Tag Archives: wattlebirds

Glacier Rock….Good food, Geology and Wildlife

30 Nov

A pair of New Holland Honeyeaters

Dear Reader:

There is white water swirling around the boulders in the river and a family of Pacific Black Ducks are huddling to one side where the water is calmer. Perched amongst the branches of an overhanging eucalyptus tree I make out the shape of several New Holland Honeyeaters and hear the distinctive call of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos as they fly overhead.

Breakfast at the Tearooms

I am sitting on the back decking of the Glacier Rock Tea Rooms  having just devoured a serve of the delicious waffles topped with berries, cream and ice cream; with a little maple syrup for good measure. The weather is overcast and not great for photography but I shall make the best of it.

Typical rural countryside along the Inman Valley

On the drive along the Inman Valley Road we spotted a mob of roos feeding just outside the little township of the same name. There were also  black headed sheep and numerous herds of dairy cattle grazing on the fertile grassland. Some really pleasant rural scenes to photograph.

Inman river and Tearooms

I take the track from the caffe down to the river passing an information board on the way which explains the geological processes that lead to the rock formations. They involved the scraping of surfaces by rocks embedded in an ancient glacier which carved out the valley millions of years ago.

White-naped Honeyeater

Grey Fantail

From the viewing point alongside the river I watch Welcome Swallows and Grey Fantails hawking for insects above the water. And, to my great delight, spot a bird I have never photographed before: a White-naped Honeyeater.  

Old bridge over the Inman River

Superb Fairy Wren

The Mt Alma Road runs alongside the café. I walk a short distance along the road to get a good view of a dilapidated, old bridge which crosses the river. Thick brush lines the first section of the road and I can hear the twittering of wrens in the thickets. There are both sheep and cattle in the paddock opposite.

Galahs in silhouette

Red Wattlebird

On the other side of the Inman Valley Road, a narrow, sealed track called Parsons Road climbs a small rise. In the field alongside the road, several Galahs are perched at the top a long dead tree. Nearby a group of Red Wattlebirds are feeding on flowering shrubs along the fence line.

Spider predation or devouring its own carapace after shedding????

However, my final wildlife encounter is on a much smaller scale. A little spider (species unknown) appears to have caught another spider in its web and is starting to wrap it in silk ready to devour later.

Sweet indulgence

My walk is over and I shall return to the tearooms and treat myself to a hot chocolate. An appropriate end to a rather successful walk in this lovely part of the Fleurieu Peninsula.  

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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Birdwood’s Cromer Conservation Park… Part 1

26 Feb

Cromer Conservation Park… Part 1

Dear Reader:

Red and Pink Gums as well as Long Leafed Box trees tower above me. They echo with birdsong which ranges from the twittering of finches and pardalotes to the raucous calls of lorikeets. My Nikon P 900 has a phenomenal telephoto and I use it to scan the treetops in the hope of identifying the birds and capturing an image or two.

Eventually I spot a Red Wattlebird and a Musk Lorikeet close enough to photograph. The silhouette of the wattlebird calling is a particularly pleasing image. While I continue to search the foliage for a makeable shot I watch a pair of Adelaide Rosellas flit between trees and high above me a kestrel is circling.

My destination today is the Cromer Conservation Park about 5 Kms from Birdwood. This small, fenced off section of bush is all that remains of the original scrub that once blanketed this part of the ranges. As such, it is an important repository of endemic plant and animal species. Indeed, over 100 bird species have been recorded in the park and I am sure plant and invertebrate tallies would also be high.

As I walk slowly along the main pathway near the boundary fence I notice another faint track winding into the scrub. I step cautiously and stop to listen every few paces. There is a rustle in the bush a dozen metres ahead and a Western Grey Kangaroo suddenly appears. We both freeze. I slide the Nikon up the rapid release strapping to eye level and take a wide angle shot for context then a close-up. The second click of the camera alerts the roo which swivels its ears, looks in my direction, then bounds away.

The sun is well up, the day is warming and with a rise in temperature the sounds of the scrub also change. Cicadas start to buzz and Fairy Wrens twitter in and around the grass trees which seem to be the centre of their territories. My morning walk is almost over therefore I decide to focus on the smaller plants and animals surrounding me. Although it is late summer there are still a few plants in bloom. The delicate, little Flax Lilies growing along this trail catch my attention. However, my final image for today is of a tiny speckled spider living under the bark of a long dead gum tree…….to be continued

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