ADELAIDE ROSELLA

Photographed at Victor Harbour, South Australia March 2015

530        ADELAIDE ROSELLA           Platycercus elegans adelaidae

AUSTRALIA          (371)

34-36 cm. Natural hybrid from Crimson/Yellow Rosellas; some are yellow, some washed red. Only found around Adelaide area from Fleurieu Peninsula to Flinders Ranges. Found in timbered valleys, open forests, woodlands, timbered watercourses, mallee, farmlands, roadsides, parks, gardens.

Juvenile Adelaide Rosella

ELEGANT PARROT

Photographed at a distance near Milang, South Australia March 2015

529          ELEGANT PARROT                 Neophema elegans

Australia          (370)

22-24 cm. Found in open forests, woodlands, scrubland, red river gums on watercourses, saltbush, mallee, mulga, clearings with rank growth, salt marshes. Range sw. WA and around Adelaide up to Flinders Ranges.

Next three photographs taken at Arno Bay, South Australia March 2015

WHITE-BROWED BABBLER

Photographed near Tailem Bend, South Australia March 2015

528          WHITE-BROWED BABBLER                Pomatostomus superciliosus

Australia            (369)

Also known as Happy Family, Stickbirds, Cackler, Twelve Apostles, and Jumper. 18-22 cm. Found in drier scrubby woodlands, mulga, other acacia, mallee, cypress pine; timber, scrub along watercourses,  saltbush. Range mainland Australia, mostly west of Divide and north of Divide in Vic., not in driest part of s. NT and n. SA.

SOUTHERN SCRUB-ROBIN

Photographed at Billiatt Conservation Park, South Australia March 2015

527         SOUTHERN SCRUB-ROBIN           Dryomodes brunneopygia

Australia           (368)

Found in mallee, broom brush, other dry scrubs, lignam on playpens, heaths, coastal tea-tree thickets. 20-23 cm. range mallee of c/sw. NSW, n and e to c. Condobolin; nw Vic. e to c. Wedderburn, s to Little Desert NP; se SA and Murray mallee, n to s. FlindersRas NP, w to Eyre Pen-Kangaroo Is. In WA w from Madura, nw to Shark Bay, inland to c. Norseman-Southern Cross-Perenjori; absent from forested sw.

REGENT PARROT

Photographed near Pinaroo, South Australia March 2015

526        REGENT PARROT               Polytelis anthopeplus

Australia           (367)

In e. Australia found in river red gums and black box forests; adjacent mallee-spinifex; native cypress, farmland, weedy watercourses, clearings, vineyards, crops, stubble, golf-courses. In sw. WA, wheatbelt farmlands, timbered watercourses, clearings in woodlands, forests, saltbush. Range sw  e. Aust around the border of SA/NSW/Vic across to Murray Bridge; in west sw. WA from Shark Bay down. 38-41 cm.

CHESTNUT-CROWNED BABBLER

These Babblers did not want to be photographed. They can be identified from the wing pattern as well as the head. Photographed south of Lake Menindee, NSW March 2015

 525           CHESTNUT-CROWNED BABBLERS             Pomatostmus ruficeps

Australia          (366)

Found drier inland scrubs/woodlands: mallee, mulga, other acacias; cypress pine, belar; on stony ground, sandhills, lignum, Old Man saltbush, samphire. Ranges across se. inland Australia: from sw. Q. n. to Windorah, e. to Mitchell-Dirranbandi; w. NSW, e. to Ligthning Ridge-Nyngan-Condobolin-Moulamein; far nw Vic., e. to Swan Hill; e. to sa, s. to c. Swan Reach; w. to Quorn-w. of Flinders Ras-Maree-e. of L. Eyre to Innamincka. 21-23 cm.

WHITE-BACKED SWALLOW

Photographed at Wilcannia, NSW  March 2015

524           WHITE-BACKED SWALLOW             Cheramoeca leucosternus

Australia          (365)

14-15 cm. Found in open inland, watercourses, dunes; ranges and foothills; inland lakes, river valleys;creek-banks, sandpits, quarries in areas with suitable sandy soil for nesting. Widespread across the bottom two-thirds of Australian mainland, except sw coast WA and coast of Victoria.

SOUTHERN WHITEFACE

Photographed near Cobar, NSW March 2015

523          SOUTHERN WHITEFACE            Aphelocephala leucopsis

Australia       (364)

Also known as Eastern Whiteface, Western Whiteface and Squeaker. 10-12.5 cm. Found in dry, sparse open forest/woodlands, inland scrubs e.g. mallee, mulga, cypress pine; saltbush, dead trees, stumps, black box/lignum flats. Range most of NSW except ne. down to Sydney; Vict. except southern coast; SA except around Adelaide; WA bottom half except sw. corner; bottom of NT.

WANDERING WHISTLING-DUCK

522          WANDERING WHISTLING-DUCK              Dendrocygna arcuata

Australia        (363)

Also called Diving Whistling-duck. 55-61 cm. Ranges across tropical and subtropical n. Australia, from Fitroy R. (WA), to se. Q; ; NSW, Vic., sw. WA. Also in Philippines, Indonesia, PNG and Pacific Islands. habitat is well-vegetated lagoons and swamps, flooded grassland, pools in floodplains, river margins, well-vegetated large dams, occasionally tidal areas.

HUTTON'S SHEARWATER

Photographed on pelagic trip from Woollongong, February 2015

521         HUTTON'S SHEARWATER          Puffinus huttoni

Australia          (362)

36-38 cm, wingspan c. 78 cm. Breeds Sept-April in South Is. (NZ). Adults sedentary; young migrate to Aust. and extend to nw. WA and Torres Strait; many spend first two years in Aust. Present offshore se. Just. all months; in WA ranges n. to c. Dampier mostly April -Dec.

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER

Photographed Culburra Beach, March, 2015

520          WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER             Calidris fuscicollis

Australia        (361)

17-19 cm. Found in shallow, muddy parts of freshwater and tidal wetlands. Breeds in Arctic Alaska and Canada; migrates to s. S America. Vagrant in Europe and elsewhere, summer records se. and sw. Aust. Vagrant.    Note: This is only the seventh time recorded in Australia, and the first record since 1988.

POMARINE JAEGER

Photographed on pelagic trip out of Wollongong, February 2015.

519             POMARINE JAEGER             Stercorarius pomarinus

Australia           (360)

Also known as Pomarine Skua. 46-52 cm, wingspan 1.25-1.4 m. Breeds from Finland to e. Siberia; Arctic Alaska, Canada, Greenland. Migrates to oceans, offshore waters of s. continents. Arrives in Aust. offshore waters Oct-Nov. departs April-May. Uncommon.

FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER

Photographed on pelagic trip out of Wollongong, February 2015.

518           FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER            Puffinus carneipes

Australia            (359)

Also known as Lord Howe Island Muttonbird. 40-46 cm, span c. 1.3 m. Breeds on Lord Howe Island and in s. WA in in Recherche Arch. and islands w. to C. Hamelin. Common Nov.-April from c. Bunbury (WA) to coastal SA; autumn-spring migrant on w. coast n. to c. Carnarvon (WA); in e. Aust. common n. NSW to se. Q in summer; in Q, offshore autumn-spring passage migrant. Rare Vic., Bass Strait and Tas. pacific birds migrate to n. and ne. Pacific, WA birds probably to n. Indian Ocean. Also breeds NZ and S. Atlantic.