Water Birds

I think the water birds are my favourites because they have such grace and majesty. If I stay still they will stay and let me watch them for ages but any sudden moves and they're off! The Egrets are beautiful with their pure white plumage and their incredibly long bills, usually yellow but sometimes black depending on their type or if they're breeding. They like to cruise around on their own when they're feeding but roost in large numbers in trees. The herons too are like a mythical bird and have such dignity, even with those long spindly legs. The Herons can be seen just about anywhere there is water in this area, even out in the countryside around dams and creeks. The Swamphens are really common but their beautiful colours make up for their terrible voice and they are great with their babies. The Pelicans are so majestic and when flying I always think of childrens nursery stories and them bringing the babies in that spectacular bill. They will feed for ages around the edges of waterways, gobbling down whatever they can find. My absolute favourite would have to be the Little Pied Cormorant. It looks like a little land penguin but it can fly and dive under the water and cruises around with just it's head above the water. It loves sitting in it's favourite spots, on logs, branches and fences and spreading it's wings in the sun and observing it's world. It's only a medium sized bird and most people don't even notice it's there but when you do you see it all the time. I managed to get some photos of a Blacknecked Stork (Jabiru) at the Tallows wetlands. Not particuarly good photos but it's fairly unusual to see a Jabiru there at this time of year, it was happily foraging around in the water along with an Egret, Ducks, Cormorants & Eurasian Coots all coexisting well!

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* 32. Little Pied Cormorant

* 33. Pelican

* 34. Whitefaced Heron

35. Australian Grebe

* 37. Little Pied Cormorant

* 38. Little Pied Cormorant

* 39. Swamphen & Baby

* 40. Little Egrets

* 42. Little Egret

* 43. Swamphen

* 44. Royal Spoonbill

* 45. Little Egret

* 47. Little Pied Cormorant

* 48. Pelican

49. Eurasian Coot

* 50. Comb-crested Jacana

52. Dusty Moorhen

53. Great Cormorant

* 54. Swamphen

* 55. Darter

* 57. Pelican

* 58. Egret

* 59. Purple Swamphen

* 60. Pelican

* 62. Little Pied Cormorant

63. Australian Grebe

* 64. Great Egret

* 65. Little Pied Cormorant