Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

Walk in IndigiScapes

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

After recently buying a new camera and keen to try it out, I went for a walk in the IndigiScapes, near my home, which is a 14.5ha environmental site for indigenous plants and has three walking tracks including a rainforest, wetland and creek vegetation garden.

My first impression was that everything was so dry due to the drought Australia is experiencing at the moment and there were many dead and falling branches along the walking tracks. It was a very hot afternoon and I was laden with my camera, tripod and lenses.

I was initially inspired by the scribbly gum trees along the first part of my walk.

The scribbly gum tree - an iconic Australian tree has a trunk that looks like someone has drawn (or scribbled) all over it.

“The scribbly gum tree is a eucalyptus tree with a very smooth, pale trunk. The distinctive brownish ‘scribbles‘ are made by the larvae of the tiny scribbly moth. These larvae are harmless to the tree and, though found on many eucalypts, it’s only in a few varieties - commonly E.haemostoma, E. racemosa or E.sclerophylla - where the signatures become the most pronounced feature of the tree.”

I moved on, crunching through the dry twigs and leaves and suddenly I heard a noise coming from the bushes nearby. It took me a while to see them but it was a pair of superb blue wrens. I followed the male as he has the most beautiful vivid blue head but he darted quickly from branch to branch and he is so tiny that it was incredibly difficult to focus on him.

“This little bird measures 14 cm, including the tail. The adult male has a blue head and tail. The female is a brownish colour. Their tails always stick up and when they move they hop and do not walk. Their call is like a musical trill and they mainly eat small insects. They nest near the ground in well-hidden thick bushes. It is dome-shaped and made out of fibres, grass and cobwebs and lined with feathers.”

Shortly afterwards, I came to the creek which was beautiful and I could hear a lot of bird songs and activity nearby. There was a cormorant sitting on a rock in the centre of the creek and he was fanning out his feathers looking very magestic but I couldn’t get close to him. I then spotted some kingfishers sitting on overhanging branches.

“Kingfishers are found through most of Australia (except in the arid central deserts) and can be found in in forests, mangroves and in trees along river courses. Their nest is a burrow either into a sandy bank or termite mound. They are as all kingfishers a predatory bird, feeding usually on small reptiles and insects (grasshoppers, beetles) fish and crustaceans. They are a watchful birds but perch high up in trees rather than the usual low branches over rivers which is common for most kingfishers”

“The Black Cormorant is a large black bird, 77-94 cm in length with a 121-149 cm wingspan. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-patch. Adults have white thigh patches in the breeding season. In European waters it can be distinguished from the Common Shag by its larger size, heavier build, thicker bill, lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge. The Great Cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but often feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to the surface. A wide variety of fish are taken: cormorants are often noticed eating eels, but this may reflect the considerable time taken to subdue an eel and position it for swallowing, rather than any dominance of eels in the diet.”

Finally, the purple breasted swamp hens who seem to be everywhere there is water.

“The Purple Swamphen is a large rail. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below. As the Purple Swamphen walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail. The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. For such a bulky bird, the Swamphen is an accomplished flier and will readily take to the air to escape danger. In flight, the long legs and elongated toes trail behind or hang underneath the body. Purple Swamphens are proficient swimmers, but prefer to wander on the edges of the water, among reeds and on floating vegetation. The Purple Swamphen is found around freshwater swamps, streams and marshes. The diet of the Purple Swamphen includes the soft shoots of reeds and rushes and small animals, such as frogs and snails. However, it is a reputed egg stealer and will also eat ducklings when it can catch them. The Purple Swamphen uses its long toes to grasp food while eating.”

All in all, it was a good day and I managed to get some reasonable shots of the local flora and fauna.

tagged under: .Australia.australian wildlife.cormorant.indigiscapes.kingfisher.Photography.purple-breasted swamp hen.scribbly gum.suberb blue wren.Wildlife