A waterbird sitting on the fence by the pond at the bottom of the Fernberg grounds
I walked past the pond at the bottom of the Fernberg grounds today and saw this bird sitting on the fence. It looks familiar but I have no idea what it is. I’ve never seen this sort of bird around here before.
It let me get surprisingly close — within a couple of metres. Even at that distance, this is the best I could do with the camera on my phone. Though it stayed in the one spot on the fence, it frequently moved its body, occasionally stretching out its long neck. When I finally got too close, the bird flew down into the pond, and proceeded to dive over and over again, seemingly combing the bottom with its beak, looking for things to eat. A very able diver, it reminded me a bit of a platypus.
It’s nice to know that this little restored remnant of Western Creek holds an attraction for wildlife in the area.
So… does anyone know what sort of bird it is?
Looks like a:
Scientific name: Anhinga melanogaster
Family: Anhingidae
Order: Pelecaniformes
birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anhinga-melanogaster
Description
The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. The Australian species should now be known as the Australasian Darter, Anhinga novaehollandiae.
maybe! 🙂
Close, but I reckon it must be this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Pied_Cormorant
… the Little Pied Cormorant
This page is written by a little pied cormorant who lives in Calamvale Creek… http://calamvalecreek.awardspace.com/lucky.html
It’s a Little Pied Cormorant, I’m a professional birdwatcher in the Brissie area and they are very common in creeks.