw during a visit late last year to the Monarto Zoo which is about a ten minute drive from our home in Murray Bridge.
During one of the bus trips through the park visitors are taken past a large lagoon. This is filled from Rocky Gully creek which flows through the zoo. I use the word “flows” loosely; it only runs after good rains and is quite often a dry creek bed for much of the year.
The zoo management has dammed this creek at one point to provide a semi-permanent water hole for the giraffes and zebra. When it contains water it attracts small numbers of water birds, including this one Black-tailed Native-hen shown in the photo above. Native-hens are widespread throughout Australia except the far northern coastline, the eastern seaboard, drier inland areas and it is also absent from Tasmania. (The similar species the Tasmanian Native-hen is endemic to Tasmania.)
It is quite unusual to see just one of this species. They are more often seen in small flocks and, when conditions are right, they can erupt into an area and breed rapidly, and can then number in the hundreds or even thousands.
Giraffes near the waterhole, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes near the waterhole at Monarto Zoo, South Australia