Jon Atkinson - World and Wildlife Photographer

Contact: JPA123ab@hotmail.com

AUSTRALIAN WATER BIRDS

 

Aus_Birds 1: Australian Pelican, Sydney, Australia.

The Australian Pelican's range isAustralia, Papua New Guinea and western Indonesia where they can be found on freshwater, estuarine and marine wetlands and waterways.

Aus_Birds 2: Masked Lapwing, Sydney, Australia.

The Masked Lapwing is a common resident throughout northern, central and eastern Australia. They are found in a variety of habitats including marshes, mudflats, beaches and grasslands. It is often seen in urban areas in parks and gardens.

Aus_Birds 3: Purple Swamphen, Perth, Australia.

The Purple Swamphen is found around freshwater swamps, streams and marshes. They are common in eastern and northern Australia, with another distint population common in the extreme south-west.

Aus_Birds 4: Dusky Moorhen, Perth, Australia.

Dusky Moorhens have a simlar distribution range to the Purple Swamphen and are common in eastern and northern Australia, with another population common in the south-west where they can be found on, or close to, freshwater sources.

Aus_Birds 5: Bridled Tern, Sydney, Australia.

The Bridled Tern is a bird of the tropical oceans which is migratory and dispersive, wintering more widely through the tropical oceans. It has markedly marine habits compared to most terns.

Aus_Birds 6: Pacific Black Duck, Victoria, Australia.

Aus_Birds 7 Pied Oystercatcher, Perth, Australia.

Pied Oystercatchers frequent sandy coastlines, mudflats, sandbanks and occassionaly rocky or shingle coastlines where they feed mainly on molluscs, which are prised apart with their specially adapted bill.

Aus_Birds 8 Masked Lapwing, Victoria, Australia.

The Masked Lapwing is also known as the Masked Plover or the Spur-winged Plover. It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms and has several distinctive calls.

Aus_Birds 9 Australian Pelican, Perth, Australia.

Pelicans are mobile, searching out suitable areas of water and an adequate supply of food. Pelicans are not capable of sustained flapping flight, but can remain in the air for long durations, covering hundreds of kilometres due to thier ability to soar on thermals.

Aus_Birds 10 Great Crested Grebe, Perth, Australia.

The Great-crested Grebe breeds in fresh or brackish water bordered with vegetation, and some areas of open waters for foraging.
This species also frequents artificial water bodies and pools, or backwaters of slow-flowing rivers and gravel-pits

Aus_Birds 11 Crested Tern, Rottnest Island, Australia.

The Greater Crested Tern, Crested Tern or Swift Tern, nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World where they disperse widely from the breeding range after nesting. They are found throughout Australia. When not breeding, the Greater Crested Tern will roost or rest on open shores

Aus_Birds 12 Lesser Crested Tern, Perth, Australia.

The Lesser Crested Tern breeds in subtropical coastal parts of the world mainly from the Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, and Australia.

Aus_Birds 13 Purple Swamphen, Sydney, Australia.

The Purple Swamphen has a very loud explosive call described as a "raucous high-pitched screech, with a subdued musical tuk-tuk". It is particularly noisy during the breeding season. Despite being clumsy in flight it can fly long distances, and it is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet.

Aus_Birds 14 Australian Pelican, Perth, Australia.

Australian Pelicans nest communally. The nest is a shallow depression in earth or sand, sometimes with some grass lining. Up to three chalky white eggs are laid.

Aus_Birds 15 Fairy Tern, Perth, Australia.

The Fairy Tern is one of two, smallest terns in Australia and is distributed from Western Australia, southward to Tasmania and Victoria wher it is found on isolated sandy inlets and along the coast. It favours both fresh and saline wetlands and near-coastal terrestial wetlands, including lakes and salt-ponds.