Drive in and drive straight back out.......nothing to see here :) — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

12th November 2022

White-breasted Wood Swallows. Wurruma Swamp, November 2022.

I have been spending a lot of time at Wurruma Swamp for the past month. I see so many people drive in and leave very shortly after. If only they had stuck around they would have seen what I am going to share with you. All of these photos are going to be from the last three visits and most from last Saturday.

People come to see the Swans at Wurruma but generally they scare them only to watch them swim to the middle of the Swamp. If you sit quietly and wait they will come back.

There are also some wonderful additions to the Swamp lately. Really….be patient, enjoy everything else there while you wait for them to return to the Swamps edge. If you are quiet enough they will come back :)

Admire the open water lilies in the middle of the day. Inside them can be a hive of activity (excuse the old man humour).

Amongst the waterlilies you will see Comb-crested Jacana searching for food. They are very active at the swamp.

They have strikingly long toes which they use to travel across the floating vegetation. You will not be able to miss them.

When the Jacana takes to flight those trailing feet are a sight to see. They fly low, quickly and usually short distances.

A slightly larger animal that also admires the waterlilies at Wurruma will be the cattle that graze the the swamp. They enjoy eating the plants in the swamp as well as around.

The cattle are also in the Swamp to cool off. Just make sure you are out of their way when they decide to exit.

When you hear a helicopter flying low over Wurruma it will be the farmer checking on his cattle. They were also checking up on photographers on that day going by the pointing going on in the cabin.

Not sure if they use helicopters to assist mustering in this area but it would not surprise me. I see them often flying over Wurruma.

Kangaroos especially either side of midday will be at the swamps edge to graze. If you see a mob be careful of the protective males as you walk around.

Out in the dead trees in the Swamp are Australasian Darters drying off in the sun before swimming for food again. You will see a large variety of birdlife in and around the swamp but I really only came for the offspring of one bird for the last month.

After a while hopefully like they do for me, the Swans have relaxed enough to return to the waters edge. The Black Swans have been breeding and couples have cygnets in tow around the Swamp.

The family that spends it’s time closest to the picnic table has 4 cygnets. I mentioned this family in a previous post. They like to rest right in front of that picnic table.

When they break from feeding the Swan clean themselves. The adult birds pound their wings in the swamp to splash water over their bodies.

The cygnets are yet to form wings of any description so pounding them on the water is not an option.

They have a much simpler method. They spin themselves upside down. Very clever.

Swans usually fly at night but you may see the odd bird fly from time to time during the day. On my visit on the 5th of November I had very little luck with the Swans coming close to me. This male spotted me as the family approached and took to flight to distract me as the female swam the cygnets in the other direction.

When Swans do fly you will definitely hear it. The sound is unmistakable.

On the 12th during my visit the Swans were more relaxed and came quite close. They all knew I was there and made eye contact often. Stay low, move little, be quiet and patient…..LOL…am I repeating myself?

By the way if anyone knows if some of the cygnets being darker than the others signifies sex please let me know. Curious to know.

As the sun sets the colours in the swamp come to life. While I sat there hoping to get a few last close photos of the Swans the waterlilies closed for the day.

From experience the Swans make their way in numbers to a section of the Swamp around sunset. It was the same on this day as well.

The Swans seem more comfortable as darkness approaches but they still keep a vigilant eye on me. Time to head back to the car.

And there you have it, nothing too see at Wurruma Swamp.