09 & 10/08/2009: Western Australia (Day 3 & 4)

On the third day, I took the group to watch some Black Swans in the flesh. Apart from the Kookaburra, the Swan is also a must-see bird whenever you visit Australia. Lake Monger is quite famous for the tameness of the Black Swans as they are used to human feeding. When we arrived at the car park, there was a huge flock of Little Corellas foraging on the lawn next to the road.

The birds were unbelievably tame and I managed to obtain a lot of close-up shots. It was a real relief because for the past 2 days, I have failed to get really close to this white parrot. The birds that lack the crest is the Gymnopsis form.

The ones with the massive crest are the Pastinator form. Anyway, both form looks equally lovely to me.

We made our way to the shores of the lake and were greeted by a flock of Eurasian Coots. It was second nature to me to go low and try to get as close to the birds without stressing them out. However, my companions find my approach a little amusing and took shots of this peculiar behaviour...

Anyway the Coots didn't feel anything abnormal about my behaviour and allowed me to obtain great images of this rather common water bird.

The shape of head plate determines the sex of this species. The female bird will have a narrow knob...

And the male will sport a broader and more pronounced head plate...

There were a couple of Dusky Moorhens foraging in the vicinity but they were not as confiding as the Coots. I had to work slightly harder to get close to them...

Well, there was one bird that I need not try to approach because it will approach humans instead. And it is the majestic and graceful Black Swan...

But this graceful bird does appear a little clumsy on dry land...

A couple of Malaysians enjoying the companionship of a friendly Australian waterfowl...

From Lake Monger, we adjourned to nearby Herdsman Lake. We were lucky enough to have a short glimpse of a Blue-billed Duck before it swan further away. The blue on the bill reminds of the Broadbills back home.

A pair Of Great Crested Grebes resting in the middle lake was a much welcome sight as there was no much water birds present. Unfortunately, the distance prevented me from obtaining clear shots of these rather spectacular water birds.

A Little Pied Cormorant flying overhead was the only other bird seen at this locality. Funny, I can still remember this lake being a center of bird activity during my last visit. I guess somethings did change in terms of birding here in Western Australia during the last 10 years or so.

Where are all the birds that you said we could see, hon? I'm not sure, dear...

As we made our way to Fremantle, we had to cross the scenic Swan River. The were plenty of water birds but I did not have the time to fully explore the area. The Australian Pelicans were rather shy this time round.

Only the Pied Cormorant was within reasonable distance for me to photograph...

Later in the day, we made our way back to Sunset Coast again.

While walking along the coastline, I came across another Pied Cormorant but this time, in flight.

We also made a stop at the Hilarys Boat Harbour along the way.

Along the pier, I saw a huge Gull and it turned out to be an immature Pacific Gull. I'm not sure of its status in this area but I don't think it is that common.

Keeping the Gull company was a few Little Black Cormorants...

Along the coastal road, I was lucky to spot this handsome male Australian Kestrel. It was resting on a lamp post and tolerated my approach. If it occurs in such a busy place, I guess it should be used to human presence by now.

Later in the evening, I dropped the rest of the group back for a quick rest and I made my way to Pinnaroo Valley. It is a memorial park and cemetery that blends wells into the natural surrounding. It is considered to be a good birding site as well. The thing about winter here is that it gets really dark by 6pm. So with whatever daylight I have left, I made way into the bush for one last search for the enigmatic Fairy-wrens.

Sadly, there was not much about except for a flock of foraging Silvereyes. It is a commonly encountered White-eye that occurs in this region.

The Australian Ravens were the only conspicous birds around the park...

Young Ravens will have dark eyes...

As I made my way to the car, a pair of noisy Rainbow Lorikeets were getting ready to roost in a tall dead tree. Although it was quite close, the fading light prevented me to take great shots but I'm not complaining. At least the birds are not that hidden by vegetation this time. The colours of this little parrot are just simply stunning. It is no wonder that they are prized pet birds worldwide. With the "bird in the bag", the sun set down on our third day in this beautiful country.

We spend most of the fourth day in the city center. I guess this was the only day I did not take my telephoto lens out of the bag. My wife and my other companions had a great time shopping and experiencing the city life of Perth...

But all is not lost as there is a healthy population of Silver Gulls right in the hustle and bustle of town. You can see them resting on the rooftops of sheltered pedestrian walkways...

And taking a dip in a water fountain just outside a shopping complex...

And that concludes my walkabout in Western Australia. It turned out to be a terrific trip for all us. I had my fair share of birds and sight-seeing. I have included a list of birds that I managed to record for the entire trip. It may not be an amazing list but it is good enough to keep me satisfied and dreaming of my next trip downunder.

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1. Australasian Grebe
2. Great Crested Grebe
3. Pied Cormorant
4. Little Pied Cormorant
5. Great Cormorant
6. Little Black Cormorant
7. Darter
8. White-faced Heron
9. Sacred Ibis
10. Australian Pelican
11. Black Swan
12. Australian Shelduck
13. Pacific Black Duck
14. Grey Teal
15. Hardhead
16. Blue-billed Duck
17. Musk Duck
18. Maned Duck
19. Black-shouldered Kite
20. Whistling Kite
21. Australian Kestrel
22. Brown Falcon
23. Peregrine Falcon
24. Spotted Turtle-dove
25. Laughing Turtle-dove
26. Purple Swamphen
27. Dusky Moorhen
28. Eurasian Coot
29. Silver Gull
30. Pacific Gull
31. Crested Tern
32. Galah
33. Long-billed Corella
34. Little Corella
35. Long-billed Black-cockatoo
36. Rainbow Lorikeet
37. Ringneck
38. Laughing Kookaburra
39. Welcome Swallow
40. Tree Martin
41. Fairy Martin
42. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
43. Grey Fantail
44. Willie Wagtail
45. Western Gerygone
46. Red Wattlebird
47. Little Wattlebird
48. White-cheeked Honeyeater
49. Singing Honeyeater
50. Brown Honeyeater
51. Silvereye
52. Australian Magpie-lark
53. Grey Butcherbird
54. Australian Magpie
55. Australian Raven

08/08/2009: Western Australia (Day 2)

On the second day, the whole group of us was up early as we wanted to visit Yanchep National Park, which is another 20 km from our house. As we drove along the country road up north towards our destination, we were greeted by the great Australian Bushland. It is certainly different from the rainforest back home. Here the vegetation is not as dense and the trees are smaller. Our group had to pull over at the side of the road when I spotted a flock of Short-billed Black-cockatoos foraging on some low bushes just next to the road. However, my companions did not complain at all and were just as mesmerized as I was observing these large Parrots at such close proximity. The Parrots were so close that I had difficulty capturing them within the frame of my camera!

I even managed to capture a pair in flight at a distance...

We had to make another stop before our destination and this time it is because of the national bird of Australia - the Laughing Kookaburra. Any birding trip to Australia, even a casual one, is not complete if you did not get to see this remarkable Kingfisher. I am extremely delighted to have been able to observe and capture its images. I even managed to hear its characteristic laughing calls a few times throughout my stay.

When we finally reach Yanchep, we were greeted by one of the most iconic Australian animals - the Kangaroo. These Grey Kangaroos are wild individuals that have grown accustomed to human presence. They are rather confiding and will allow close approach. They go about their daily routines under close observations by visitors to the park and they seem to know that as long as they are within the borders of this park, that are not at risk to hunting. Anyway, cameras were snapping away inside the car - including mine.

Here's a young one. I believe the right term is a Joey...

Nothin' like a good scratch, huh mate?

My wife just couldn't resist taking a photo with these lovable marsupials...

A bird alighted on the top of a dead tree diverted my attention from the Kangaroos and it turned out to be a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike.

We then had make our way to the Crystal Cave as the guided tour was about to start. It turned out to be quite an interesting tour.

After the tour, I had a quick look-around at the nearby bushland to see if there's anything about.

And for my effort, I was rewarded with a rather confiding New Holland Honeyeater...

Our next stop was the Koala Bear refuge within the park. It is basically an open pen with a perimeter fence to keep the Koalas in. The result, you get to observe Koalas at a close distance and the animals are in their natural habitat doing what they do best - being Koalas. These adorable animals are and always will be a hit with the visitors and it was no different with our group.

How can you possibly not fall in love with this fellow?

After the Koalas, we spend some time at lakeside close to the Visitor's Center. It was quite a breath-taking sight and as the rest of the group was soaking in the view, I was checking out the birds - as usual.

Dear, please take a picture of me with the lake? Ok, hon...as soon as I'm done with this male Maned Duck...

Anyway, I got more shots of a pair of Maned Ducks foraging near the edge of the lake.

The female was a little shy and usually kept a safe distance from me...

The male, on the other hand, was not the least bothered by my intrusion...

Whenever there are ducks, there will be Pacific Black Ducks. Some of the water birds here are accustomed to human feeding and this make them extremely bold. They will walk right up to your feet. I had to actually back away from this fellow which came so close to where I was crouching down.

Here are a few more shots of this common species...

The strangest-looking Duck in Australia is probably this fellow - a male Musk Duck.

Only the male bird will have a large bulbous lobe of skin hanging under his bill. This sac increases in size at the start of the breeding season. As part of his courtship display, he will inflate the lobe on the throat.

Sorry, mate. I don't have any food with me...

Among the Pacific Black Ducks, I managed to also pick out a few Chestnut Teals resting in the shade, like this female.

There was also a couple of Purple Swamphens foraging at the edge of the lake...another sight that reminded me of home.

We had lunch at the deli next to the Visitor's Center. While waiting for lunch to be serve, a pair of Australian Magpie-larks foraging on the lawn caught my attention. There's a slight difference between sexes and this is the female...

And this handsome fellow is the male...

The Australian Ravens were busy picking scraps left by visitors...

One of them incurred the wrath of a Willie Wagtail and the latter proceeded to dive-bomb the much larger Raven until it flew off. Willie Wagtails are known to be active, bold and aggressive and from what I have seen, there is no doubt about that.

And don't ya even think about coming back to my tuft!

As I continued to wander around the vicinity, I came across a Grey Fantail. It was resting briefly on the perimeter fencing and this allowed me to capture a few shots before it dived back into the vegetation.

There were plenty of Ringnecks in the vicinity as well. These large green Parrots are quite tame and will even pick-up scraps from the picnic tables.

This form with the red fronted patch is called the "28" as their calls sound similar to "twenty-eight". The other form lacks the red patch and the "eight" from its call.

All the shots from this locality comprise only of the "28" forms...

After lunch, we headed for Sunset Coast, a 22 km strecth of stunning coastline and a popular tourist as well as local hotspot.

We stopped at a pier called the Ocean Reef Boat Harbour to enjoy the view. I was more interested at the resting Silver Gulls. This species is common everywhere including in the city center itself.

There were a few Crested Terns resting on the stakes at the pier as well...

The sand dunes along the coastline are made up of short scrub vegetation. This vegetation is home to the White-winged Fairy-wrens but I did not manage to find any. I can still remember my encounters with Fairy-wrens during my last trip and they look like warblers that have undergone a major cosmetic treatment. Beautiful, active and small - that's about sums it up.

There was, however, a female Australian Magpie-lark to keep me company during my search for the Fairy-wren...

And this female Australian Magpie. Thanks, ladies...

As we were about to leave the car park, I saw a small raptor alighting on a distant lamp post and it turned out to be an immature Black-shouldered Kite. The underwing pattern and the black area around the eyes distinguishes it from the similar-looking Letter-winged Kite. I double checked just to be sure...

On the way back to the house, we made a quick stop at Lake Joondalup South as I showed the group where my local patch for this trip was. I was able to show them a Dusky Moorhen which was paddling around the lake. It looks quite similar to the Common Moorhen but it is a different species altogether.

The Australasian Grebes were much more confiding today and an adult in breeding plumage looks almost identical to the Little Grebe but again, it is a completely different species.

The resident Galah...

And Rainbow Lorikeet wrapped things up for a tiring but rewarding second day in Western Australia.