 |
Centenary Park |
|
Centenary Park |
Centenary Park in Belmont is on the Corner of Hardey Rd and Elmsfield St in Belmont.
 |
|
 |
I have included this park into the 'Hotspots' as I was impressed with the variety of native birds living at this pond. I have been there twice this summer (2001-2002) and there is still plenty of water available. It is easy to walk around, (not much shade cover though), and it has an island in the middle that gives the birds a place of refuge from people walking their dogs. (Please keep your dogs on their leads). At Centenary park I have seen rainbow bee-eaters and their juvenile babies, coots, dusky moore-hens, little grebes and swamp-hens and their babies. I have also seen a sacred kingfisher and a pair of blue billed ducks, lots of mountain ducks, wood ducks, pacific black ducks, ibis, a brown darter (that darted away quickly), black swans, a pelican, little pied and black cormorants, and blue, red and yellow dragon flies skimming the water. |
It was great to see the coots fanning their tails in displays, and a flock of close to 30 swallows resting in the trees.
|
|
|
|
The little grebes had just had chicks hatch and the two little stripy chicks were so cute hiding in their parents wings and having a free ride on a parents back waiting eagerly for the other parent to return with the tucker. When the parent returned, they would call loudly to the chicks and immediately the chicks would leave the parent they were with and go to the new parent with the food and then the other parent would go out and gather the food in the pond. Even though these birds live around houses and people walk here everyday they are very cautious. I have been trying to photograph a little grebe over 8 weeks at various ponds. So here it is. I hope to be able to photograph the parents with a chick but that is going to take a lot of sitting and waiting which is very hard in the February heat. |
||
|
||
| Well I got the shots I was hoping for with my camera. See 'February's Photo of the month' for another shot of these cuties. | ||
|
|
|
I have just released a wood duck (Maned duck) here which I had reared up from a 5 day old duckling, so I will be visiting here from time to time to check on him. But remember that domestic ducks are a threat to our native wetland birds and you should never dump them. You can read about my experiences of rearing this cutie at "wildlife tales" and keep coming back as I add more great pictures from this wildlife pond. |
|
|
All Content, written
and graphical Copyright © Wildlife Education Services 2003. |
