This post is mostly dedicated to waterbirds sighted in and around the western tiers and north central area of Tasmania. A feature will be the young ones - cute but also highlighting the early struggle that their life can be!
This first series of photos was taken along a walk around a lake and gardens at a delightful rasberry farm cafe just out of Deloraine. The first two offer a Tasmanian native hen showing off for the camera - first with a spread of the wings while looking down the lens of the camera; second with a slight sideways glance and model's cross-legged step 😀.
Out on the lake, sadly with no willingness to drift or dive closer, was this grebe. The light is not entirely kind, but I think it might a hoary headed grebe by the dark stripes along the head. Not seen one of these before.
Next out on another part of the lake with much better lighting having moved around further, was this pair of chestnut teals showing how much more flamboyant the male plummage is. Also not keen on drifting too close!
Finally from this location, a parent and young native hen grazing. The chick is mimicing the parent closely.
The next set of three photos are from our western tiers B&B grounds. First up another shot of the so far elusive green rosella, this time on the grass giving a sense of how it is their movement that gives them away not their camoflage.
There was a walled courtyard through which you drove to your parking bay. Wandering along the outside of this wall one day I snapped this sparrow keeping an eye on me as it was basking atop the wall among the grasses enjoying the sunshine.
Then looking across our front courtyard into the wonderful garden, this common blackbird was perched on a branch allowing the surrounding foliage to show off how they can look so wonderful (despite being pests).
The next five photos were taken while walking along various paths beside the Meander River in Deloraine. They feature newborns, with one exception.
The first features three very young pacific black ducklings learning their craft; second and third show a protective native hen guarding and guiding her new chicks - small black fluff balls! The fifth photo shows a native hen with a larger brood of chicks in its care grazing along the river bank.
This fourth one in the set has no young ones - it is a mallard enjoying the afternoon space on the river.
The next two photos are offered for context. The first is a black currawong, endemic to Tasmania, perched high atop a pine tree just below Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain. I included the second photo, panned back, just to highlight the wonderful environment that is "lost" by zooming in. Different pictures allow different thousand word stories to be told!
