Notes to readers of this Blog


NOTES TO READERS OF THIS BLOG

Thank you for dropping by to check out my blog. You will see a lot of other Blogs about birds I follow down the left hand side. I strongly encourage you to check some of these out as well, they are entertaining and I love to see birds from all over the world, I hope you do too.
Cheers,
Richard

Thursday 26 June 2014

Australian Pelicans flock at Longreach Waterhole, Northern Territory

Travelling to and from Darwin from Alice Springs provided an opportunity to visit a favourite birding spot - Longreach Waterhole, near Elliott, NT. In the past I have incorrectly called this Lake Woods. On previous visits I have been able to watch Little Black Cormorants in their thousands fly in to the Waterhole early in the morning and feed. This time it was Australian Pelicans that were the main feeding bird, although there were still lots of Little Black Cormorants, as well as Whistling and Black Kites, Egrets and Royal Spoonbills and a few other varieties. But the main action came from the Pelicans.

The waterhole is about 11 kms from the Stuart Highway along a dirt road. It is accessible for caravans, but very slowly. There is now a sign on the Stuart Highway, just north of Elliott. his hasn't always been the case. During certain times of the year, the road is inaccessible due to flooding, but when it is safe to travel, the location is well worth the detour if you have the time. Elliott is roughly half way between Alice Springs and Darwin.

it was interesting to watch the Pelicans working together to herd the fish and then duck dive. It is amazing to think how many fish must be there to feed such a huge appetite. At some point, the Pelicans will move on, but while it is happening, it would be well worth a visit.

Australian Pelican










Royal Spoonbill






Little Black Cormorant




1 comment:

  1. Excellent blog, with superb images. I found tthese birds very similar in shape and behaviour with another birds we have in southern South America, only with differnts colours like the spoonbill or with almos the same colour in the cormorants.
    Regards

    ReplyDelete