Coorong National Park, South Australia

Could it be that I am turning into one? For most of my life I thought birders (birdwatchers) were the most boring people. How else would you describe a person who slogs through marshland with his trusty binoculars, notebook, and camera in hand only to observe flocks of birds for hours on end?

Along with other shore and water birds, black swans (Cygnus atratus) have thrived enormously recently and increased in numbers due to the amount of rain in the Coorong wetlands and along the Murray River water course.

Looking through my pictures of my trips, I see lots of birds. Could this be? Am I a birder? It’s not enough that I love to take pictures of birds. No! After I get back to my computer, I look up bird ID websites and study the pictures I have taken. By comparing the birds’ beaks and plumage and feet and eyes, I find the scientific names of the species and file them away in my brain somewhere. Mission accomplished! Now that I am a self-identified birder I will need more photo equipment – don’t you think?

With a length of 2,500 km (1,560 mi), the Murray River is Australia’s longest water course. It starts in the Australian Alps, draws water from 1/7th of Australia’s landmass and drains into the Southern Ocean at the Coorong National Park. The Coorong, which is a myriad of waterways, lakes, dunes and ocean 156 km (97 mi) south-east of Adelaide, is a birder’s paradise. The beauty of this area is absolutely stunning.

~ RT