Pacific Black Duck studies

Drake Pacific Black Duck

Docklands, Melbourne, Christmas 2005

View across the recreation area in the fast developing Docklands district with some
wetland habitats (middle distance) set-up for treament of run-off surface water

Over Christmas I found a pair of Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa with 6 large to full-grown ducklings that were using the artificial wetlands on the north side of the Yarra in Docklands. Not specially exciting nor in any way unusual except this family party provided good opportunities for some photography. The following pictures were taken on Christmas Day.

Drake Pacific Black Duck preening. Note the new primaries and the plain dark tertials. Also note how the sheen of the speculum changes in colour according to the angle of incidence of the light.

The drake was in fine plumage with what appeared to be new primaries and fresh dark tertials. The duck had worn primaries and showed all the typical plumage details found on ducks compared with drakes. However, she only had conspicuously stiped tertials on the right side though elsewhere in her plumage the markings were well defined more clearly patterened and usually paler than found in drakes.

Duck showing patterned tertial. Note also streaking on the crown and
patterns on the flank feathers

Duck with brood of six and glimpses of duckling life in the
days before the flight feathers develop fully. Feathering on breast of immature
is striped and regular compared with the more dappled appearance of an adult

The drake chasing off another pair - male to the left female to the right!

Also present on these wetlands was a pair of Chestnut Teal Anas castanea with the male in full eclipse plumage. At least they were seen from time to time over the four days we were in the city but I never managed to take any pictures of them. A Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus was also heard often. Other common birds seen on the wetlands were a few Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena and Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca, some House Sparrow Passer domesticus, Common Starling Sternus vulgaris and Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and an occasional Little Raven Corvus mellori.

A family party of Black Swan Cygnus atratus including three well grown but not yet flying young obviously used the Yarra reach between the Southbank and the Bolte Bridge. They cruised this area and seemed to thrive on what they could find or scrounge from passers-by.

I was shown Silver Gulls Larus novaehollandiae gathering after dark in a spiral around the two tall towers of the Bolte Bridge. I understand this happen regularly and presume they catch flying insects attracted after dark to these very high floodlit structures.

Marina beside the Mirvac Towers on the Yarra. In the distance the Bolte Bridge
with its tall twin towers around which Silver Gulls concentrate after dark.

Casual bird watching while shopping in the city and walking the banks of the Yarra, especially a walk to the Botanic Gardens and back added little except Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, Pied Cormorant P. varius and Darter Anhinga melanogaster and, in the gardens, a Little Pied Cormorant P.melanoleucos. Inevitably, for all big cities these days, there were lots of Feral Pigeon Columba livia and an occasional Spotted Turtle-dove Streptopelia chinensis. Very few Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata were seen. I had forgotten that Bell Miners Manorina melanophrys were conspicuous at the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne but other than seeing and hearing them the rest of the list of birds from the gardens was not specially interesting except for a solitary male Hardhead Aythya australis and a Song Thrush Turdus philomelos seen searching a lawn. I recall seeing very little else of note but I did not keep a detailed list of birds.