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Maslins and Blanche Point to Port Willunga…a rewarding short walk

12 Mar

Dear Reader:

It is glorious summer’s day, not too hot and a gentle sea breeze. The view from the clifftop is spectacular. The outline of Gull Rock and surrounding shallow reefs are clear cut against an impossibly blue ocean. Inland, the view is quite a contrast with farmland, scrub and distant, low hills reflecting the dry shades of an Australian summer.

Gull Rock from the clifftop

Farmland, Raven and Hills

There are Little Ravens and Red Wattlebirds in the trees alongside the road leading to the carpark. In addition, I can see an adult Singing Honeyeater feeding one of its fledged chicks in the scrubby bushes near the entrance to the downhill trail. As I scan the ocean there is a pair of Bottlenose Dolphins far out to see patrolling the edge of a reef or seagrass meadow.

Reefs and seagrass from the clifftop

Singing Honeyeater

From the Blanche Point/Maslins hilltop carpark there are two ways to reach Port Willunga. The hilltop track is self-explanatory, or you can walk down the steps to the shore and follow the beach. The beach walk has two special features: take a mask and flippers to explore the shallow inshore reefs or examine the rock formations and fossil beds along the route.

Walking along the beach at low tide

Seagrass and brown algae: an underwater view

Today, I take the path which winds along the top of the cliffs then dips down towards the Willunga Creek outlet where there is a lovely patch of scrub and some old ruins. As I walk along this section of the trail I can hear Singing Honeyeaters and catch sight of a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos feeding on pine cone seeds.

Willunga Creek where it meets the sea

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos

Suddenly, the birds scatter in apparent panic as a Nankeen Kestrel lands on a power pole. The bird sits for a while and I try to get close enough for a clear shot. Finally I have to settle for a long distance telephoto image. Later, on review, I am quite pleased with the result from my Nikon P900 at this range.

Nankeen Kestrel

Just as I am about to leave the scrub and creek to head up to the restaurant I notice a parenting group of Australian Black Ducks emerging from the reeds. A lovely way to end my walk before indulging in some Calamari and battered fish at the Star of Greece Restaurant. The restaurant and nearby sheltered lookout have lovely views over the Port Willunga Beach, the fringing reef and the old jetty piles.

Remains of the old Port Willunga jetty

Cheers

Baz

Additional notes

This is a moderate fitness walk with parking and other facilities nearby at Port Willunga. It is dog friendly.

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on these links and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles as well as locating similar blogs on Feedspot’s top 20 Australian wildlife blogs

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

https://blog.feedspot.com/australian_wildlife_blogs/

https://www.onkaparinganow.com/News-listing/Iconic-cliff-top-path-for-Port-Willunga

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Goolwa Barrage (1)…Seals, Kites and Pelicans

18 Feb

Seals, Kites and Pelicans

Australian Pelican

Dear Reader:

As I approach the barrage, which separates the fresh water flowing down the Murray from the salt water of the Coorong, I notice quite a lot of bird activity. Pelicans are flying low in the sky and there are both Ravens and Mudlarks scavenging along the rocky banks.

 

Mudlark or Murray Magpie

 

Little Raven

The Goolwa barrage is a ten minute drive from the town of Goolwa around 80 kms south of Adelaide. It is the last of a series of locks and barrages that control the flow of the Murray River along its entire length. They were originally intended to make the river more navigable for the elegant paddle steamers that once plied these waters carrying essential goods. Information about them is provided along the path leading from the car park to the  barrage. 

 

Information

Walkway to barrage

A row of statuesque Norfolk Pines lines the roadway to the barrage and I scan them for more birds. Sometimes I have seen kestrels and hawks perched in the uppermost branches but today I am surprised by an even larger raptor; a Whistling Kite. It seems that food must be plentiful with so many predatory bird species in the area.

 

Whistling Kite

Pelican and Long-nosed Fur Seal often called New Zealand Fur Seal

When I reach the barrage, I am greeted by a variety of wildlife around the first section which leads out into the river. There are Great Cormorants on the adjacent bank, a Long-nosed Fur Seal basking in the muddy water closer to the main part of the barrage and a seal and Australian Pelican near one of the old wooden gateways. A nice start to my walk out to view the barrage proper………..to be continued in my next post

Cheers

BAZ

Additional notes

This is an easy walk and drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors with public toilets, barbecues, parking and other facilities nearby.

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on these links and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles as well as locating similar blogs on Feedspot’s top 20 Australian wildlife blogs

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

https://blog.feedspot.com/australian_wildlife_blogs/

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Kites and Kestrels Around Ardrossan

30 Dec

Dear Reader:

I am driving back to Adelaide from Marion Bay and the Innes National Park at the tip of the York Peninsular. The weather is overcast and I have tucked the cameras away after a successful couple of days photographing this lovely area of our state.

Grey Kangaroos in Innes National Park

Marion Bay area

After an hour’s driving I am on the York Highway (B86) near Ardrossan; a coastal town which is central to agriculture. Here, farmers unload cereal crops into silos then onto grain carriers for overseas markets.

Black-shouldered Kite

Nankeen Kestrel

The Highway is straight and I am sitting on the speed limit and it is only by chance that I catch a glimpse of a Black Shouldered Kite sitting on a fencepost. I slow and pull over at the same time noticing a Nankeen Kestrel perched a further hundred metres along the road. Looking at the wheat fields I am tempted to think that there is probably an abundance of mice this time of the year.

Hare stopped by fence

Better head back into the field

There are some animals you occasionally see but are rarely able to photograph due to their speed and wariness. Therefore, when the opportunity arises to get a shot of these speedsters I welcome it with open arms. Hence, this series of images of a hare I spotted near the main highway just past Ardrossan. A fence forced the hare to stop for a few seconds and allow me to fire off a few frames albeit at long distance on a dull day.

Loading a grain ship at Ardrossan

Just as I finish photographing the hare, rain sets in. Time to resume my trip home with an essential stop at the bakery in Port Wakefield; an historic little town at the head of the gulf and one I have researched previously.

One of many historic building in Port Wakefield

I hope you have enjoyed this little recount and follow my stories in the New Year. All the best to you and your families,

BAZ

Additional Notes

Click on these links and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles as well as locating similar blogs on Feedspot’s top 20 Australian wildlife blogs

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

https://blog.feedspot.com/australian_wildlife_blogs/

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Blanche Harbour

8 Dec

Dear Reader:

There is a White-browed Babbler fossicking in the leaf litter which has accumulated under a small tree. Several more birds are perched in a nearby Lemon-flowered Gum watching me warily. Most of the Babblers I have encountered in this region seem to feed on the ground looking for insects, spiders, small lizards as well as fallen fruit and other vegetation.

White-browed Babbler foraging

The area I am investigating has been planted out by the Blanche Harbour Revegetation Group and is at the southern extremity of Blanche Harbour which is south of Commissariat Point along Shacks Road (I wrote about Commissariat Pt in my 25th of October blog). The coast adjacent to Blanche Harbour and the army training zone of Cultana, also incorporates the Douglas Banks Marine Reserve.

View across saltbush and mangroves

At low tide the exposed shoreline and coastal fringe is a mixture of saltbush, samphire, mangroves and exposed seagrasses.  This region is the perfect environment for wading birds ranging from herons to plovers and oystercatchers; making this an ideal birding destination.

Coral Gum

Coral Gum flowers

Many of the trees, shrubs and flowering plants have been planted by the local conservation group and they are well labelled. A large shelter with excellent information displays, explains some aspects of the local ecology and provides pictures of significant wildlife.

 

Shelter and interpretive displays

The sun is low in the sky and photography is becoming more difficult and mosquitoes more prevalent; time to hop back in the car and head back to Commissariat Point where I am staying. However, the windows are left open and my mate Geoff cradles the camera as this is often the best time to encounter wildlife.

Blue Bonnet Parrots

Wester Grey Kangaroo

We are not disappointed when Geoff spots a pair of glorious Blue Bonnet Parrots in a roadside tree. A few minutes later, a Western Grey Kangaroo lifts its head from feeding, twitches its radar ears and watches us drive by. A couple of wonderful encounters as we head back to the shacks for a well-earned dinner.

Driving into Commissariat Point at dusk with wind on the other side of the gulf

Cheers

BAZ

Additional notes

This is an easy walk/drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors. It is dog friendly.

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on this link and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

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Commissariat Point’s Beachside Wildlife

25 Oct

Dear Reader:

The boat is high and dry on the turning tide. Time for a stroll along the shoreline. A little exploration of the intertidal zone.

Tide is Out

Commissariat Point is a ten-minute drive south of Port Augusta near the army testing and training grounds. It is a community of shacks, some quite opulent, where a few owners live permanently while others visit or rent on weekends and holidays.

Shacks, scrub and windfarm in the evening light

These upper reaches of the Spencer Gulf are also lined with one of the State’s truly wonderful trees, the Grey Mangrove. Mangroves live between high and low water and have many adaptations to help them survive this challenging environment. They produce aerial roots called pneumatophores which help the plant to breathe in the sticky mud that is common along the shoreline. Their leaves are shiny on one side and secrete salt particles on the other.

Grey Mangroves

Mangrove leaves

There is quite a lot of seaweed around the high tide mark. It has been deposited on the beach during winter storms and is home to a variety of animals. There are worms, crabs, insects and even small lizards in this unusual habitat which retains moisture below the sun-dried outer layers.

Gecko species in seaweed

Just above the high tide mark lies a thin line of vegetation which is tolerant to the windy and salty conditions. I am quite surprised to discover some Flax Lilies growing here. The delicate flowers are attracting a few buzz-pollinating native Blue Bees. The term buzz pollinating refers to their ability to spread pollen through the high frequency beat of their wings.

Blue-banded Bee on Flax Lily

The light is starting to fade and the tide is coming in as my walk draws to an end. A few wading birds are coming closer to the shore with the incoming water and I try my luck at photographing them in the soft light. A nice way to finish my initial exploration of this tiny settlement at the head of Spencer Gulf.

Heron using feet to help scare out fish and other small animals

Cheers

Baz

Additional notes

This is an easy walk which is quite suitable for families and seniors with parking but no other facilities. It is dog friendly.

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on this link and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

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Carrickalinga’s Underwater and Coastal Wildlife

7 Sep

Dear Reader:

The drive into Carrickalinga along Forktree Road from Myponga is quite spectacular with sweeping views of the ocean, reservoir and surrounding farmland. On entering the township, it is a short drive north along Gold Coast Drive to the rocky headland which can be easily accessed from the parking zone by a zig-zag series of wooden steps.

 

Driving in to Carrickalinga

Steps at the headland

This area is a sanctuary which means there should be quite a lot of marine life to encounter. I change into my snorkelling gear before walking down to the beach and survey a couple of entry points then photograph one of the many rockpools. The water is cold this time of year and even with a wet suit it takes a few minutes to adjust.

 

Old Wives under a ledge

Red Bait Crab

Visibility is good and I work my way along the shoreline which has numerous ledges and a healthy covering of algae as well as some encrusting invertebrates like sponges and sea squirts. A large Red Bait Crab peers at me from its position amongst some brown algae and there are numerous fish species in the seaweed and under the ledges. Within a few minutes I have seen over a dozen types including: leatherjacket species, Old Wives and Moonlighters.

 

Track along the hillside

Half an hour in the water is enough today. After a quick towelling down and a change of clothes (and camera) I decide to follow the narrow trail cut into the hillside and explore some more of this picturesque coastline.

 

Locust species possibly Plague Locust

Nankeen Kestrel Hovering

The wildlife above the water is not abundant as coastal vegetation does not provide a lot of food for animals. I manage to spot the occasional Singing Honeyeater and I can see a Nankeen Kestrel hovering near the top of the hillside. Quite a few grasshopper-like animals are taking flight from the undergrowth. A close up shot, and an ID book later at home, suggests they are probably Australian Plague Locusts.

 

Rockpools

The morning is almost over and as I walk back I look down on the beach and rockpools and the turquoise colour of the sea. Along the path, I notice some Crested Pigeons on an old fenceline, a murder of Crows in the distance and a lone Willie Wagtail fossicking close to the ground; probably after a locust snack. Which reminds me, it is time to head for the Normanville Bakery for a spot of lunch before I take a closer look at the township of Carrickalinga later in the afternoon.

Cheers

Baz

In a further post (Carrickalinga 2) will cover a walk around the township and along the beach.

Cheers

Baz

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on this link and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

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Port Elliot to Goolwa…A Wildlife Drive

20 Jul

Scrub and dunes between Coorong National Park and Goolwa Beach

Dear Reader:

A lone Silver Gull is perched on the parking sign next to the Flying Fish Café on Port Elliot’s picturesque Horseshoe Bay. Two hours should be more than enough for a fish and chips lunch while watching a few brave souls taking a dip in the chilly winter waters.

Parking restrictions…seagulls only

Across the bay, a fisherman is unfolding a chair and setting his lines for a leisurely afternoon’s angling. Perhaps he will catch a squid or some Flathead as we enjoy the same species on a plate and without the effort.

Horsehoe Bay’s old Jetty

I am taking a drive along the southernmost part of the SA’s lovely Fleurieu Peninsular between the towns of Port Elliot and Goolwa. This area is well known for fishing, surfing and whale watching in the winter months when Southern Right Whale migrate through these waters from the Southern Ocean.

Goolwa Beach and photographer

My next stop is Goolwa Beach, a long sandy stretch of several kilometres ending at the mouth of the Murray River. If the tides are right, I will be able to take my SUV onto the beach between sand hills and surf; a really rewarding experience. I am in luck and able to drive some distance towards the mouth. There are a few tiny waders dodging the surf while feeding on worms and other invertebrates beneath the wet sand but they quickly fly away as I get close enough for a shot. A pair of Pacific Gulls are more accommodating and I get a good series of images using full extension of the Nikon P900 zoom.

Fun in the surf…Pacific Gull style

About a kilometre along the beach there is a sign indicating a track that crosses the dunes ending up at the Coorong National Park near the Goolwa barrages which separate seawater from freshwater. This area is my next destination and I must drive back along the beach and skirt the town to reach the park.

Beach crossing to the barrages

The part of the Coorong National Park I am exploring is just past the barrages and consists of shallow mud flats, reed beds and small islets; an ideal collection of habitats for a wide range of aquatic birds. There are Black Swans in the distance, an unusual Musk Duck a couple of hundred metres offshore and a White-faced Heron hunting in the grasses and pools next to the road. Meanwhile, Singing Honeyeaters warble in the scrub between the park and the ocean beach which we were driving along just fifteen minutes earlier. However, the most exciting birds in the area are a couple of quite different raptor species which are swooping and hovering close to the shoreline. The larger bird is a Whistling Kite and the smaller, a female Nankeen Kestrel.

Singing Honeyeater not singing

Whistling Kite

Lunch and a couple of lucrative wildlife drives have made the day a success. However, the coastal town of Goolwa has many other attractions and I spend a further relaxing hour pottering around galleries and other small shops. To finish the day, I buy a bun and coffee at the Original  Goolwa Bakery on Dawson Street (established in 1912) before heading home via Strathalbyn and Mount Barker; two more SA towns with much to offer an enthusiastic nature photographer.

Goolwa’s Artworx Gallery

Cheers

Baz

Additional notes

This is an easy drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors with public toilets, barbecues, parking and other facilities nearby. 

Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

Click on this link and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

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Port Victoria’s Coastal Drive…..Part 1

6 Jul

Rocky outcrop near Second Beach

 

Dear Reader:

A few years ago I spent several days with a close friend at Port Victoria fishing in the rich waters off Wardang Island.  Geoff and I caught whiting, snook and squid and even managed to locate a few abalone which made for quite a feast on the barbecue. Today, we are exploring Port Vic from the shoreline and discovering some of the amazing scenery and coastal wildlife the area has to offer.

 

Patient Pelicans

What’s for lunch???

 

The boat ramp where we set off on our fishing trips is now the haunt of a small group of Australian Pelicans. They also enjoy the fruits of these waters, congregating around returning boats to feed on discarded fish and bait.

 

Pacific Gull in flight

The local golf course sits alongside the ramp and extends south along the coast to our first destination, known locally as Rifle Butts Beach. There are rocky outcrops at each end of the beach and I watch Pacific Gulls and a lone Great Cormorant flying just above the waves. The dunes and beach are pristine and there is an information plaque explaining their ecology and importance.

 

Beach fishing

From Rifle Butts it is only a short distance along Conservation Drive to Second Beach where we stop at a sandy parking bay and watch a couple of fishers casting for Mullet and Salmon Trout. A small sign cautions us to look out for rare Hooded Plovers which nest on the beach; though I believe breeding season is now over. The beach is accessible to 4WD but today is just a first look and we have more distance to cover.

 

Startled Western Grey Kangaroo

We continue slowly along Conservation Drive with the windows open ready to stop and record any special wildlife encounters. There is low coastal scrub to the right and open paddocks with sheep and cattle to the left. Large flocks of Crested Pigeons are feeding in the fields. I brake suddenly and turn the wheel to get a good angle on a pair of Grey Kangaroos half hidden in the scrub. They immediately bound away and I manage a hurried shot of one roo as it disappears into the scrub.

 

Water behind the dunes

Path to the ocean

 

Our final stop is Wauraltee Beach. The parking area lies at the end of a sandy track near a windmill which taps freshwater from behind the dune system. A short trail leads up and over the primary dunes and ends with a spectacular panoramic view north and south along this magnificent yet secluded beach.

View south along Wauraltee Beach

 

From the top of the dunes, I can scan the bush for birdlife, kangaroos and even wombats which live in the area.  Today, I spot several Singing Honeyeaters, a kestrel hovering in the distance and what appears to be a pod of dolphins about 500 metres offshore. There are some small waders near the seaweed fringe but it is hard to identify them at this range.

 

Singing Honeyeater

It has been a wonderful reintroduction to Port Victoria and has left me with a strong desire to return and spend more time exploring today’s destinations in greater detail. And, to add even more incentive, there is an equally interesting track and walking trail heading north from the jetty towards Point Pearce.

Cheers

BAZ

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About Port Gawler

1 Sep

Dear Reader:

For the rest of this year I will be posting occasional articles exploring some destinations along Adelaide’s coastline. They will include notes on: terrain, vegetation, common animals, history( First Nations and European) and other attractions. Port Gawler is the first in this series.

Introduction

Port Gawler is about 30 kms north-west of Adelaide’s CBD along Port Wakefield Road, Highway 1. The road from the main highway to Port Gawler has some fertile pastureland flanking it as well as mangrove and salt bush closer to the coast.

Fertile farmland on the drive into Port Gawler

 

Terrain

The seafront is dominated by Grey Mangroves with areas of samphire and low scrub alongside. An extensive beach area of shell grit and mud is exposed at low tide for hundreds of metres. Where the Gawler River meets the beach there is a channel. Seagrasses cover the sub-tidal region further out to sea. 

Samphire, saltbush and wetlands

Wildlife

Mangrove stands are important nursery areas for many recreational fish species such as King George Whiting, mullet species and Black Bream. Numerous marine snails, bivalves, crabs, sponges and other invertebrates live in the complex mangrove jungle and seagrass meadows. Butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies, mosquitoes and small spiders are common terrestrial invertebrates.

Masked Lapwing

Bird life in this area is prolific and includes many shore birds such as herons, oyster catchers, Black Swans, Cormorants, ibises, gulls and stilts as well as numerous migratory species including plovers and other small waders from as far away as Mongolia. Warblers, flycatchers and honeyeaters live in the dense foliage of the mangroves and are easy to recognise by their calls but hard to spot. The density of smaller birds also attracts some raptors including Nankeen Kestrels and Black-shouldered Kites. There are foxes, hares, lizards and snakes in the surrounding pasture and scrub. 

Nankeen kestrel hovering

 

Vegetation

The dominant plant in this region is the Grey Mangrove which grows close to the shore and extends into the shallow intertidal zone. The tubular structures that push through the mud are part of the root system called pneumatophores. They help the plant to absorb oxygen. Samphire, saltbush, pigface and other low growing hardy plants are found around the shoreline. Large amounts of seaweed are often washed up on the shore during the winter months. It is dead Posidonia or strapweed, a common sea grass along our coastline.

Grey Mangroves at low tide showing channel and pneumataphores

Mangrove fruits

History

First Nations

This was a rich area for the indigenous Kaurna people whose coastal lands stretched from Port Wakefield in the north to Cape Jervis in the south. They fished, hunted and collected shellfish and crabs from the estuary and used reeds for constructing a variety of products including fish nets and baskets.

Blue Crab

European settlement

Port Gawler was named in 1867 Governor Henry Young most likely for the earlier Governor, George Gawler. It was surveyed in 1869 and a large property of 4000 acres named Buckland Park was established along the river. The township and Lisbon Wharf became an important shipping point for grain and other produce with over 100 shallow draft ships called ketches taking their cargo to Port Adelaide. In 1920 fire destroyed the wharf and it was never rebuilt as a nearby rail link to Port Adelaide was constructed.

Remains of the old wharf system

Other notes e.g. attractions facilities

There is no township only a boat ramp, toilet block and shelter with interpretive information. Port Gawler marks the beginning of the Saphire Coast, a shallow mangrove and mud flat dominated stretch of coastline incorporating the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary-Winaityinaityi Pangkara. There is a nearby off-road hire park for 4WD, motor bikes and go-carts. Bird watching, fishing are popular along this part of the coast. From September to April, large numbers of Blue Crabs are caught in the shallows.

I hope you enjoyed this description and plan a visit to Port Gawler in the near future. Next month’s blog I will return to my personal account style. Until then…..enjoy and protect the natural world and all it offers.

Cheers

Baz

Click on this link and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

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Kangaroo

7 Oct

Kangaroo 

Dear Reader:

This post differs from my usual offerings which tell stories with images about a specific area in South Australia and the wildlife I encountered. This time I am focussing on one group of animals and providing some information about each image and what it tells us about our most iconic group of animals….the Kangaroos.

A mob of Western Grey Kangaroos in Belair National Park

 

Red Kangaroo joey being fed on special formula at Adelaide Zoo

The name kangaroo comes from the *Guugu Yimithirr word for Grey Kangaroo and was first reported by Cook in 1770. Kangaroos are confined to Australasia. There are six different species of kangaroo; Antilopine Kangaroo, Black Wallaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo, Red Kangaroo and the Common Wallaroo or Euro. The latter three are abundant in South Australia.

Young Grey Kangaroo males boxing

Adult male Red Kangaroo portrait……Cleland Wildlife Park

 

Red Kangaroos are the largest of all the ‘Macropods’; a term that refers to all kangaroos and wallabies and means big footed. A large male can stands taller than a man and weigh up to 85 Kg. Females are smaller, blue, grey in colour and do not have such distinct facial markings. The above image was taken at the Cleland Conservation Park which specialises in indigenous wildlife.

Adult female Red Kangaroo and joey at heel in flight

 

Western Grey Kangaroos moving off slowly

One of the most interesting features of kangaroos is their bounding or hopping gait. As a kangaroo hops the tendons in its legs compress and elongate like springs storing and releasing energy more efficiently than the muscle movements that most mammals use. These remarkable marsupials also use their tails to balance at speed or as a third limb to help them move slowly.

Adult female Western Grey Kangaroo with joey in pouch

 

Reproduction in kangaroos is also remarkable. Like all marsupials, the young, called joeys, are born in an extremely immature state. They move from the birth canal to suckle in the pouch where they develop in the same way other mammals would develop inside their mother. Female kangaroos can be pregnant, have a tiny joey suckling while another one is ‘at heel’ clambering into the pouch to feed when necessary.

Feeding an adult male Red Kangaroo at Cleland Wildlife Park

 

 In the wild, kangaroos are wary animals. Their ears are multi-directional and they have a good sense of smell and sight. In addition, their speed, up to 60 kph, and jumping ability allows them to successfully evade most threats. However, in captivity they are relatively docile creatures which makes them ideal animals in wildlife parks. For a photographer this means it is relatively easy to get good portrait shots and photograph some of their more subtle characteristics such as: split grooming claws, facial patterns, dentition and even mating behaviours.

Western Grey Kangaroos in coastal environment

 

Euro…Flinders Ranges

Kangaroos are found throughout the South Australian landscape. The more robust Euros like the hill country of the Flinders Ranges where their thick fur protects them from falls and extremes in temperature. Red kangaroos prefer the more arid zones and extract moisture from plants and can survive over multiple dry seasons without drinking. Grey Kangaroos are ubiquitous and seem to inhabit the widest range of habitats from coastal heath to dense scrub.

Adult male Red Kangaroo near Whyalla, Eyre Peninsula

 

Over the millions of years and isolated from the rest of the world by continental drift Australia’s macropods have evolved perfectly to suit our harsh and rather unforgiving environment. Therefore, the next time you catch sight of a ‘roo’ take some time to ponder what a wonderful and unique animal it really is.

 

Cheers

Baz

 Additional notes

The majority of these images were captured using Canon EOS equipment and lenses.

*Guugu Yimithirr is the language of the indigenous people encountered by Cook while his ship was grounded and being repaired on the banks of the now Endeavour River after running aground on the Barrier Reef

 Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.

 See more South Australian stories and pictures in Weekend Notes

https://www.weekendnotes.com/profile/651267/

 

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