Fox Lake Bird Hide, Pub Lake and Beach Near Robe, Messent Conservation Park, Martin Washpool Conservation Park, Poltalloch Road, Ashville, Lake Alexandrina, South Australia

Heading back to Eagle View.

Australia, Day Eighty Four.

Ebird List for Fox Lake Bird Hide. 

Ebird List for Poltalloch Road, Ashville. 

Ebird List for 3273 Langhorne Creek Road, Mulgundawa.

 

From the hide.

Deb and I were up at the hide at Fox Pool early but the Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii)did not want to play and were hidden or they were rushing for cover as soon as we got to the hide, however we did see Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa), Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos), Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), Little Raven (Corvus mellori), Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula), Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia), White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor), Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) and 6 fly over Royal Spoonbills (Platalea regia) which we picked up on our way over to Pub Lake.

Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii).

Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii).

Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii).

Latham's Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii).

We viewed Pub Lake from a large gap in the Tamarisk type bushes and found a very smart looking well plumbed Great White Egret (Ardea alba) but nothing else so we walked back around Fox Lake and out towards the beach picking up Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella), European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris), Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis), White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons), Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) and New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae).

View from the Hide.

Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops).

Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops).

Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis).

Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus).

Out towards the beach we added Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis), Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla), White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis), Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata), Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus), Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis) and Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor).

Great White Egret (Ardea alba).

Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) Male.

Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) Male.

We crossed the bridge by the beach where the Lake drain goes out to sea where we saw a couple of White-faced Herons, a male Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea), Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens) and in the scrub we spent quite a while trying and failing to get pictures of a couple of Rufous Bristlebirds (Dasyornis broadbenti) which played hard to get.

Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens).

White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae).

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo's (Calyptorhynchus funereus).

On our way back to the car we picked up a small group of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) before we moved on towards our next stop at Messent CP, on the way we picked up another Rufous Bristlebird and several Galah's (Eolophus roseicapilla).

Just through the gate.

Shy Heathwren (Hylacola cauta).

Shy Heathwren (Hylacola cauta).

Active Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) mound but no bird sightings.

We turned off at Salt Creek and drove out to the gate into Messent and the took the center track, on the way through to a spot Deb had been given where there was an active Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) mound we picked up Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax), Purple-backed Fairywren (Malurus assimilis), Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (Gliciphila melanops), Spotted Pardalote (Pardalotus punctatus) and a couple of Shy Heathwren (Hylacola cauta).

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We parked along the track from the Malleefowl but we did not see any activity and when the weather looked like it was going to take a turn for the worst we did a runner off the sandy tracks and paid a visit to Martin's Washpool but not before finding a Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) right in the center of the track which didn't really want Deb's help to get to the far side but we wanted to make sure it was not flattened on the way.

Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa).

Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa).

After scanning the pool and picking up Great (Phalacrocorax carbo) and Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos), Musk Duck (Biziura lobata), Grey Teal (Anas gracilis), Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides), Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus) and Silver Gulls we checked an area of scrub.

Black-tailed Nativehen (Tribonyx ventralis).

Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella).

In the scrub we found a couple of Beautiful Firetails, Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis), Black-tailed Nativehen (Tribonyx ventralis), Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) and another Rufous Bristlebird.

Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus).

As we walked back to the car we had a hunting Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus) and down on the water weeds a couple of Dragon and Damselfly species but both need to be named still.

Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca).

Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus).

We started to make our way back North around Lake Alexandrina stopping to take a few shots of Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) and Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) and added Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida), Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans), Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) and Brown Falcon (Falco berigora).

Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus).

Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) and Red-necked Avocets (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae).

Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus).

Further on we came around a corner and were confronted by a great site when we found a huge flock of over 1200 Banded Stilts (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) along with a 150 or so Red-necked Avocets (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae) and to finish the day we came across a flock of 19 Eastern Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus coromandus) which were a new species for my SA list.

Eastern Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus coromandus) x19.