Have you read these?

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

As a reader of this site about Australian birds you may not be aware of other sites that I write for. So indulge me a little while I do a little cross-promotion.

This site - Trevor's Twitching - is only about the wild Australian birds I have seen and photographed in the natural environment. In a week's time it celebrates its 10th birthday. There was a time a few years ago when I was completing my Master of Arts Creative Writing degree when I didn't add much here, but now I have more time to devote to posting new photos and articles.

I also have another birding site called Trevor's Birding (click here). That site is also about birds found and photographed here in Australia but it is much more. I include many more photos than on that site, articles about birding and equipment reviews, links to other birding sites, reviews of books and DVDs about birds and articles and photos of non-Australian birds. On a global scale it is a very popular site.

Trevor's Travels is the second site I write for and maintain. On this site I write about my travels in various countries as well as here in Australia. The other countries include Thailand, Nepal, Ethiopia, Morocco and Spain. Photos of these places feature prominently.

My third site is quite different. Trevor's Writing is about my writing life. Included on this site is some of my fiction, poetry, short stories, writing hints and ideas as well as reviews of books I have read. On this site I hope to announce details of some eBooks which I plan to publish in the very near future.

Yet another site I maintain and also do some writing for is our church site, the Murray Bridge Church of Christ in South Australia. I probably only write about 25% of the material on this site.

Don't forget that you can also follow me on Twitter (@TrevorHampel) and on Facebook as well.


Links:

• Trevor's Birding
•  Trevor's Travels
•  Trevor's Writing
•  Murray Bridge Church of Christ, South Australia

 

Eurasian Coot, Laratinga Wetlands, South Australia

Eurasian Coot at Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

On a recent visit to the Laratinga Wetlands at Mt Barker I photographed many birds. One of the first I saw was the Eurasian Coot (shown above) swimming towards me on one of the ponds. The wetlands are made up of a series of ponds and serve as the filter for the sewage treatment works for the town.

The ponds are well maintained and the surrounding parklands have been beautifully landscaped with Australian native trees, bushes and other plants. The local authorities have even installed a picnic ground, complete with shelter sheds, tables and seats, barbecues and toilets. Hundreds of people use the area every day for such activities as walking, picnicking, running, cycling and, of course, bird watching.

On the day I visited recently it was early on a frosty morning and the water was still mirror smooth, as shown in the photo below.

For more stories about and photos of Australian birds check out my other site called Trevor's Birding. 

Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

Purple Sawmphen at Laratinga Wetlands South Australia

Purple Swamphen at Laratinga Wetlands, South Australia

 On a recent visit to the Laratinga Wetlands at Mt Barker in South Australia I took these photos of a Purple Swamphen preening itself in the early morning sun. It was a chilly and frosty morning and the water in the wetlands ponds was as smooth  as a mirror. I will show photos of that on another occasion.

I love the look that the bird gave me in the photo below. It is almost as if it is saying, "How does that look?"

To see more Australian bird photos and to read more stories about our birds, check out my other site Trevor's Birding . 

Purple Swamphen, Laratinga Wetlands, Mt Barker, South Australia

Watch out - Darter on the road

Australian Darter

Last Friday I took my wife on a drive through the countryside here in South Australia. We had been to Adelaide for an early appointment so we decided to take an alternative route home and have lunch at Mannum which is a half hour drive north of our home in Murray Bridge.

As we were coming down the hill into the small township of Palmer I suddenly had to brake and swerve to miss an Australian Darter sitting in the middle of the lane we were travelling in. I was also conscious of the car close behind me as well. Both of us missed the bird and on checking the rear view mirror I was relieved to see the bird flying off.

Darters are usually seen in or very near water. What on earth was it doing sitting in the middle of a road? Of course I didn't have time to take a photo and there was no safe stopping area either. Besides, this was the first trip I had taken in many years where I totally forgot to take my camera.

The photo above was taken several years ago on the banks of the Murray River which flows through my home town of Murray Bridge in South Australia.

Changes to this site

I have recently made a few changes to this site which should help you, my readers. I have added some extras on the side-bar on the right.

Search

Readers can now do a search of all of this site using the search facility. Just type in a topic and it will automatically do a search of all articles in the archives.

Subscribe

Readers can also subscribe to all posts on this site, as well as comments made by readers. This will always keep you up to date on what is happening here.

Membership

By clicking on the "join this site" button you can become a member of the site.

Why not do it now?

Popular posts

Lower down on the side-bar I have listed the most popular posts on this site since it started nearly ten years ago. These links take you quickly to those posts.

Comments

The comments part of this site is not new,  but I would love to hear your comments on the photos, or on what I have written.

Trevor

Australian Galah sunning itself

Female Australian Galah sunning itself

The Australian parrot known as the Galah is one of many beautifully colourful birds we have in Australia. Also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo or just simply as a "cocky" this species is common throughout much of Australia and is easily recognisable by most Australians, even those who have little interest in birds. It is also a commonly kept pet bird and is able to be taught to say a few words.

This particular bird was sunning herself on the trunk of a large old gum tree (eucalypt tree) in the Laratinga Wetlands in Mt Barker, South Australia, a short drive from my home and about a half hour drive from the CBD of Adelaide. Below in another shot, complete with presumably the male cleaning out a hollow getting ready for nesting. I know the bird above is a female; they have red eyes while the males have brown or black eyes.

For more photos and stories about Australian birds go to my other site Trevor's Birding.

Female Galah parrot with the male in the hollow below