So after picking up a few incidentals during the week while at work we spent the weekend out in the field keen to pick up some more birds for our year list.
Saturday morning saw us up way before the sparrows in order to get down to Tolderol Game Reserve on the northern shores of Lake Alexandrina and meet our friend Chris Steeles for a day of birding.
Wasn't long before we started picking up a few nice birds such as Long-toed Stint and up to 8 White-winged Black Terns but the Lewins Rails reported earlier, while vocal, were no where to be seen. One, possibly two Bitterns were heard "booming" throughout the morning but decided not to reveal themselves. There were hundreds of Dragonflies and one Red-bellied Black Snake also seen.
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| White-wing Black Tern - Tolderol GR |
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| Blue Ring tail female |
So after a good mornings birding the temperature took a rapid rise with the mercury heading to 40 degrees plus, so with that we headed towards Hindmarsh Island opposite the mouth of the Murray River where we passed dozens of Cape Barren Geese cooling their heels in some flooded saltpans A single Gull-billed Tern of the smaller Asian race affinis provided interest but the 3 Little Terns roosting on a sandbar alongside up to 50 Fairy Terns took some beating. This is a bird in serious decline in SA and to get it on our year list was a bonus as I haven't personally seen them in SA in over a decade. Heading back to the cars with our feet burning on the hot sand we parted company with Chris sending him on his way with 3 lifers under his belt.
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| Murray Mouth |
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| Cooling our feet at the Murray Mouth |
Time to head home via Laratinga Wetlands near Mt Barker but not much to report from there as water levels are really high.
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| Australian Shoveler |
Sunday saw us closer to Adelaide chasing up a report of Intermediate Egret from Whicker Rd Wetlands with Stephen Bosch. This a bird that can prove difficult to get in SA. Suffice it to say we dipped but did pick up some Glossy Ibis and bird #150 Baillons Crake.
Have to endure another week of work before we can go out again 
:(
:(
#HarperBigYear #SABirding @SueTytoalba #150
