There is a cordoned-off area and a sign warning beachgoers to avoid this area where a pair of threatened Hooded Dotterels are nesting. The little birds nest between high tide and the dunes in a shallow sand scrape. I keep well back from the marked zone and take a couple of pictures trying to capture an image of both birds together.
Hooded Plovers on the front dune
Cushion Fanflower
I am investigating the area between the
Victor Harbor Caravan Park and the ocean. It is a diverse little ecosystem with a brackish pond, river outlet and small coastal dunes. A wide variety of coastal plants surround the pond including; coastal wattle species, Cushion Fanflower Bush and Knobby Clubrush (a wiry grass).
View from the seward side across the pond to the caravan park
Inman River entering the sea
Walking quietly through the grass and bushes, I approach the pond from the beachside and sit near a large coastal wattle bush. I have an excellent view of both the water and the scrub and it is now time to employ a wildlife photographer's most important skill…..patience. My approach is soon rewarded in the most unexpected way as a
Shingleback Lizard appears just to my right.
Shingleback or Sleepy Lizard
After a few minutes, a pair of
Masked Lapwings emerge from the tall grass near the dried-up edge of the pond. And I notice some smaller birds near them. Using the extreme telephoto on the P900 I realise they are not a separate species but the young lapwing chicks. Something I have never seen before and certainly worth a shot or ten.
Masked Lapwing
Masked Lapwing and chick
As I slowly change position to improve my view of the pond closer to the bike track that runs along this section of coast, I hear the tittering call of Superb Fairy Wrens (often called Blue Wrens) and I spot a colourful male amongst a tangle of branches and leaves.
Superb Fairy Wren
Time to leave as the mosquito population has zeroed in on my position. Abandoning stealth, I walk back towards the rear entrance to the caravan park. Just as I reach the far end of the pond a pair of
Chestnut Teal decides to land and perch on a sun-bleached branch protruding from the water. A wonderful final shot for the day showing sexual dimorphism (noticeable differences between males and females) in birds.
Chestnut Teal male and female
Additional notes
This is an easy walk/drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors with public toilets, barbecues, parking and other facilities nearby. It is dog friendly.
