Gluepot at Easter 2014





I spent a day at Gluepot over the weekend to catch up with some friends. Birds are scattered due to the water but it didn't matter, the peace and quiet there is always appealing. Leaving the hordes of people dotted along the river behind I could feel the peace increase behind each gate as I closed it along the road into Gluepot Reserve.

 

 

 

White-winged Chough, Grey and Pied Butcherbirds, Black-faced cuckoo-shrike, Gilberts and Red-lored Whistler, White-browed and masked Woodswallows were the first birds to great me. 

 

 

 

Some other birds seen included Red-capped and Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter, Striated and Spotted Pardelotes, Australian Ravern, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Weebill, Tree Martins,White-fronted, Yellow-plumed, singing and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, White-winged, Splendid and Variegated Fairy-wrens, Brown Treecreeper, Crested Bellbird and Mallee Ringnecks.

 

 

White-browed and Chestnut-crown Babblers, Southern Scrub-robin, Emu, a few Mulga Parrots made an appearance along with wood ducks feeding by the old Gluepot dam which still has water from the recent rains.

 

 

Chestnut Quail-thrush and common bronzewing were feeding at sunset along the side of the track.

 

 

 

We spent a bit of time looking at the water holes and found some other nice little beasties - mainly dragonflies and butterflies - and we met a few other birders visiting from interstate!

 

 

 

Here are a few photos from the day.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Tau Emerald

 

 

White-browed Woodswallow

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sand Goanna

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bearded Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Skimmer

 

 

 

 

 

These caterpillers were everywhere, literally dropping out of trees onto us as we walked in the mallee. I believe they are in the Geometridae (a True Looper) family, a Late Instar due to the reddy brown colouring and white spots, Pholodes sinistaria or Sinister Moth

Common Bluetail Damselfly

 

Red-capped Robin

 

Tau Emerald

Saltbush Blue

Bearded Dragon

 

 

Mallee Wanderings at Lake Gilles Conservation Park South Australia

 

I decided to spend a weekend at Lake Gilles Conservation Park, the lovely Mallee habitat just draws me in like a magnet, not to mention I can spend days there without seeing another person!  The weather was cool, but sadly cloudy which was not helpful for photography. Everything was fresh after the large rainfalls earlier in the week and a lot of salt bush was literally under water between Port Augusta and Iron Knob.

 

Here are a few photos taken over the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Australian Painted Lady

 

 

 

 

 

Chirruping Wedgebill

 

 

 

 

Bearded Dragon

 

 

 

 

Chirruping Wedgebill

 

 

 

 

 

Variegated Fairy-wren

 

 

 

 

Lake Gilles

 

 

 

 

Golden Whistler

 

 

 

Large black Wasp, hunting on a log, I presume this is a Spider Wasp

 

 

 

Lesser Wanderer

Red-capped Robin

 

 

 

Southern Whiteface

 

 

Varied Sitella

 

 

 

Western Yellow Robin

 

 

 

White-eared Honeyeater

 

Birding - a fitness challenge!

On a visit to the Mount Lofty Botanical Garden I parked at the Upper Car Park and meandered down into the gullies below enjoying a variety of honeyeaters, Kookaburras, parrots and butterflies as I went.

Of course what I did not think about was that what goes down, must go up! Gee it is STEEP! I started off fine but as my leg muscles started to burn and my heart started racing I slowed, I huffed and puffed, wheezed and whined and finally gave in and stopped, gasping for air..... To give my heart  a chance to not actually explode I took the opportunity to photograph an Eastern Spinebill who was relaxingly feeding. No matter how much I begged it to fly me back to the top sadly it ignored me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After that episode I decided to go somewhere with flat terrain so drove to the heart of the Coorong and spent the day seeing what waders where still around and enjoyed some Southern Emu-wrens.