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How and where to take great bird pictures.
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Laratinga Wetlands 9 years 3 months ago #19

  • Les Peters
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You can find Laratinga Wetlands in South Australia here on Google maps:

https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Laratinga+Wetlands/@-35.071323,138.885661,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x6ab73a7e232e001f:0xf03365545ba43e0


Quite a few pictures I've posted on the BLPG site have been taken at the Laratinga Wetlands. If you haven't been there, you may have the impression that it's a big place like Werribee, but it isn't. It's rather small and generally has an army of dog walkers and bike riders circulating through it at all hours of the day. Your day can be ruined when you come across people who think it a fine sport to let their dogs run freely, and are pleased when their dogs chase the birds. "Why shouldn't they? It's natural, isn't it?"


So far I've just grumbled, but the fact is that the large number of people using the area for recreational purposes also give you a great chance to see uncommon birds well. They don't care too much about what you are doing, so long as you don't appear too interested in what they are doing.


A year or two ago I met Tim Appleton there when he was visiting Australia. Tim is one of the main people behind the U. K,. Bird Fair and he was visiting spots in Australia that might be of interest for British Bird watchers. There was no doubting that he was a "twitcher" and he was delighted to bag Freckled and Pink Eared Duck while he was a Laratinga. They were last last ducks on his list and he could now say he had seen all of the species of ducks there are in the world.


Most surprising for me was his pure delight at getting to see a Baillon's Crake clearly. "The last time I saw one of these" he explained " ..and it is the only other time I have seen them, I was in Israel and there were people taking pot shots at one another across the waste land where I was. It's much easier here" he added with a smile.


So the lesson is, don't get complacent about your local water hole and what you can to find there.. We visitors to Laratinga don't.


Laratinga is actually a set of settlement ponds which look like this: [image missing on previous site]

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Last edit: by Rob Parker.

Re: Laratinga Wetlands 9 years 1 month ago #142

  • Peter Gower
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Just like to back up Les's comments about Laratinga at Mt Barker.

It's an area of about 17 hectares with a bird list of about 160 species. Up to 70 species can be seen on a mornings walk around the area.

At present, with water levels low Spotless Crakes can be photographed for those who have the patience. Recently there have also been Common & Wood Sandpipers on view.

If you are travelling to Adelaide from the east, it is well worth taking some time for a stop. It is just off the SE Freeway at Mt Barker on the way to Adelaide from Murray Bridge.
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Last edit: by Rob Parker.
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