Like a kid in a candy store...

This morning Matt and I took the ferry across Sydney Harbour to Taronga Zoo to do some urban nature-watching. While spotting birds in captivity doesn't really count and is less enjoyable than spotting them in the wild, I've learned that aviaries are the perfect place to get close to some rare birds and practice my bird identification skills. The aviaries at Taronga Zoo were no exception.

We've so far avoided Taronga Zoo because it's a major tourist trap, but it's actually one of the best zoos I've been to (rivaling the San Diego and Houston Zoos) and a great way for locals to spend a cool Saturday in autumn. I would have visited the zoo much sooner if I'd known how many aviaries (and bird species) they have! One website claims they have 160 bird species in the zoo. Considering many of these are not on display all the time, I'm happy to have seen half (80 species in one afternoon!). And after 5 hours, we still didn't see and do everything the zoo has to offer. We'll definitely be back - to see the animals we didn't get to, do the ropes course, watch the bird show (we missed it), soak in the amazing views of the city and harbour, have an animal "encounter," or do the overnight "Roar and Snore."

View of the city and harbour from the Taronga Zoo bird theatre

But on to the birds...

The zoo has five separate, walk-through aviaries/areas where visitors are completely surrounded by birds and other wildlife, at least 18 cages or pens containing birds, and many open areas (like ponds and tree-tops) where native birds congregate.

I can't possibly describe our encounters with all 80 species, but here are a few highlights.

Wetlands Aviary

Glossy ibis walking among the bamboo

Royal spoonbill playing with coy fish

Pied heron standing on a mossy rock

Cattle egret on the roof of the entrance to the Wetlands Aviary

Species seen: Cattle egret, Dollarbird, Glossy ibis, Java sparrow, Mandarin duck, Metallic starling, Pied heron, Pied imperial pigeon, Royal spoonbill, Wandering whistling duck, Yellow figbird.

Seal walk

Little penguins

Roosting Australian pelicans

Species seen: Australian pelican, Little penguin

Rainforest trail

Nicobar pigeon (Southeast Asia), Palm Aviary

Red Lory (Indonesia), Palm Aviary

Golden pheasant (China), Palm Aviary

White-bibbed ground dove (New Guinea), Palm Aviary

Species seen: Brown cuckoo-dove, Egyptian goose, Golden pheasant, King quail, Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon, Nicobar pigeon, Noisy pitta, Red jungle-fowl, Red lory, Red-whiskered bulbul, Superb fruit dove, Victoria crowned pigeon, White-bibbed ground dove.

Big cats trail

Majestic lions pose for a picture

Gorilla family with baby riding on mama's back

Bird species seen: Ruddy shelduck

Australian walkabout

Tasmanian devil pretending to be roadkill

A male (right) and female (left) Zebra finch (Aviary near red kangaroos)

Malleefowl (Aviary near red kangaroos)

Budgerigar (Aviary near red kangaroos)

Eastern rosella (Aviary near red kangaroos)

Red kangaroos

Glossy black cockatoo (Blue Mountains Bushwalk Aviary)

Diamond firetail (Blue Mountains Bushwalk Aviary)

Southern cassowary

Emu

Regent bowerbird (Australian Rainforest Aviary)

Noisy Pitta (Australian Rainforest Aviary)

Gouldian and Masked finch (Bush birds enclosure)

Forest Kingfisher (Bush birds enclosure)

Gouldian Finch (Bush birds enclosure)

Black-winged stilt (Bush birds enclosure)

Crimson finch (Bush birds enclosure)

Banded lapwing (Bush birds enclosure)

Yellow figbird (Bush birds enclosure)

Topknot pigeon (Bush birds enclosure)

Red-tailed black cockatoo (Cockatoo enclosure)

Sleeping koala

Bird species seen: Australian bush turkey, Australian king parrot, Australian pelican, Australian shelduck, Banded lapwing, Black-winged stilt, Brown cuckoo-dove, Brush bronzewing, Budgerigar, Buff-banded rail, Cape barren goose, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Crested pigeon, Crimson finch, Diamond firetail, Dollarbird, Eastern rosella, Eclectus parrot, Emerald dove, Emu, Forest kingfisher, Gouldian finch, Green pygmy-goose, King quail, Kookaburra, Little lorikeet, Malleefowl, Masked finch, Masked lapwing, Noisy pitta, Peaceful dove, Pheasant coucal, Plumed whistling-duck, Red-tailed black cockatoo, Regent bowerbird, Rose-crowned fruit dove, Satin bowerbird, Scaly-breasted lorikeet, Southern cassowary, Striped honeyeater, Superb fruit dove, Superb parrot, Tawny frogmouth, Topknot pigeon, Turquoise parrot, Variegated fairy wren, White-browed wood-swallow, White-headed pigeon, Yellow figbird, Yellow-tailed black cockatoo, Zebra finch, 

Other highlights

Spotting a Nanking Night Heron near the crocodile enclosure. It's not listed in the zoo's animal list and was probably just passing through!

Watching a feeding in the Palm Aviary

Spotting this unlisted bird in the aviary near the Red Kangaroos. Looks more like a rare Dusky or Black Grasswren than a striated grasswren.

Spotting these King parrots in the wild near the Australian Rainforest Aviary. You don't usually see these guys in the city. Could they be a population of zoo escapees, or were they just passing through?

Watching the Regent Honeyeaters...

...in the Historic Moore Park aviary

Marvelling at the Andean Condors

(Disclaimer: I do not intend in this post to advocate any particular views about the treatments of animals in zoos.)

A pardalote in a snow gum tree

While parts of the States enjoyed real snow in the days leading up to Christmas...

US Radar map - 23 December 2014 (Intellicast)

...Matt and I enjoyed the Snowy Mountain off-season: when the skiers leave the slopes, in come the birds (and birders). Near the NSW-Victoria border, we camped in true Aussie Christmas spirit...

Lounging at our campsite by the river (Corona and field guide in hand)

...or at least trying to. Between an unexpected stomach ailment and some stormy weather, our planned 4-day camping trip became a stopover in Canberra plus 2 days of camping. But that still left plenty of time for some quality birdwatching.

In Canberra, we did manage to see heaps of Galahs, magpies, sulphur-crested cockatoos, and some green birds with blue wings (stop the car, honey!!) that looked a heck of a lot like turquoise parrots... but were probably something more common, like juvenile crimson rosellas.

But the Snowy Mountains gave us the most fun, with several new species sightings. On the first day at our campsite (the Diggings), we took a leisurely 5-km walk to the east along the Thredbo River, enjoying a picnic lunch under the shade trees to a chorus of birds, including white-eared and yellow-faced honeyeaters.

Walk along the Thredbo River

Yellow-faced honeyeater calling near the Thredbo Diggings campground

An alert kangaroo

 We spotted a pair of kangaroos on the trail, avoided feeding the cute maned and Pacific black ducks, and ended the day surrounded by choruses of kookaburras and striated pardalotes.

Foraging duck family

A striated pardalote calling from a snow gum tree

The highlight of the trip was the Dead Horse Gap trail, which we tackled on day three. Each year, this gap through the mountains serves as a funnel for millions of migrating birds and insects.

Map of the area, showing Dead Horse Gap

 The trail itself leads up through the snow gum forest...

...and into the high alpine grasses.

Nerd alert #357

View from the summit

On the way up we spotted lots of yellow-faced honeyeaters, a couple crimson roesllas, loads of ravens, some vibrant flame robins, and a few grey fantails.

Male flame robin singing high in a tree

A grey fantail flitting and singing in the trees

So to sum up, we had a productive Christmas adventure, spotting:

Twelve galahs perching

Eleven ravens circling

Ten maned ducks wattling

Nine ducklings groveling

Eight kookaburras laughing

Seven rosellas singing

Six yellow-faced honeyeaters

Five fairy wren breeders

Four fantails

Three flame robins

Two kangaroos

And a pardalote in a snow gum tree.