Tag Archives: fantail

Mount Pleasant ….. A Natural Experience ….. Part 1

12 Apr
Grey Fantail, probably a juvenile

Dear Reader:

There is a solitary Grey Fantail hunting alongside the bridge. It perches on a branch then makes quick aerial sorties to catch insects in mid-air.

Bridge over the Torrens on Talunga Road

I am at the first bridge in Mount Pleasant, on Talunga Park Road, after entering the town on the B10 from Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills. This delightful little town sits near the source of the River Torrens and reflects colonial history as well as lovely, rural scenery. A Saturday farmers’ market is yet another attraction.

Adelaide Rosella

Climbing down a path next to the bridge, I reach a long pool. I sit on the bank and scan several large River Gums. An Adelaide Rosella lands in one and calls to its mate somewhere further down the river. After a few minutes the parrot flies down to a fenced riverside property to feed in some bushes. Close enough for a hurried, shady shot.

Strange little shed

I drive a little further along the road and stop by the entrance to a park and follow a dirt pathway. There are tennis courts, a bowling green, club houses and a strange little shed which advertises the Men’s Shed project.

Cockatoos in flight

Walking along the track, I spot a small group of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos feeding by a fenceline. They are nervous and I set the camera to Sports Mode, to use my preset shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second. Birds in flight are always an interesting and challenging target.

Mosaic styled couch for reflection

The path skirts the facilities then turns right, past a children’s playground, reflection couch ending at another bridge leading to a small park. The cockatoos have flown off and squawked loudly enough to alert all other birds in the area to my presence.

Painted Lady butterfly

I decide to focus on smaller animals and search the leaf litter and fallen branches for insects, skinks and spiders. I am not disappointed as I photograph three butterflies belonging to different families: a Cabbage White, small blue grey of unknown species and a Painted Lady.

Blue/grey butterfly of unknown species

I decide to cross the little footbridge and continue to investigate the town and river from the other side…to be continued in my next post…….

Cheers

Baz

Additional notes

Other animals seen, heard but not photographed: Superb Fairy Wren, Silvereyes, dragonflies

The camera used for this post is a Nikon Coolpix P900

This is an easy walk and drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors with public toilets, barbecues, 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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Warren Reservoir…drained for maintenance

14 Jul

Dear Reader:

From Tea Tree Gully, the road climbs into the foothills then snakes past Chain of Ponds Reservoir before it forks to the left towards Williamstown. Just before the town there are often mobs of Western Grey Kangaroos on the hillside to the right. Today, I spot a small group on the opposite side near a layby where I can safely pull off the road to take a few photographs.

Western Grey Kangaroos near Williamstown

I am exploring the Northern section of the Warren Reservoir which is around 10 kms past Williamstown towards Gumeracha on the Warren Road. The sky is a little overcast with a hint of rain in the air which makes photography challenging but in the winter months one takes any opportunity on offer to venture out into the bush. This is my second visit to the Warren and of particular interest because the reservoir has been emptied for dam wall maintenance and comparing it to my last visit, when it was full, is a rare opportunity.

Reservoir full

Reservoir drained and with some improvements to the public car park area

Usually there are numerous duck species as well as cormorants, Australian Pelicans and Anhingas (Snakebirds) around the edge of the reservoir. Today there is just a solitary Pacific Black Duck paddling along a narrow channel. Way off to the north, I can just make out a pair of kites catching thermals above the surrounding scrub.

Anhinga

Grey Fantail

However, all is not lost. For some reason the number of smaller birds seems to have increased around the periphery of the reservoir. Using the full extension of my Nikon P900 Camera lens, I am able to spot Silvereyes, Superb Fairy Wrens, a thornbill species, Grey Fantails and New Holland honeyeaters. Perhaps a lack of predatory species could account for this or maybe there are insects among the leaves and on the smaller branches.

Adelaide Rosella

I finish my loop walk back at the car parking area where a pair of Adelaide Rosellas are feeding on the ground. They are some distance away and as I approach all but one fly into the canopy. The lone bird perches on a wiry grass stem where it appears to be picking out seeds. I take a shot from distance just before it flies off disturbed by a couple of Little Ravens flying into a nearby eucalypt.

Australian Magpie foraging on reservoir floor

It has been a relatively productive morning’s work and I pack up my gear and head back towards Williamstown and lunch at the local bakery which, by the way, makes one of the best custard tarts I have tasted in a long time.

Snack time

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 information boards 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 the links below to 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

Weekend Notes

Feedspots top 20 Wildlife Blogs

 

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Jenkins Scrub

21 Mar

Dear Reader:

There are tiny birds flitting through the canopy and squabbling in the bushes either side of the walking trail that snakes its way through the scrub. Occasionally they settle for just a second or two and feed on Autumn’s few remaining blossoms or probe for insects beneath the bark. The birds move quickly, giving me just a split second to focus and fire; which is my excuse for some of these images not being quite as sharp as I would like. However, they do give an accurate depiction of what searching for wildlife images in dense scrub, is really like.

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Grey fantail

 

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Treecreeper species

 

 

After walking across a small footbridge, I find a clearing and sit on a fallen log and wait in the shadows for ten minutes. Birds are still twittering deep in the bushes, heard but not seen; but most have moved on.

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Crescent honeyeater

 

 

Jenkins scrub is a remnant area of the original bushland that once covered the Adelaide hills. The light sandy soil supports a wide range of shrubs, grasses and delicate flowers including native orchids. Tall eucalyptus trees complete the ecosystem which is traversed by a series of narrow trails.

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Classic hills scrub

 

 

The scrub lies just off the Springton road, a pleasant 50k hills drive from the city. A lunch stop at the Bakehouse Tavern in Williamstown, just 10 Kms from the park’s entrance, is a good way to break up the drive. Or, you can buy a pies and cake at the bakery to snack by the old cemetery on the edge of the adjoining pine forest; somewhere to explore the personal histories the people who settled this region. 

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Pub at Williamstown

 

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Graveyard from the old church

   

 

Hefting my long lens from the pack I continue my walk. The understory is littered with leaves and fallen branches which provide a home for a plethora of insect and retile species. There are quite a few butterflies in the area and every so often one settles in the leaf litter. They seem to spread their wings a couple of times then rest them upright exposing only the underneath which blend perfectly with the bleached leaves and twigs.

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Meadow argus butterfly…..brilliant camouflage

 

 

Another hour’s walking produces a few more images, shot at long range, and a memorable encounter with a pair of kangaroos which are feeding deep in the bush. I try for a better angle to get a clear shot but they quickly hop into deeper cover. By the time I reach the car it is a welcome refuge as some large bush flies have emerged in the late afternoon and the insect repellent is in the glove box.

adel rosella

Adelaide rosella

 

 

Just as I am about to turn on the engine I hear the shrill call of rosellas. Luck is with me and the birds settle in a gum tree just within camera range of the car. Three quick frames and my day ends on a high or so I think. It turns out that the 2 Km drive back along the dirt to the Springton road has a final surprise; three young emus feeding in a field of stubble just a ‘stone’s throw’ from the roadside.

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Emus at dusk

 

 

Until our next adventure

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Author in the office

 

Cheers

BAZ

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