Tag Archives: little corella

Aldinga’s Temperance Precinct

13 Oct

Dear Reader:

There is a sizeable group of Short-billed Corellas in the eucalyptus trees flanking the street. They exhibit a range of behaviours ranging from preening each other to nibbling branches and feeding on gum nuts. Some of the cars parked under the trees or nearby have also suffered some paintwork indignities due to the sheer number of birds.

Little or Short-beaked Corella

Corellas in tree

I am enjoying the ambience of the Temperance Precinct. A group of shops, restaurants, a pub, and other organisations situated on Port Road, where it intersects South Road leading into Aldinga. It is an area that has developed significantly over the last few years.

An interesting name

A little footwear style

So many colours to choose from

Perhaps the most iconic of these outlets is Miss Gladys on Sea which specialises in ‘well made’ clothing, shoes and accessories. Next door is a deli with organic foodstuffs and across the road, a bakery. Further down the street, there is an old church and graveyard as well as some fine period homes. Intermingled with the buildings are gardens, trees and bushes and the animals and plants which inhabit them.

A bit of everything

Heading for home

Collecting nectar

I sit on a stone wall, which borders a garden, waiting for a friend to do some shopping and notice a large native wasp fly into a gap in the stonework. In the garden I observe the same species feeding on several different kinds of flowers. With my attention focussed on these small invertebrates, I scan the plants for more species and spot: a diminutive flower spider, several Hoverflies, numerous Honey Bees and a cluster of tiny Aphids.

Not a gardener’s best friend

Shopping completed, it is time for lunch, but first I take a short stroll down to the churchyard where I can see some birds flitting between the branches of a red flowering gum. They are wary and in shadow. However, I recognise both Little Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters.

New Holland Honeyeater

Little Wattlebird

I finish the day with a wonderful steak and kidney pie washed down with a bottle of local fruit juice. In truth, a very satisfying low-key jaunt to one of my favourite coastal towns and I haven’t even taken the short drive to the beach with its fringing reef. An adventure I will leave for another day.

 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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Gorge Wildlife Park

20 Jun

Dear Reader:

Capturing images in the wild is one of the most exhilarating challenges a photographer faces. Each image evokes poignant memories of the location and circumstances under which it was shot. However, there is also a place for pictures taken in zoos and wildlife parks.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

At the Gorge Wildlife Park, one can get close enough to discern the fine details of animal structure and physiology such as the split grooming claws of a kangaroo or the scale patterns of a venomous snake. And of course, there are the fascinating interactions of people and animals. Each of the following images was added to my collection to emphasise these and other characteristics of our unique Australian wildlife.

Koalas are usually high in the branches of a gum tree. Being able to photograph one so close enables me to see the shading of fur as well as ear and eye structure.

The bullet shaped body, nictating eye membrane and position of the webbed feet and wings are obvious as this Little Blue or Fairy Penguin enters the water.

The tongue, beak structure and use of the feet when eating are well illustrated in this image of a Little Corella.

Getting close enough to a Dingo and her pups in the wild would be nearly impossible without specialist equipment, outback guides and a great deal of time to spend on the project.

Quinn feeds a female Red Kangaroo with a joey in its pouch. A picture which tells so many stories.

I have only encountered two Death Adders in all my years observing wild animals in the bush.

Bad hair (feathers), a wild gleam in the eye and a mouth full of greens….one of my favourite Emu images taken in a wildlife park.

I hope you have enjoyed these images from The Gorge Wildlife Park and they encourage you to visit this extraordinary facility and see what kind of images you can capture.

Cheers

BAZ    

Additional notes

This is an easy walk and drive 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.

All images using a Nikon P900

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

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

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

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Corella Wars

24 Aug

Dear Reader:

Strathalbyn is one of those country towns that make you think of Britain. An imposing church presides over a pleasant stretch of river complete with ducks, gently sloping banks and an old fashioned rotunda. Huge Norfolk pines are mingled with classic river red gums and picnicking families often spread blankets on the banks and eat sandwiches or barbecue a few snags.

Like a flurry of snow Corellas perch in the trees they are feeding on showing bare branches

Church, rotunda and corellas in the trees

 

But the rustic charm is not sound-tracked by the gentle call of songbirds. Quite the opposite, it is the raucous call of parrots that often fills the air. Large flocks of short beaked corellas frequently descend upon the trees that line the Finnis River where it passes through the town. They are particularly fond of the towering pines and hundreds will sit along the branches of each tree tearing at the cones and limbs with their powerful beaks. At the same time they engage in a variety of typically cockatoo-like social interactions ranging from mutual grooming and preening to wing flapping, mock fights and beak duels; all of which are accompanied by a variety of screeches and squawks.

A Corella social behaviour

Corella social behaviour

 

Short-beaked or little corellas (Cacatua sanguine) are, as the name suggests, a member of the cockatoo family. They grow to around 40 cms in length and can weigh over half a kilogram. These corellas often congregate in flocks that can number thousands of birds. They are mainly ground feeders, rooting out tubers and bulbs and are particularly fond of cereal crops like wheat and barley; a habit which does not endear them to many farmers.

B Corellas use a combination of wings , beaks and feet to position themselves

Corellas use a combination of wings , beaks and feet to position themselves

 

Although most locals and visitors alike enjoy the sight of thousands of graceful white birds wheeling through the sky, the continual noise and quite substantial damage to the heritage trees has become a significant problem. Various means have been employed to move the flock to the outskirts of the town including: culling, high frequency sound bursts and quite recently using a trained peregrine falcon to discourage them.

D Little corella flock circling pine trees

Flock of little corellas circling pine trees

 

Strathalbyn is only an hour’s drive from the city and the wildlife along the Finnis and open bushland that dominates the area makes it a wonderful day’s outing. And the corellas are the most endearing of birds to observe despite their rather destructive disposition.

 I hope you enjoyed this story.

Cheers

Baz

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