Probable immature wedge-tailed eagle, near Cape Nelson, Portland
Little cormorant at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Sri Lanka
Feral spot-billed pelican at unknown lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Welcome swallow at Portland
Monday 31 October 2011
RANDOM IMAGES FROM AROUND THE PLACE
Here are some random images from around Sri Lanka, Portland and similar that I couldn't access before or decided not to use.
Probable immature wedge-tailed eagle, near Cape Nelson, Portland
Little cormorant at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Sri Lanka
Feral spot-billed pelican at unknown lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Welcome swallow at Portland
Probable immature wedge-tailed eagle, near Cape Nelson, Portland
Little cormorant at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Sri Lanka
Feral spot-billed pelican at unknown lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Welcome swallow at Portland
Saturday 22 October 2011
WILLIAMSTOWN LIFE
Yesterday we went to Williamstown Beach. We had a great time, but I am going to talk about the life that I saw while exploring the beach.
AQUATIC PLANTS
Sea lettuce, Ulva australis was common around the beach. There were also a few Neptune's necklace plants and a few other ones I couldn't identify.
BIRDS
I spotted two juvenile Pacific gulls, but my images of them are too bad to show here. Silver gulls were commoner and little pied cormorants were abundant along the rocks. A white-faced heron also came soaring in over the beach and feral pigeons and house sparrows dominated the area around the car park.
SHELLS
There were a few colonies of edible blue mussels and many variegated limpets, as well as a few shells I couldn't identify. There was a large, clam-like, white shell half-buried in the sand, but my photos of that were also too bad to show here.
A little pied cormorant perched on a rock
Various shells. The big, stripy, circular-shaped shells are variegated limpets. The small, zebra-striped, ribbed shells are ribbed top shells. The big, white snail-like shell is a predatory sand snail.
FISH
I spotted a school of small fish that I think are smallmouth hardyheads, but I'm not sure. They may also be juvenile yellow-eyed mullets. Please post your thoughts in the comments. An image is below.
All in all, it was a great trip.
AQUATIC PLANTS
Sea lettuce, Ulva australis was common around the beach. There were also a few Neptune's necklace plants and a few other ones I couldn't identify.
BIRDS
I spotted two juvenile Pacific gulls, but my images of them are too bad to show here. Silver gulls were commoner and little pied cormorants were abundant along the rocks. A white-faced heron also came soaring in over the beach and feral pigeons and house sparrows dominated the area around the car park.
SHELLS
There were a few colonies of edible blue mussels and many variegated limpets, as well as a few shells I couldn't identify. There was a large, clam-like, white shell half-buried in the sand, but my photos of that were also too bad to show here.
FISH
I spotted a school of small fish that I think are smallmouth hardyheads, but I'm not sure. They may also be juvenile yellow-eyed mullets. Please post your thoughts in the comments. An image is below.
All in all, it was a great trip.
SONG THRUSH IN THE GARDEN
This post is up because after some time I have seen a song thrush in my garden! Here in Melbourne they can be quite uncommon, but today there was one singing its head off on a pine tree, giving me the best views I have ever had of a thrush in my garden. Here is a photo:
In Melbourne the song thrush is an introduced species, introduced to remind the Europeans of their old home. They didn't survive well though. In Australia, they are now confined to the Melbourne Area.
In Melbourne the song thrush is an introduced species, introduced to remind the Europeans of their old home. They didn't survive well though. In Australia, they are now confined to the Melbourne Area.
A VISIT TO WESTGATE PARK
Today was quite sunny, so my dad and I went to Westgate Park, a park with many different waterbirds inhabiting it that is almost just underneath the Westgate Bridge.
From the carpark (which overlooks a lake) we saw a black-winged stilt, several silver gulls, a black swan and a red wattlebird.
A black-winged stilt
We continued walking towards the main lakes. The most prominent birds on the main lakes were hardheads. There was a large flock of hardheads in the lake. The flock also consisted of coots, little pied cormorants, silver gulls, chestnut teals, grebes, moorhens and black swans, sprawled out across the lake. In the middle of the lake there was an eastern great egret.
The eastern great egret
There were a few swallows swooping around the lake, probably with one or two tree martins that we couldn't distinguish. There were also several coot nests, with birds sitting on them and one hardhead nest with a female hardhead.
A welcome swallow
A coot on its nest
One of the main highlights was a white-faced heron flying away from the lake. There were millions of dragonflies flying around and in mating position and I spotted many common galaxias fish in the water.
All in all, this was a great trip.
From the carpark (which overlooks a lake) we saw a black-winged stilt, several silver gulls, a black swan and a red wattlebird.
A black-winged stilt
We continued walking towards the main lakes. The most prominent birds on the main lakes were hardheads. There was a large flock of hardheads in the lake. The flock also consisted of coots, little pied cormorants, silver gulls, chestnut teals, grebes, moorhens and black swans, sprawled out across the lake. In the middle of the lake there was an eastern great egret.
The eastern great egret
There were a few swallows swooping around the lake, probably with one or two tree martins that we couldn't distinguish. There were also several coot nests, with birds sitting on them and one hardhead nest with a female hardhead.
A welcome swallow
A coot on its nest
One of the main highlights was a white-faced heron flying away from the lake. There were millions of dragonflies flying around and in mating position and I spotted many common galaxias fish in the water.
All in all, this was a great trip.
Saturday 15 October 2011
NUWERA ELIYA
We were in the hill country of Sri Lanka, heading for Hakgala and Nuwera Eliya to birdwatch. Our target species: Indian pitta, pied bushchat, yellow-eared bulbul, SL wood pigeon. Unfortunately, our timing was bad and we arrived smack bang around noon. At this time there were next to no birds in Hakgala, so we moved on to Nuwera Eliya. Victoria Park was a pleasant surprise, giving us the joy of seeing oriental magpie-robin, common tailorbird, scaly-breasted munia, great tit and (most of all) a single grey wagtail, an almost-lifer for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph the wagtail but here is one of the tit and one of the tailorbird.
A female common tailorbird. You can tell because it has a short, not long tail, unlike the male.
A great tit
Victoria Park is certainly a place we must visit in the future. Hakgala? Not so good.
Victoria Park is certainly a place we must visit in the future. Hakgala? Not so good.
A VISIT TO THALANGAMA TANK
SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY IN POSTS, BUT I WAS BUSY. HERE IS A POST ON THIS YEAR'S SRI LANKA TRIP- WHEN WE VISITED THALANGAMA TANK, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES IN COLOMBO
It was about in the late morning when we got to the tank. At the paddyfield in front we saw a few egrets and ibises, but nothing much. Then we drove over to the back of the tank and me and dad walked to the front.
In the tank were millions of lesser whistling ducks, a few egrets, purple swamphens and red-wattled lapwings. Out of these birds, I enjoyed the brilliantly-coloured purple swamphens most as they fed on the grasses all around them. In the trees were scaly-breasted munias and black-hooded orioles. Just then, a big shape leapt across the road. I knew it was a purple-faced leaf monkey and hastily started taking photos of it.
Purple swamphen and the head of a lesser whistling duck
Purple-faced leaf monkey
As we continued walking we observed much of the same until we got to the water lilies. Then we managed to see some pheasant-tailed jacanas and an Indian pond heron.
Can you spot the jacanas? They are both in non-breeding plumage.
Compared to our earlier visit last year, this showed up less birds, so it would be better to visit in the early morning.
It was about in the late morning when we got to the tank. At the paddyfield in front we saw a few egrets and ibises, but nothing much. Then we drove over to the back of the tank and me and dad walked to the front.
In the tank were millions of lesser whistling ducks, a few egrets, purple swamphens and red-wattled lapwings. Out of these birds, I enjoyed the brilliantly-coloured purple swamphens most as they fed on the grasses all around them. In the trees were scaly-breasted munias and black-hooded orioles. Just then, a big shape leapt across the road. I knew it was a purple-faced leaf monkey and hastily started taking photos of it.
As we continued walking we observed much of the same until we got to the water lilies. Then we managed to see some pheasant-tailed jacanas and an Indian pond heron.
Compared to our earlier visit last year, this showed up less birds, so it would be better to visit in the early morning.
Saturday 8 October 2011
LEAVING ANDURAPURA and heading for WILPATTU
Today we left Andurapura and headed for Wilpattu. We had lunch at the Heritage Hotel. From the lunchroom, I saw a white-browed bulbul (LIFER), red-vented bulbul, greater coucal and a nest of white-rumped munias.
White-browed bulbul
Then we left for Wilpattu. First, we drove to Wilpattu in one of my dad's friend's cars. Along the way we saw some of the common roadside birds of Sri Lanka- red-vented bulbuls, white-throated kingfisher, common myna and similar. It struck me that there were less crows here than back in Colombo. When we got to the park office, I immediately spotted the second lifer of the day- a common woodshrike.
Can you spot the woodshrike?
From the office we hired a jeep to take us to our bungalow in the middle of the national park. Because it was getting dark, we didn't see much. The main highlight was when the jeep stopped and its headlights lit up the forest. In the headlights I saw my third lifer for the day- A JERDON'S NIGHTJAR!
A nightjar across the road
We also saw a black-naped hare, our only one of the trip, hopping across the road.
When we got to the bungalow I went to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be a new adventure.
Then we left for Wilpattu. First, we drove to Wilpattu in one of my dad's friend's cars. Along the way we saw some of the common roadside birds of Sri Lanka- red-vented bulbuls, white-throated kingfisher, common myna and similar. It struck me that there were less crows here than back in Colombo. When we got to the park office, I immediately spotted the second lifer of the day- a common woodshrike.
From the office we hired a jeep to take us to our bungalow in the middle of the national park. Because it was getting dark, we didn't see much. The main highlight was when the jeep stopped and its headlights lit up the forest. In the headlights I saw my third lifer for the day- A JERDON'S NIGHTJAR!
We also saw a black-naped hare, our only one of the trip, hopping across the road.
When we got to the bungalow I went to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be a new adventure.
Thursday 6 October 2011
SRI LANKA- I'M BACK
We had a wonderful time at Sri Lanka and today I will post about our holiday. I saw 14 lifers. We went to the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, Wilpattu National Park, Andurapura, Minnerriya, Pigeon Island, Bandarawela and Habarana. Some of the highlights were-
SNORKELING AND WATCHING WILD ROCK DOVES AT PIGEON ISLAND
THE BIRD TOUR AT HABARANA
SEEING ELEPHANTS AT MINNERIYA, AS WELL AS A BROWN FISH OWL
MILLIONS OF WATERBIRDS TRAPPING FISH IN ONE PLACE AT ANDURAPURA
and
WILPATTU NATIONAL PARK
Since I only have images from a certain sector of this trip, I will post from Andurapura-Colombo, not including our first 5 days in SL. Here it comes...
SNORKELING AND WATCHING WILD ROCK DOVES AT PIGEON ISLAND
THE BIRD TOUR AT HABARANA
SEEING ELEPHANTS AT MINNERIYA, AS WELL AS A BROWN FISH OWL
MILLIONS OF WATERBIRDS TRAPPING FISH IN ONE PLACE AT ANDURAPURA
and
WILPATTU NATIONAL PARK
Since I only have images from a certain sector of this trip, I will post from Andurapura-Colombo, not including our first 5 days in SL. Here it comes...
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