Wildlife of Our Wetlands

Here are some photographs taken of wildlife seen at Heron Reserve.

This page is full of photographs of our wetlands so is therefore very graphic intensive.  Please be patient while the page loads up.

 

Black Swan (Cygnus altratus) Western Australian bird emblem. Very large black bird with long slender neck and white-topped wings. Bill red with white bar near tip, nail whitish. All black feathers faintly edged grey-brown.  Legs and feet black.  Lives in large expanses of open water, fresh to marine, with abundant aquatic vegetation.
Australasian  Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)  Bill dark, tipped cream. Eye yellow. Head and neck black. Bare skin forms a pale yellow face spot.  Richly coloured chestnut stripe  extends back on to side of neck. Back dark brown. Underparts  silver-grey. Lives generally on  fresh water.  They dive rather  than flee danger by flying.
Australian Raven (Corvus  coronoides) Black plumage glistens in sunlight. Long, floppy, pointed  throat hackles. White eye. Lives in most areas of South-West  Australia except closed forests.	Magpie-lark  (Grallina cyanoleuca) Distinctive glossy black and white.  White bill and eye.  Lives in open areas,  often near water.	Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)  Glossy black and white.  (Male has black head separated  from black back by wide white  collar) Live almost everywhere.
Male  Mountain Duck Female Mountain Duck	Australian Shelduck (Mountain Duck) (Tadorna tadornoides) Large-bodied, brightly coloured duck  with small head and bill. Male - head,  neck black, glossed green. White ring  around base of neck. Upperparts mainly black, underparts dark brown with  cinnamon breast.  Female - eye-ring and  base of bill white, sometimes merged;  chestnut breast.  Mountain ducks live in open brackish or  fresh lakes, dams, open woodlands and  coastal areas.
We are not sure of the name of this pair of ducks.  Do you know?
	Swamphen chick
Blue South Western Swamphen - (Porphyrio porphyrio) Has a brick-red bill and frontal shield and red eyes.  Head and upperparts black. Underparts, wings deep blue, white undertail. Legs are red.  Lives in swamps and marshy  paddocks. It flicks its tail when walking.
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) Slightly smaller than the Dusky Moorhen.  Bill, frontal shield white.  Eyes red, head black, body dark slate-grey.  Legs dark grey.  Lives in swamps, fresh or brackish open lakes estuaries.
	Dusky Moorhen(Gallinula  tenebrosa) Slightly smaller than  Swamphen. Bill, frontal shield red, tip  yellow. Iris olive. Body slate-grey. Wings, rump browner. Tail, black. White sides to undertail. Legs yellow, scarlet and olive. Lives in fresh water usually near reeds.
These little birds are very hard to  photograph.	Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis (Charadrius) melanops) Small  plover with brown upperparts, pale  streaks and chestnut shoulder patch. Bill  bright red tipped black. Red eye-ring.  Face white; black forehead and black  eyeline. Underparts white. Broad black  'V' on chest. Lives in freshwater lakes,  farm dams. Flight jerky, reveals  white wing bars; alights runs.
	Willie  Wagtail (Rhipidura  leucophrys) Eye, bill, legs black. White  eyebrow. Lower cheek stripe spotted  white. Head, underparts, upper chest and (long) tail glossy black; brown tinge to  wings. Underparts otherwise white. Lives everywhere except very wet forests. Runs on ground; wags tail around in a fan. Sits on livestock. Aggressive to other birds.
	Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) Bill yellow, distinctive. Grey facial skin edged black. Body  creamy-white, except for black lace-like  plumes on inner secondaries. Hackles on  upper breast. Legs yellow. Lives in  shallows of freshwater wetlands,  occasionally on dry pasture.  Often roosts in trees.  Very rarely seen this far south.
Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) Black bill and naked skin on head, upperneck. Some pink bands across nape. Body; wings white (often stained dirty brown) Black inner plumes give appearance of 'black tail'  Wings tipped black. Red naked skin under wing to sides of breast. Yellow upper tail when breading. Legs reddish  brown. Lives in all but the most saline of wetlands and pasture, rubbish dumps. Known sometimes as 'Sacred Ibis'
Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) Crown blackish, face white to buff with two black stripes. Body plumage dark brown.  Upperwing has purplish-green speculum. Legs, feet yellow-green. Lives in deep, permanent, heavily vegetated swamps.
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) The smallest Australian cormorant. Short, yellow bill with black borders. Face blackish. White over eye to bill. Crest of short black feather before bill. Side of neck divided  black and white. Lives in most aquatic habitats. Appears to be the only Australian cormorant which soars in thermals. In the right picture are some Little Black Cormorants.  They are small, slender and dark with glossy bronze-green back.  Slender lead-grey bill.  They fish co-operatively with Australian Pelicans.
	Australian Wood (Maned) Duck (Chenonetta jubata) This is a  'goose-like'duck, dark head, pale body. Live in timbered areas near water, inland  dams. Small flocks walk about a great  deal.
White-faced Heron (Egretta (Ardea) novaehollandiae) Bill dark brown, paler at base of mandible.  Face to just behind the eye, white. Upperparts and wings grey. Belly paler grey. Flight feathers dark grey. Pale chestnut hackles on lower neck. Legs yellow-green. Lives in pasture, farm dams, parklands, most wetlands adapts to most urban areas. Perches on trees, posts.  We were lucky enough to photograph one in flight (bottom right photo)
Great Egret (Ardea alba) Bill usually black. Facial skin green. Body and wings white as are the long lacy plumes.  Legs dark grey or black; slightly paler on tibea. Lives in floodwaters, rivers, shallows of wetlands, intertidal mud-flats. Legs extend well beyond tail in flight.We haven't seen one at our wetlands since this photo was taken in 1999. Now we have more photographs of the Great Egret - these were taken February 14, 2003!
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) Very large black and white bird. Long pink bill.  Distensible throat pouch. Shoulders, rump, tail, upperwing except centre black; otherwise white.  Head, neck can be greyish. Legs, webbed feet grey. Lives in open fresh and salt water.  Flies in lines or 'V's; soars in graceful circles, often to great heights.   Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus  himantopus) White with black patch at the  nape of the neck and wings. Long black bill with a red eye. Long pink legs - when flying the legs trail at the back. Lives in fresh and saltwater marshes and flooded paddocks.
	Clamorous Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) Slender bill. Dark above, pale below.  Upper parts warm brown. Eyebrow,  throat cream. 17cm high. Clear, sweet  voice. Lives in reed beds and other dense vegetation near water. Flies low over  water.
	Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae) Slender grey bird with black bill, mask and chest. 33cm high. Lives in open woodlands and eats large  insects and sometimes fruit. Makes a  small nest of sticks and cobwebs in  August to February.
	Long-necked Tortoises
	Dragonflies and Damsel Flies
	'Motor-bike' frog
	Small frog We found this tiny frog in August 2001.  It is sitting in someone's hand so you can see how small it is. Do you know what it is called?
	White-necked (Pacific) Heron (Ardea pacifica) Large heron with a dark grey bill.  The  head and neck are white. The back and  wings black with bluish sheen. Legs dark  grey. Size: 76-107cm. They live on moist  pasture, floodwaters and shallows of  freshwater wetlands.
	We think this is an eagle but we can't identify it.  Maybe someone else can?

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