Dear Reader:
With the houseboat safely secured and lunch over; it is time for a walk into the bush.
I scan the dry leaf litter for signs of life. A locust moves just enough for me to locate it while a colourful butterfly lands amongst the leaves. It is well camouflaged when still with wings upright, easily seen when it spreads them.
Following the track across an open space I hear the call of Red-rumped Parrots up ahead. They are gathered around a depression filled with water from recent rains. As I approach, they fly into the trees.
The track meets one of King Billabong’s many channels then branches along the waterway in both directions. I turn right scratching a marker into the soft earth. It is easy lose direction in this kind of environment.
A Brown Treecreeper moves quickly along the branches of a nearby tree probing the bark for insects. The little bird scurries down the trunk and peers at me for a few seconds before taking flight.
I sit for a while and watch the grassy scrub. There is a small group of White-plumed Honeyeater flitting around between the branches and I manage to catch one feeding a juvenile while another watches from the trees.
There is enough water in the billabong for both Anhingas (Snakebirds, Darters) and Pied Cormorants to fish for Carp, Frogs and other aquatic prey. Both species must leave the water periodically to dry out their wings as they do not have the protective oils that many seabirds possess.
Along the edge of the track there are a few native flowers blooming and I stop to photograph a small purple blossom which I later identify as a Wahlenbergia species………………….to be continued
Cheers
Baz
Additional notes
Other animals seen, heard but not photographed: Raven, Laughing Kookaburra, Bronzewing
The camera used for this post is a Nikon Coolpix P900
This is an easy walk which is quite suitable for families and seniors
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
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