Wild Bird Wednesday 318 - Australasian Darter

I spent a few hours the weekend at a lake called Jells Park - it was great to be able to just sit in the hide and see what came along.  As you may guess its been busy!

This is an Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae).  As you can see this bird is doing the classic 'feather drying' pose - although this behaviour may also be to do with temperature regulation as well.

The duck in the foreground of two of the shots is a Pink-eared Duck.

I hope to catch up with comments soon!

To link up with WBW just click the blue button below.  SM 

An InLinkz Link-up

Norman Point Skies

You may have noticed that I rather like Wilsons Promontory National Park.  These are some sky shots taken from Norman Point - which is about an hours (slow) walk from Tidal River.

You can find more skies from around the world at Sky Watch Friday.  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 317 - Helmeted Friarbird

This is a rather older picture than usual - it was taken a couple of years ago in Kakadu National Park, near the Nourlangie area.

This bird is a young Helmeted Friar Bird (Philemon buceroides). On the other hand it may be a Silver Headed Friarbird (although I dont think so)  - anybody who can identify with more certainty than me is welcome to comment!

Any this bird is about 30 to 35 cm long, and is only found in the northern parts of Australia.  When I Was taking these shots I remember thinking that the light was really not that great - too muck back light and such like.

To join in with WBW click on the blue button below the thumbnails.  Cheers - SM

An InLinkz Link-up

Tidal River

Tidal River is the focus of Wilsons Promontory National Park.  The river itself runs over a sandy beach before it reaches the sea.  In summer its a very popular place for gentle swimming and generally cooling off.  It's a popular location when its hot - it's why we go to The Prom in the winter!

You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 316 - Pacific Gull

The Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) is the largest gull in Australia, with a wingspan that can exceed 1.5m and a weight over 1kg.  The beak of this bird is huge - and it is very characteristic of this species (although it's size is pretty diagnostic in Australia too!)

Thie individual was loafing about in the car park at tidal river, and unlike many of the other creatures in that area was not over fond of people and cameras.

All is all this is a rather impressive bird!

To join in with WBW click on the blue button below the thumbnails.  Cheers - SM

An InLinkz Link-up

Wild Bird Wednesday 315 - Australasian Grebe

I took a brief walk around one of my local wetland sites this weekend - its recently had a lot of work done to it, replacing an old boardwalk and such like.  It seemed pretty quiet at first - which was not a surprise given how much disturbance the work must have caused - but eventually this Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) emerged from the reeds.

As you can see, it was not a windy day!  Also you can see how the grebe managed to dislodge a feature from its body when it was having a bit of a shake.  Keep an eye open for the big, flanged feet.

To join in with WBW click on the blue button below the thumbnails.  Cheers - SM

An InLinkz Link-up