Follow my Tweets
Murrumbidgee River, Balranald
Murrumbidgee River, Balranald
Sydney Trip June 2011
On the second day of our return visit we stopped briefly at Balranald for lunch. We visited the tourist information centre, then drove down to the picnic area on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. During and after lunch I did a little birding and captured a nice shot of the White-faced Heron shown below.
White-faced Heron, Balranald
A short holiday on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, South Australia
Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to have a short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia. We stayed in a holiday unit in Edithburgh, a popular seaside town near the southern end of the peninsula. It had been quite a few years since our last visit so we eagerly anticipated seeing the rugged coastal scenery. I was looking forward to doing some birding and my wife was keen to reacquaint herself with the native flora of the region.
Sadly the weather conspired against us with bitterly cold wild gale force winds, scudding showers and overcast skies making birding and photography a challenge. Undeterred we soldiered on, having made the booking of the unit. Despite the restrictions caused by the weather we still had a great time, I saw a few good birds and my wife got all excited about the plants and flowers she was seeing. Over the coming few days I will share some of our sightings and the photos I took.
By the way, the caption on the photograph above was taken at Penguin Point at Marion Bay. I didn’t see any penguins, though Little Penguins have been recorded in the area.
Apostlebirds, Rankins Springs, NSW
Apostle Birds, Rankins Springs, NSW
On our one night stay at Rankins Springs last year we took out time from travelling home to drive around this mid western town. On previous occasions we had only stopped for a short time for a meal, or a cuppa. This time we made time to have a good look around.
I am particularly interested in the birds of any location I visit (see Trevor’s Birding site). One of the common birds in this area is the Apostle Bird. It is commonly seen in parks and gardens, along road side vegetation and flying across the road as you travel along.
Apostle birds are gregarious, usually moving around feeding in family groups of about a dozen or so, hence their name. They are often seen feeding on the ground. When it comes to nesting time the whole group will help make a bowl shaped mud nest in a convenient tree.
On our wandering around the town we visited several birding spots promoted by the locals for visiting birders. They have even produced a small pamphlet about the local birds, including a map to show where to see birds in the vicinity. Sign posts along the road direct visitors to these good birding sites. One of them was the dam shown below.
Further reading:
- Cocoparra National Park - just south of Rankins Springs
Dam near Rankins Springs, NSW
Rankins Springs, New South Wales
Allan James Park, main street of Rankins Springs, NSW
On our way home from visiting family in Sydney last year we stayed one night at Rankins Springs. I was pleased that we could do this because on many other occasions we had only driven through this delightful little town in mid-western New South Wales.
On several occasions we had stopped for a short break, including one occasion when we had lunch in the Allan James Park shown in the photos on this page. It is a lovely park with many shady trees and it takes the traveller off the busy main road through the town. It is a good spot to rest, relax, have a cuppa or a meal before heading off west towards Adelaide, east to Sydney, south to Griffith or north to Lake Cargelligo.
The park also affords a good introduction to the birds of the area. This town is something of a mecca for birders with many species easily seen here, including Blue-faced Honeyeaters, Apostle Birds, White-winged Choughs and Red-rumped Parrots.
Allan James Park, main street of Rankins Springs, NSW
Birds of Mallacoota, Victoria
Bird life, Mallacoota, Victoria
On our walk around Mallacoota we followed the edge of the estuary. In the inlet and on sand bars and small islands we could see many water birds. I was kept busy taking photos, checking them out through my binoculars and jotting down the species’ names in my notebook. During our stay of about 18 hours I made quite a healthy list, mostly water birds. A stay of a week or more would undoubtedly add considerably to this list.
In the photo above I have captured Australian Pelicans, Yellow-billed Spoonbills, cormorants (not sure but probably Little Black) and Silver Gulls.
Black Swans, Mallacoota, Victoria
The photos above and below show the numerous Black Swans feeding in the shallows of the estuary.
Black Swans, Mallacoota, Victoria