TWOBEHINDTHELENS: A WILD STORY

Birding in Perth, Western Australia

Short but sweet

Travelling was much needed after the 2020 pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill. The first destination was Perth, Western Australia where I had previously studied. It was a trip that was long-planned, and when the day came it felt almost surreal to be able to sit on a plane after more than two years. And of course the length of the stay had to be worthwhile - the trip lasted two months.

I brought my camera along with the intention of taking some photographs of Australian wildlife that I had never noticed much when I lived there. It really felt as if a portal to a new world had opened the moment I started to notice the wildlife around me that had been there the entire time.

And because we couldn't get enough of Perth, we went there once more in December 2022, spending about 2 weeks there. During that period, we managed to spot a few more species of birds.

Birds of Perth

Here is a list of wild birds that we encountered in Perth in 2022.

1. Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)

The scene:

An Australasian Darter bathed in the afterglow of the sunset as it dried out its large wings after a swim.

Facts:

It is a rather large bird, weighing about 3kg and spanning about 94cm in length. It is also known as the snakebird as it is usually seen hunting for fish in lakes and rivers with only its long neck sticking out from the water surface.

It spears and engulfs fish underwater, but sometimes the prey is impaled with its sharp beak, brought to shore to be shown off like a trophy, and tossed into the air before being swallowed whole. It is a solitary bird, often seen spreading and drying out its wings on bare branches as it balances itself on its yellow webbed feet.

Because its feathers are not completely waterproof and absorb water, this slows down its movements when swimming and hunting, thus wing-drying is essential for the next smooth-going swim.

2. Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

The scene:

The Australasian Grebe simply "hopped" out from the water such that its legs were grazing the surface for a few moments, and shook its drenched wings that were weighing it down. It had been continuously diving, hunting for prey within the thick algae bloom. But as it took a rest, the sun felt nice on its feathers, so it decided that it was going to make use of the heat.

Watching and photographing water birds made us realize that the impact of a subject hitting the water results in water droplets that are so random in direction which creates an interesting effect within a photograph. The more you observe, the more you appreciate the minimal things, even something as simple as a bead of water.

Facts:

Although it is a common bird seen in rivers and ponds, it is much more elusive compared to the other waterbirds, and dives when being approached. The colour of its plumages vary largely during the breeding and non-breeding season.

3. Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen/Cracticus tibicen)

The scene:

An Australian Magpie stood directly on the roof under the sunlight which accentuated its chestnut-brown eyes, along with the autumn colours surrounding it. There it has found the right position to sing melodiously at the top of its lungs, waking the whole neighbourhood up in the early hours of the morning.