A Visit to Monarto Zoo
Meerkat, Monarto Zoo
Today we took my wife’s niece to the nearby open range zoo at Monarto. This is just a few kilometres to the west of us. It had been well over two years since our last visit, and that is regrettable because it means we are not using our membership cards as much as we should.
I have written far more about this visit on my birding blog. Click here to read the full article.
To visit the family photo gallery click here, or use the Navigation llink on the right.
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Today we travelled south to the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington East. This is about a half hour drive from home here in Murray Bridge. The arboretum is quite close to the River Murray and consists of a series of sandhills overlooking the marina on the eastern side of the river.
The planting of native Australian plants was established over a decade ago by local residents and members of the Australian Plants Society (APS). It is very well established with many 100s of examples of different Australian plants species. Some areas are quite spectacular; I particularly like the area planted up with banksias. These amazing plants have stunning flowers that I have used extensively in my photographic pursuits.
The arboretum is always open to the public; all we ask is that the gates are kept closed at all times – to keep out the rabbits. Rabbits love to chew off the fresh growth on newly planted plants. There are several tracks through the establishment and, although you can drive through, it is far better walking. This way you are able to stop and really appreciate the plants and their beautiful flowers. Don’t forget your camera! At present there are no public toilet facilities but we hope that this should be corrected by the local council soon.
Another reason for taking your time to walk through the plantings is to appreciate the rich birdlife in the area. There are hundreds of honeyeaters, pigeons, finches and a wide cross section of other species present. For a more in depth review of the birds present go to my birding blog by clicking here. Other postings about this place can be found here and here and here and here.
Clare Valley South Australia
No Comments »14th May, 2006; Category: Animals, Art Galleries, Birds, Clare Valley, Picnics, Plants, South Australia
Morning Walk
We spent a very relaxing morning at home. About an hour before lunch we went for a walk. First we visited some ponds near my daughter’s home. Here I observed a flock of some 30 Australian Shovelers, one of the duck species. I hadn’t seen this species in 23 years; the last time was in the very same spot as this morning. We then walked along the banks of the beautiful Lake Inchquin, part of the Clare Golf Club. A delight here was the sighting of about a dozen Bill-Billed Ducks, another hard to see species. They seem to be resident here. We also saw about four Black Fronted Dotterels. This is a beautiful wading bird and a delight to see anywhere.
Model Trains
Next to the lake is a park where the local Model Engineers Club has set up nearly two kilometres of train track. They run their model trains twice a month and provide rides, for a small fee, for those who come along to watch. We stood talking to the members for about half an hour before walking home for lunch.
After lunch we drove to the nearby town of Blyth about twenty minutes away. We went to visit the Medika Gallery run by wildlife artist Ian Roberts. We’ve known Ian for quite a few years yet we’ve been negligent in never having visited the gallery. I love his work. He has an amazing gift of capturing the character of Australian birds in their natural habitats. When I’m rich and famous I plan to buy some of his paintings. He greeted us warmly, and after a few minutes discussion he invited us to visit his nearby bush block.
Windmill Cottage
The Windmill Cottage is in the nearby hills about halfway between Clare and Blyth. Ian is also interested in growing and planting Australian native species. He has a five acre arboretum just down the hill from the cottage, one of the many Bed and Breakfast accommodation places in the Clare Valley. We drove to the lookout he has on the property. Here he has set up a picnic table under one of the large old eucalypt trees. The view out over the Balaklava plains is simply stunning in the late afternoon autumn sunlight. The patchwork of fields, some green with the first growth for the new season, some still brown with the last of the drying grass from last year while others a chocolate brown after having been worked up by the farmers in recent days. The recent rain has been promising of a good cropping season to come.
Wonderful picnic spot
We had brought along a thermos for an afternoon cuppa plus a treat from the local bakery. Few picnic areas could rival our spot this afternoon. I managed some lovely photos in the late afternoon light, often the best time for such shots. As we left we stopped for a few minutes to have a look through the arboretum Ian had planted.
Kangaroos
We surprised a grazing family of three Western Grey Kangaroos. Ian had installed a rabbit proof fence to give the plants a fair go in getting going, this fence was no barrier to these determined animals. They actually seemed to be quite at home and were not at all upset by our presence. Perhaps they are residents.
Monarto Conservation Park
Last Saturday we travelled the short distance from home to Monarto Conservation Park just west of Murray Bridge, South Australia. We took a picnic lunch to eat in the car park. After lunch and a cuppa we went for a walk through the park along the walking trail leading from the car park. This trail makes a one kilometre loop through several different habitats in the park. After about 45 minutes of gentle strolling the track leads one back to the car park.
Habitats
The predominant habitat of this park is mallee. At one point alone the track one comes to a a small rise overlooking the western parts of the park. The view is one of a sea of mallee. There are small patches of casaurinas and large tracts of heath like vegetation. The heath type areas are brimming with small to medium sized plants, making the area like a natural botanic garden. Grevilleas, astrolomas, correas, acacias and many more kinds of native plants make walking through this park a true delight. I was able to take a few good photos; the real delight will come in a few months when many more plants will be in flower.
Birds of the Park
While it was tempting to only go along plant watching, something my wife does all the time, I also kept and eye and ear out for the bird life all around us. There were scattered clouds and a cool breeze so I would have expected a good list of birds. It was, however, a little disappointing with only a moderate list. Grey Currawongs, Australian Magpies, New Holland Honeyeaters and Red wattlebirds were quite apparent. I heard a Grey Shrike Thrush and saw several Mallee Ringneck Parrots. As we were about to drive off I saw and heard two Peaceful Doves in the trees near the car park.
Adelaide Zoo
Last Tuesday we drove to Adelaide for the day. In the morning we took our daughter Rose to to the Adelaide Airport. She flew to Sydney for a conference and to stay with her brother and sister-in-law. After attending to some business and having lunch we went to the Adelaide Zoo.
Many Changes
We had heard that there had been some recent changes at the Adelaide Zoo with the opening of some new exhibits. After we had been there for only a short time we realised that there had been many changes since our last visit several years ago. The new exhibits, although not all yet complete, are great. They enable excellent views of the animals and they continue the trend away from wires and bars to glass viewing areas and overhead walkways. This also makes photography much easier and I was able to get some great shots.
Lions
The lion display is now great. One is able to get within about 2 metres of the lions. I was able to get several close up shots of the male lion looking very regal indeed. It was quite disconcerting to be stared down by a lion at a distance of less than two metres. He was probably trying to assess whether I’d be worth the effort to catch and eat. After all, I’ve recently lost about 11 kilograms in weight. Mmmm. On the down side these photos had to be taken through the usual wire netting. Still – the wire does give one a feeling of safety being so close to such an awesome creature.
Birds
We spent quite a long time in the rainforest aviary. I again managed to get some really fantastic shots of birds close up. It was rather overcast (it had rained heavily as we entered the zoo) so the flash came into its own.
All in all – it was a very pleasant and relaxing three hours wandering through about half of our favourite zoo.