Tag Archives: Bird watching

Aldgate to Stirling 1……..around the RSL and church

26 Aug

Dear Reader:

There is a small stream running under the roadway which is overshadowed by tall Eucalyptus trees. I can hear the raucous calls of Galahs, Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos coming from high in the canopy. I swing the Nikon telephoto in a broad arc and eventually locate a lone Galah (Rose-breasted Cockatoo) gripping the trunk of a Stringy Bark Gum. On a grassy area near the playground, which is adjacent to the stream, a male and female Maned Duck are sitting close to each other some distance from the water.

Galah (Rose-breasted Cockatoo)

Male and female Maned Ducks or Wood Ducks

In another tree, I spot an Adelaide Rosella perched amongst the branches and leaves and nearby a second bird  is feeding on the buds of a non-native tree.  In the last few minutes I have identified four species of parrots , two by sight and two by sound. A nice start to my walk between the Aldgate RSL club and the outskirts of Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.

Adelaide Rosella

Adelaide Rosella feeding

Before I take my intended walk back to Stirling along the roadside pathway, I decide to explore the immediate area as I have been surprised by the diversity of birdlife here. A short stone stairway leads up to the Soldiers Memorial and a clearing with some garden seats. I sit for a while contemplating lives lost and the sacrifices made by families to ensure our way of life.

Soldiers Memorial

Golden Whistler

While I am sitting near the Memorial a Golden Whistler lands in the bushes close to me. This truly beautiful bird is not common and I feel privileged to watch it hopping between branches.

Superb Fairy Wren (Male)

Anglican Church of the Ascension

On the other side of the main road there an Anglican Church. It is shaded by trees and appears to have a range of flowers and flowering trees and shrubs in the grounds; always a good sign when one is searching for wildlife. I have heard the twittering call of wrens while walking up to the church and, as if on cue, I notice a male and female Superb Fairy Wren fossicking in the gravel beneath the Church Noticeboard.

Pair of Laughing Kookaburras

The church’s pretty wrens and flowers seem to have rounded off the first part of my walk around the Aldgate RSL but I am left with one more divine offering. A pair of Kookaburras, that I have not noticed, start to call from a branch in the largest eucalypt overlooking the church. There has been so many species in this small area that I have decided to cover the actual walk back to Stirling 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, parking and other facilities nearby. 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/adelaide/writer/452/

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

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Druminoor Lake’s Birdlife

4 Mar

Druminoor Lake’s Birdlife

Dear Reader:

From the edge of a little bridge that divides the creek from the lake I can see a purple swamp hen using its elongated feet to delicately traverse a clump of reeds. These beautiful water birds also use the reeds as food and to construct their nests along the water’s edge.

 

Purple swamp hen

 

Crossing the bridge, I walk along a short gravel pathway to a viewing platform that overlooks Druminoor Lake, a small dammed area of Dry Creek just off Golden Grove Road.  It is an integral part of the Tea Tree Gully water management program. Their goal is to use water that runs into the creek in an environmentally sustainable fashion for the benefit of the local community.

 

Low water during summer

 

A centuries old red gum dominates the upstream end of the lake and I can hear birds screeching high in the branches. Using the extreme setting on my long lens I scan the tree tops and to my surprise there are both rainbow lorikeets and sulphur crested cockatoos in the foliage. Both parrot species noisy but together they produce a considerable din.

 

Sulphur crest real estate

 

Below a rock wall dam on the downstream perimeter of the lake, Dry Creek meanders through a steep gully overshadowed by more eucalypts. In a gnarled old tree a pair of lorikeets has chosen to nest in a knot hole half way up the trunk. I approach carefully but the birds takes flight and resultant blurred image of feathers in flight is rather satisfying.

 

A flash of colour

 

The grey trunks of long dead trees tower above the little lake. They are perfect nesting sites and vantage points for a range of bird life. Cormorants and ibises often perch on the limbs and parrots make use of the holes where branches were once attached. Occasionally a bird of prey will use them as a vantage point to wreak havoc amongst the smaller animals that gather around the lake which is a permanent source of water even in the drier months.

 

Ibis silhouette

 

There are several lakes and ponds along the track that stretches from Modbury through to Wynne Vale and all of them harbour quite a varied array of wildlife making this trail through Tea Tree Gully one of my favourite wildlife walks. Take a look and send me a message if you enjoy it. 

 

Cheers

Baz

 

Additional notes

This is an easy walk which is quite suitable for families and seniors with concrete pathways along Dry Creek and a viewing platform at the lake.

 

 I have recently spent time in Africa and the link below will allow you to enjoy images and text describing some of my encounters with the wonderful wildlife of Botswana and Zambia. I will attach a new image and notes to accompany each post. The link does not work well on mobile phones and is best followed through a computer or tablet.

https://silkstone627.wixsite.com/mysite

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