Sunday 17 September 2017

Australia (3/8) Adelaide




A quick look around the city, a one mile central square surrounded by parkland and then we headed for the Botanic Gardens. First bird of the day, a very uncooperative Laughing Kookaburra. This one was definitely having a laugh. I would have to wait a few more days to get a decent picture.



Back end of a Laughing Kookaburra


Nice gardens and a good selection of birds. I was particularly impressed by some of the very strange bird calls until I realised that it was feeding time for the monkeys in the adjacent Adelaide Zoo.



Australian Grebe



Noisy Miner


The Australian Ibis is a much maligned bird. Bin chicken, tip turkey, foul fowl, being just a few of its names. This is a bird with a bad reputation. With its large wingspan it can be seen, and so I am told, smelt, across many of Australia's cities.  However this bird is a survivor. It is a native of Australia and used to live in large numbers on the inland waterways of New South Wales and Queensland. As its environment has gradually been degraded its numbers have gone into serious decline. The birds answer was to move into the cities where it has adopted a new way of life living off the waste that we leave behind.

It sounds just like the UK's gull population. I believe it also has a taste for a well cooked chip.



Australian Ibis



Female Australian Wood Duck



Rainbow Lorikeet


Crested Pigeon



Little Corella


Musk Lorikeet


Walking back along the river, the Karrawirra Parri to get to the hotel we had the usual ducks and gulls plus a nice looking Little Pied Cormorant and a very confiding Australian Darter.



Little Pied Cormorant



Australian Darter



Adelaide in a day and a nice place it seemed. The only issue, the city centre felt a bit down market when we were looking for somewhere to eat in the evening, so we walked up to O'Connell Street north of the river which had a much nicer feel to it.

Next stop a flight up to Alice Springs and a chance to explore the Red Centre.






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