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| Last Updated: Thu Jul 14 11:51:52 UTC 2016 |
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| Last Updated: Thu Jul 14 11:51:52 UTC 2016 |
| Australian Suburban Wildlife (Page VI) |
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Mundane
as Australian suburbia might be, we often do get interesting visitors. This multi-part web page series contains a
selection of recent wildlife pictures of interest, especially bird
life, and some typical habitats.
The Clayton Campus of Monash University has a remarkably wide range of resident native birds, and the odd visitors. This page covers mostly birdlife occupying the lake next to the Science Centre, in the North Eastern corner of the campus. Photos and text ¿ 1997-2012 Carlo Kopp; Photographs produced using a Nikon D90, mostly Mamiya Sekor C 300mm f/5.6N ULD, Mamiya Sekor C 210mm f/4.0, Mamiya Sekor A 200mm f/2.8 APO, and some Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED, 28mm f/1.8D, 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR and Tokina 20-35mm f/2.8 ATX Pro. |
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Pacific Black Duck    The ubiquitous Pacific
Black Duck is the most common duck species on Clayton campus. The
species is closely related to the introduced Mallard, and often
hybridisation occurs.
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Hardhead Duck  The attractive Hardhead,
with chocolate brown plumage, is a diving duck, and a unique Australian
species.
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Chestnut Teal    The Chestnut
Teal is common in the suburbs, but usually shy.
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Feral Duck (Mallard Cross)    This feral
domestic duck carries a good many Mallard genes, evident from
its plumage and build. The green hue on its head is not quite up to the
colour purity of a real Mallard.
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Australian Wood Duck The Wood Duck
is another unique Australian species, reasonably common in the suburbs.
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 This feral Embden
Goose is perhaps the best known of the lake's residents, with a
reputation for chasing and nipping passers-by.
     Feral lake
residents keeping company.
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 Closely related
to the rail, the Dusky Moorhen is a common sight on Australian
lakes and ponds.
         The Eurasian
Coot is almost as common as the closely related Dusky Moorhen
and Purple Swamp Hen, the latter not observed at the Lake.
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Buff Banded Rail
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 These Australian
Grebes are both in light coloured mating plumage, and regular brown
plumage.
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Australian White Ibis
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 This Pacific Heron flew across the opposite
bank of the lake, at which range image quality suffered. Curiously, a
Magpie Lark flew formation with the Heron.
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 The agile
Magpie Lark is a common sight in the suburbs. This unusually friendly
specimen allowed itself to be photographed.
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  The aggressive
and highly active Noisy Miner is another ubiquitous resident of
Australia's suburbs. This example was sufficiently preoccupied with
feeding to not care about being photographed.
   This sequence
shows a Noisy Miner fishing for aquatic prey, likely a large
insect larva, a sight observed repeatedly during this shoot. Whatever
was caught was flown straight to a tree holding a nest.
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 This Crested
Pidgeon was observed gliding over the lake at 2 - 3 ft altitude
above the water. At one point a Noisy Miner flew formation with it.
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 The Australian
Raven is a very inquisitive bird and a common sight in the suburbs
of Melbourne.
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Other Interesting Wildlife Sites http://www.wildlife-photo.org/ |
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| Artwork and text ¿ 1994 - 2010 Carlo Kopp; All rights reserved. |
| $Revision: 2.279 $ |