A Bird in the Hand...Part 2

9 min read

Deviation Actions

Okavanga's avatar
By
Published:
2.5K Views
In Part 1 of this Journal, I introduced some of the birds I came across during our recent trip to South Australia, including the galah, the New Holland Honeyeater, and various parrots and lorikeets. Those were the "easy" ones to photograph, albeit with a large degree of patience being required in some cases. The following shots are more one-offs, adventitious takes as we traveled through this marvelous land.

My first shot is of a swallow taken at the Goolwa Barrage on Lake Alexandrina near the mouth of the Murray River at Goolwa and Victor Harbour. As to the precise species of swallow, I am not sure and am happy to take advice. It is probably either the Welcome (Hirundo neoxena) or the Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica), with my favouring the Welcome variety. There was a small flock of these birds wheeling about with singles such as this coming in to rest for a few minutes on the superstructure. The barrage is where nominally fresh water from the river meets salt water from the sea, such a confluence being controlled by the (very lengthy) barrage. Presumably, there must have been a large number of flying insects present, although I read that Welcome Swallows need to drink copious amounts of water which they scoop up from lakes and rivers, and concomitantly catch water borne insects.

Welcome Swallow by Okavanga


At the nearby town of Victor Harbour, I came across this Pied Cormorant (Phalocrocorax varius) sunning itself on some granite rocks.  Photographically, capturing the dynamic range of white to black in birds can be a bit of a challenge as there is a tendancy to either blow the whites or clip the darks, or both. But here, I think I managed a reasonable exposure such that we can see the beautiful sheen and patterning of the black feathers on the wing as well as the texture in the white feathers.

Pied Cormorant by Okavanga


On Kangaroo Island, we encountered many species of birds including this tiny one - the Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus). A fully grown male is said to be about 14 cm in length, but nearly half of that is the length of the tail. They are also very fast, hopping and flitting through trees, bushes, and leaf strewn ground looking for insects. They work in small flocks with one alpha male, several subsidiary males and many females. They raise clutches of 3 or 4 chicks as a flock. The bright blue and black plumage seen here is the breeding plumage for the males, otherwise both male and female birds are a dull brown. Because of their small size, and their fast movements, the photographer needs to be close even with a long lens. Couple that with poor lighting on the day, and there is a severe photographic challenge. I had to use a fairly slow shutter speed, Tv =1/250 s, to keep the noise level down, and hence some movement blurring of the feathers has occurred. The small size means that the image size when cropped is small and that limits what can be done in post production to enhance sharpness and so on. Nevertheless, I think I've captured the character of the male of the species.

Superb Fairywren by Okavanga


While trying to snap these Fairywrens, two other birds came into view: what I think is an immature Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), the immatures having prominent green plumage; and the Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculta).

Crimson Rosella? by Okavanga  Red Wattlebird by Okavanga


Rosellas are a type of parrot, but they differ from other types such as lorikeets through their physical build, their behavior, their feeding habits, and their evolutionary lineage. To the unpractised eye, such as mine, they are all just beautiful birds. One difference is that lorikeets are very active, always moving about, but rosellas are quieter, sort of more refined in behviour!

The Red Wattlebird attracted my attention because it was squawking away to several others in a small flock and making quite a racket. Flying from tree to tree this fellow seemed to be calling for a mate or perhaps it was an alarm call. At the time I thought it was a Noisy Miner (q.v.), but when I looked closely at the image on the computer screen I could see the red wattle directly below the eye on the neck - you may have to look at the full screen image to see it. Wattle birds are honeyeaters, but much larger than the New Holland species featured in Part 1. Nectar, berries, and some insects are its main sources of food. 

The Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) lives up to its name. Although somewhat subdued in the photograph, a few moments earlier this guy was almost shrieking while pointing its head and beak towards the source of its displeasure - me! It is another species of honeyeater, a gregarious bird that normally flocks in large numbers, such flocks working collectively to defend large territories and to mob other birds and frighten others with their loud calls. They also roost and forage together. According to the literature, they also display a more complex form of social behaviour whereby an individual male will have its own active territory, often overlapping with the territories of other males, and in times of danger that smaller group of males with overlapping territories join together (10- 25 birds) in what are called coteries in order to carry out defensive duties. Overall, Noisy Miners have a complex social hierarchy compared to most other birds.

Noisy Miner by Okavanga


In terms of noise, however, the Noisy Miner is out of its league compared to the dread of the skies - the Corella! There are several species of Corella (Cacatua licmetis), long-billed, little and Western being three such. But, it matters not which exact species these are: they are very loud screeching birds that when flocking together make such a noise as to wake the dead. I have encountered these several times in the past on my journeys around Victoria, and, like all sane Australians, I have learned to give them a wide berth. I came across this small flock at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders ranges. They were busy raiding waste bins and generally disturbing the peace. They just have the look of mischievous delinquents!

Corellas by Okavanga


 On a quieter note, here is a shot of the Australian Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes). Like our own pigeons, these fellows have taken to urban life and are to be found in most of the large Australian cities. Unlike our pigeons, the Crested Pigeon is not wholly grey, but has purple and green patches on its wings. I have just managed to capture a hint of the green if you look closely.

Crested Pigeon by Okavanga


Finally, for the Aww Factor, a shot of a Purple Swamphen chick (Porphyrio melanotus), lost and in desperate need of its mother who had wandered off in the opposite direction. Luckily, the wee fellow managed to make its way back down its nest at a pool about 50 meters distant. Altogether now...Awww...!

Purple Swamp Hen Chick by Okavanga


That's all for now folks. Back soon with another thrilling installment of Adeladian Adventures.

Cheers

David aka Okavanga :iconokavanga: 

This Journal Skin was designed by Night-Beast modified by Okavanga
Comments26
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
SiradLah's avatar
Hi David
Another informative journal and well presented journal.
The Fairywren is my favourite - it reminds me of our tiny wagtails that I often see in our garden - only ours are not so pretty!
Chat to you soon
Cheers
Pam