with an adverse weather forecast for the afternoon, I decided to do some local bird photography. I intended to make a quick visit to Sydney Park and then visit Barton Park.
In the end, because of bus timetables, I visited Barton Park first, and I almost missed that – the bus started to detour around due to a closed road – and that meant I would miss my usual stop, so got off early and had to walk a little further. Once there, I first went to landing Lights Wetland. Here are some of the birds I saw at the wetland –
Pied Stilts
I counted around 19 stilts at the wetland.
The one in the photo above is a juvenile.
Chestnut Teals
There were quite a few Chestnut Teals at the wetland, and you can see in the photo above some unusual behaviour. None are feeding! I think some courtship displays were taking place.
Some of the birds were puffing themselves up and raising themselves out of the water. This was mainly the males, but some females also seemed to be doing it.
And some flight shots –
There had been recent reports of an Avocet at the wetlands. It didn’t seem to be there for my visit. And friends had recently seen some Pink-eared Ducks there (Two days earlier) – but they to seem to have moved on. It is not good habitat for these ducks – being too shallow for their vortex feeding.
Here are some of the birds around the hinterland –
Golden-headed Cisticola
Superb Fairy-wrens
And a Channel-billed Cuckoo flew overhead.
I then went up to the higher area. Here are some of the birds there –
Willie Wagtail
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Great Egret
Tawny Grassbird
Red Wattlebird
I then went down to the Spring St Canal. While I was walking along the path, the Great Egret suddenly flew in. It had caught a lizard and had brought it to the canal to eat.
It washed the lizard. Perhaps that was why it had flown there.
It drops the lizard, but soon catches it again.
Then another wash.
And down it goes.
Back at the wetlands, two juvenile White-faced Herons suddenly arrived start hunting for food.
Then a second juvenile pair suddenly fly in.
And here is one of three Channel-billed Cuckoos that fly past.
I then headed off. I next wanted to visit Sydney Park but the bus there was not coming past for a fair while, so I walked to the Eve St Wetlands. Theee were some ducks, teals and Pied Stilts.
And nearby was some Red-browed Finches.
At Sydney Park, I first visited the nesting pair of Tawny Frogmouths. The female was in her usual spot –
The nest nearby with the father and chick was next visited, but the chick was asleep then. So I came back later for some better photos.
Down at the ponds, there were plenty of baby birds. Here is an Eurasian Coot feedings one of its chicks with a pea. A lot of visitors to the park feed the birds with peas.
Here are some Dusky Moorhens –
An Australasian Darter was drying its wings.
Here is a Reed Warbler –
At the Island Pond, the Ibis were still in their nests.
And so was the Magpie Lark –
Anda last bird, just before it started raining, a Galah –
