We are so lucky to have so many beautiful birds in the Hunter wetlands.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Recently we did an article on raptors of the wetlands, but we do have so many other interesting birds, some large, others small. All have their own beauty.
This article refers to some of those species I have photographed over the past few months.
Only recently I paid an early visit to our wetlands. The morning was cold, with early morning light just coming up.
There was still a bit of fog hanging about, but there was a clear blue sky; perfect conditions for recording images of birds with the camera.
The first bird of interest to pop up was the small and amazing cisticola. Quite a number of them were all around in the high grass and reeds which are prominent to this part of the wetland.
Close by were groups of superb blue wrens, just as active and interesting.
The golden-headed cisticola is unique in that it stitches leaves and grass together with spiderweb material to make the
nest almost invisible during the breeding season.
Both birds help in building the nest but the male rarely takes part in raising the chicks.
To witness those birds building is amazing. They drill holes with their beaks and then feed the spider web to pull the construction together.
However, this trip was not the breeding season, and it was a case of patience.
Eventually one popped up right in front of me and I was able to record it as shown.
While waiting I was also lucky to get the shot of the pair of wrens, which we usually find in our gardens.
Moving further into the wetlands I soon came upon various birds. Very prominent was the beautiful Pacific heron which is also known as the white-faced heron.
It is usually seen in small groups, as it was in this.
Sometimes it is hard to get close to them, I have found the best way to get a shot is to sit still and wait.
This is what I did in this case and the bird flew close to me, bingo.
The large egret was prominent during my visit.
A careful approach found me very close to one feeding. I spent some time with this bird feeding and was amazed at the speed of the strike.
They move slowly in shallow water, sometimes standing still and then plunge their heads into the water to grab some unlucky fish or frog.
One thing to be aware of is that getting detail in the plumage on bright days can be difficult.
Moving on I found the small black-fronted dotterel feeding on mudflats on insects and small aquatic animals.
They are widespread in Australia. They nest on the ground, sometimes in places such as roads and tracks. But being so small a lot of nests are destroyed.
On one of my earlier trips to this area I found flocks of eastern curlews just before they migrated to their breeding grounds in Siberia. They return to Australia in August.
Another bird of interest was also present in great numbers, the beautiful avocet.
It is very easy to get close to and they look spectacular with their colouring.
They arrive on the coast every year about this time, but do not nest in our area.
We have many more birds of great interest in the Hunter Wetlands but we can only cover so many at a time.
A visit to our wetlands is certainly a great place to spend a day that most people would find very interesting.
The Maitland Camera Club’s next meeting is at Maitland City Bowling Club, Rutherford, on the first Tuesday of the month from 7pm sharp.
The subject is open, with an experienced judge. All are welcome.