Tag: Whiskered Tern

Little Visits: Around the Pond

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Australian Reed Warbler, Black Kite, Black-tailed Native-hen, Great Egret, Little Grassbird, Little Visits, Western Treatment PlantTagged , , , , , , 5 Comments

In my new Downwardly Mobile role, we stayed around the Crake Pond area at WTP for the rest of the morning.
Not only were the Crakes out and about but also quite a number of other usual suspects.

Highlight was some Black-tailed Native-hens. Another bird that I rarely see and the first time ever a this location.

I also spent some time with several large flocks of Whiskered Terns, hoping, perhaps a bit too much that there might be some White-winged Blacks among them. But not this day. Means another trip should be on the cards.

Here is a few of the morning’s finds.

Enjoy

Whiskered Tern
Black-tailed Native-hen and a small part of the Crake Pool area
Black-tailed Native-hen
Dusky Moorhen in Colour
Little Grassbird. An enigmatic and very seldom seen in the open little bird
Great Egret. I love to watch how slowly they can move. Sometimes its imperceptible
An Austrlaian Reed Warbler came out to challenge my clossup picture skills
White-necked Heron. We’ve seen this one in the same location for seveal weeks now so the fishing much be good
Black Kite. Up close and personal. I’ve opened up the shadow area, and I think its taken the whole nest of a Pipit or Skylark. It turned to land on a post quite near and then stipped out all the grasses

Little Journeys: Weather Bound

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Western Treatment Plant, Whiskered TernTagged , 3 Comments

After our aborted visit late last week, and with the prospect of finding Glossy Ibis in the sunshine, we eagerly waited for a break in the weather, and of course time out of our hectic social calendars (Well EE’s anyway).
Such an opportunity does not come up that often it seems so Iam Grey sat languishing in the garage as both the calendar and weather phenomena swept over our heads.

EE agreed to cancel a day with the girls, and so it was deemed that we’d make a run early on Tuesday morning. Of course the weather prognosticators and their cleverly arranged little tv charts said, “Oh no, not another disastrous weather pattern, watch out for a bloke with a big boat and lots of gathering animals”, but none the less, given that was the time slot.
We went.

Didn’t see the animals two by two, but have to confess the rain made up for any loss there.

In the end I sat in the car, window down, rain falling down and watched Whiskered Terns hunting along the edge of the bunds among the grasses and the escapee canola. (ahhh yes the product that was promised not to get out of control)

The waves in the photo are not tidal, these are former sewerage ponds and the wind has stirred up the water into large running waves.

So with out further… here tis.