As I said in my previous post, I had such a wonderful morning wandering around Hughes and Garran, I decided to do it all again the very next day. I basically did the same walk but I concentrated more on the areas with the Superb Parrots. It was hard not to spend a long time at the pond again but I felt I should keep moving. It was yet another rewarding morning watching the Superb Parrots as well as the water birds. The weather was initially slightly cloudy but the clouds cleared up to give me plenty of light. I hope you enjoy the photos below.
I saw less Superb Parrots (Polytelis swainsonii) today but that does not mean there were less there, only that I saw less as I certainly heard birds all over the place. I saw one group of four fly off towards Red Hill. I saw some birds walking on the ground early so I focussed my photography on them for a while. When I headed further along the strands of trees I could see and hear birds in the trees all around. I found a group in a tree that were good for photographing, as the sun was hitting them nicely. I have included a shot below. The photo also shows the immature birds just starting to have adult male colours coming through.
I saw more Superb Parrots in an adjacent wooded area. Including a group of ten that flew off to the north, but I could still see and hear more in the wooded area. They know there is water available. Even when I was approaching and they flew off; when I stayed still they returned to drink again. As the photo shows, there were not many males in the group.
I continued on to the final location I had visited the day before. I was rewarded with a fabulous display of parrots. I saw a group of six Superb Parrots and then I saw another group later on of 12. The larger group may have contained the original six but I am not sure as there was about 20 minutes between those two sightings. The group of six flew into the area where they landed in a tree. I could not get close to them. The group of 12 emerged from a different wooded area but headed back in the direction the six had originally come from. These birds are skilled flyers, speedily dodging between the trees as they fly at the level of the tree branches. We are enjoying these birds while we can as they will move further inland once the weather cools down.
In consulting the book, Australian Bird Names, the author, Ian Fraser, sums it up nicely when he says, and I am paraphrasing, while it is indeed a superb looking bird, there is no information as to why people thought it was any more superb than any other parrot found in Australia.
Two male Superb Parrots on the same branch, immature on the left and adult on the right
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/1000 SEC])
A group of Superb Parrots drinking
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 500, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/1000 SEC])
A female Superb Parrot feeding on the ground
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/800 SEC])
I retuned to the pond, although I was determined not to get too distracted there as I wanted to keep looking for Superb Parrots. I again saw the family of Australasian Grebes (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae). The adults were again feeding a single chick each while the third chick appeared to be looking after itself. I saw the adults feed the chicks a few times but I had to keep moving.
Australasian Grebe adult, on the right, feeding a chick, on the left
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
An Australasian Grebe chick
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
The Grey Teal (Anas gracilis) family was also out on the pond. The ducklings were feeding themselves, following the lead of their parents in searching out food. The photograph below shows the adult and a duckling using their bills across the pond surface to obtain food. At one stage, one adult chased another but it was not clear why. The chasing teal was calling, but not the one in front. They did not go far, with the chasing teal executing about three spurts of speed to move the other teal further away.
Grey Teal adult at the back with duckling in front
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
A Grey Teal chasing another
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/640 SEC])
Near the pond I saw a single juvenile Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) apparently searching for food. The signs it was immature are because of the mottled colouration on the neck, lack of straws around the neck and the size of the bird.
An immature Straw-necked Ibis grazing for food
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/1000 SEC])
In the final area I visited there were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) making their usual racket. For the size of these birds they are agile flyers between trees in a woodland. They are also dexterous climbers thanks to their beak, which they regularly use as a means to help pull them up a branch or provide extra support for their two feet.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/800 SEC])
I did see three Gang-gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum) that morning, including at least one immature one. I could not identify the other two as they were normally covered by the leaves. I have included a photo of the immature Gang-gang below, with its younger age indicated by the red on its head not being complete.
An immature male Gang-gang Cockatoo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/5.6 and 1/250 SEC] with flash)