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Visited: winter
Recommendation: This is a non-descript area adjacent to the beach but all manner of birds visit the wetland during the year. It is a great place to visit but you may want to check with local birders about what is around.
Part of a larger conservation park, the Aldinga Washpool is part of the Aldinga Conservation Park, which was proclaimed in 2022. The park protects 340 hectares of land with high biodiversity value. It is an important environmental asset as one of Adelaide's last remaining coastal freshwater and estuarine lagoon systems. It provides habitat for many native species, including birds, swamp plants and even a threatened coastal saltmarsh.
Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
But I didn't actually know any of this. I was driving south and saw a body of water from the road. Looking closer, it was obvious that there were swans swimming and other birds around. Button Road leads down the sea past the wetland and from there, you can walk through the area. It was obvious that dog walkers were in the area so I slipped through the gate and headed on.
There are many fence posts on the edge of the water, along with a perching rail. On one of these, I found 2 juvenile Pacific Gulls. I haven't seen any for quite sometime so it was great to find them again. They are unlike any other gull I have ever seen with the most enormous, jagged bill. This is because they are opportunistic feeders, eating a wide variety of things, including fish, shellfish, crabs, and even carrion. Their large bills are powerful and well-suited for tearing into tough food items like crabs and mollusks with hard shells.
Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus)
On a couple of other rails were some Little Pied Cormorant. I particularly liked photographing these birds as very often their white breast is muddy and dirty or their plumage is in moult. These birds had sharp lines and were very attractive. The Little Pieds are the most common species of cormorant in Australia. They're widespread across the continent, found on all sorts of water bodies, from rivers and lakes to estuaries and even the coast.
Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos)
As I was driving in past this ephemeral lagoon, I saw some grey/brown lumps and thought they were either vegetation or Cape Barren Geese. I didn't even look closer as I assumed it would be the former. To my surprise, there were 4 Cape Barren Geese amongst the swans. Endemic to Australia, they are pretty rare. Their range includes the southern coast of Western Australia, the southeastern coast of Australia, and southeastern Victoria. They are also found on Kangaroo Island, where they were introduced in the 1920s and 1930s. These geese are mostly found on offshore islands, typically with granite rock, where they can find their preferred habitat of pasture, tussock grass, or low heathy scrub. It was a great find for this place.
Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae)
There were some raptors circling around the swamp and I got good views of the Black-shouldered Kite, which tried to hide amongst the dead branches of a tree and an Nankeen Kestrel perched on a post scanning for the next possible snack.
Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris)
After flushing a couple of Brown Quail (so annoying when that happens), I found a very white-faced White-faced Heron watching me from the long grass. I have lots of photos of this bird already but couldn't resist as it looked straight at me.
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
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