AOC field trip to the Coorong and Murray Mouth, South Australia

A small group of delegates from the Australasian Ornithological Conference (AOC) went on a tour to the Coorong and Murray Mouth on Saturday November 29.  The tour was led by the well-known South Australian ornithologist and scientist David Paton.  David had presented a talk at the conference on the Coorong and the problems created by the over-extraction of water from the Murray-Darling system and the effects of drought.  Our bus driver was Colin Bailey who was a co-author of a couple of the talks at the conference.

Straw-necked Ibis Tolderol Game Reserve

Our first stop was at the Tolderol Game Reserve, where duck shooting is permitted seasonally in one section of the Reserve.  A number of Whiskered Terns were hunting over the ponds where groups of of ducks were feeding and loafing.  A Swamp Harrier caused some alarm among the feeding birds.  A juvenile Black-shouldered Kite was being attended by an adult and higher up a Black Kite glided over.

Adult Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage Tolderol Game Reserve

Whiskered Tern Tolderol Game Reserve

Next stop was at Milang, on the banks of Lake Alexandrina, where the local shop was popular for  morning tea.  I had my own food with me so I wandered off to photograph some Whiskered Terns and another Black Kite.  A Caspian Tern was not obliging and flew off when I approached to get a few photos.  I had to get close to the birds as I was shooting with my 28-105 mm lens as I decided to leave my spotting scope and 800 mm adapter at home to reduce the amount of carry on luggage on the flights.

Milang, on Lake Alexandrina

Whiskered Tern on wharf at Milang

Whiskered Tern Milang

Black Kite, Milang

Along the Milang-Clayton Road we spotted small groups of Cape Barren Geese.  I did not see the first group when they were called from inside the bus but we came across another scattered group just up the road.  I was very happy as it was a lifer for me, having seen them before only in zoos.  I had always admired their pastel beauty with the yellow-green bills contrasting with their grey plumage.

Cape Barren Geese, Milang-Clayton Road

Cape Barren Geese

A small wetland at Kindaruar was graced with a flotilla of 30 Hoary-headed Grebes and four Australasian Grebes.  On to the Goolwa Barrage where a great diversity of waterfowl and shorebirds was encountered including 150 Black Swans, 50 Red-necked Avocets, 9 Curlew Sandpipers, an adult and a juvenile Pacific Gull and a Little Tern. A Common Sandpiper was also present.  There was one bird foraging along the banks of the River.  Despite its name it is rather uncommon in southern Australia.

Shorebirds and ducks at the Goolwa Barrage

Adult Little Raven, Goolwa Barrage

Australian Pelican, Goolwa Barrage

A fledgling Nankeen Kestrel was perched at the entrance to its nest hole in a building nearby.  It was hard to tell whether the second bird inside the nest was another fledgling or one of the adults.

 
On to the Murray mouth where the sand extraction to open the silted up mouth was observed. A pair of Australian Pied Oystercatchers was seen in the distance through the heat haze while Singing Honeaters were calling loudly.  These honeyeaters were seen or heard at a number of locations during the day.  A small group of New Holland Honeyeaters was attracted to a eucalypt with large cream-white flowers.  David said that it was most likely a native of Western Australia.

Sand extraction Murray River Mouth

Flowering eucalypt Murray Mouth

 On the return to Adelaide we stopped off at the Laratinga Wetlands and were rewarded with great views of an Australian Spotted Crake, a Baillon's Crake, a Black-fronted Dotterel, 3 Yellow-billed Spoonbills, two Freckled Ducks and a Little Grassbird.

Australian Spotted Crake, Laratinga Wetlands

Pair of Freckled Ducks, Laratinga Wetlands

We all arrived back at our varying destinations in Adelaide feeling satisfied that we had seen a good diversity of birds under the expert leadership of David Paton and Colin Bailey. Close to our accommodation at Glenelg South we spotted an adult Peregrine Falcon feeding a juvenile in a Norfolk Island Pine Tree.  At the motel a group of Musk Lorikeets was feeding in a flowering Brush Box, reminding us of the north coast of New South Wales where this tree is found naturally.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon in Norfolk Island Pine Glenelg South

Musk Lorikeet feeding on blossoms of Brush Box, Glenelg South

 

 

 

 

 

I will report on the second AOC field trip, a half day trip on Sunday November 29 to north Adelaide, in the next blog post.