Moments from 2012

I always struggle to keep up with this. Now it's a new year, let's hope I can succeed this time!

So I thought I'd give a quick run-down and share some of my favourite images and sightings/moments (even if the images aren't that great) from last year that I haven't already shared previously.

2012 held a lot of birding firsts for me. I'm one of those people who keeps a life list and a year count, in 2012 I roped in exactly 200 species while my Aussie life list sits on 225. Not entirely a bad effort really for a single year in proportion to my Aussie list. I did quite a few trips throughout the year, Telowie Gorge in the mid-north, Boolcoomatta Reserve (my favourite for the year), Brookfield, the Riverland including Murray River National Park, Innes National Park and many of my local patches in the Barossa. Christmas was nice enough to provide me with a nice shiny monopod for my camera (with many thanks to my other half), so I'm looking forward to the sort of shots I manage to get this year.

That's probably enough of the rambling, below are a selection of various images. I could tell you about them all but it would take up even more space, if you would like to know more about a particular image, just leave a comment and I'll happily share.

Sand Goanna (Telowie region, SA)

 Little Eagle (Murray River National Park)

Royal Spoonbill (Murray River, Renmark region)

Grey Butcherbird (Martin's Bend, Berri, SA)

White-breasted Woodswallow (Berri Caravan Park)

Australian Darter female with chick (Loch Luna Game Preserve)

Australian Darter male (Loch Luna Game Preserve)

Apostlebird (Waikerie, SA)

Common Bronzewing (Hart Lagoon, Waikerie)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Thompson's Beach)

Crested Shrike-tit female (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)

Yellow Thornbill (Laratinga Wetlands)

White-winged Chough (Brookfield Conservation Park)

Wedge-tailed Eagle and Caspian Tern (Innes National Park)

Crimson Rosella at backyard nest box, unfortunately they didn't use it.

Brown Falcon (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)

Pacific Gull (Innes National Park)

Grey-tailed Tattler (Yorke Peninsula, SA)

Little Egret (Clinton Conservation Park)

Nankeen Kestrel with mouse prey (Clinton Conservation Park)

Short-beaked Echidna (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)

Crimson Rosella (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)

Australian Shelduck (Paiwalla Wetlands)

Grey Fantail (Paiwalla Wetlands)

Whistling Kite (Paiwalla Wetlands)

Restless Flycatcher (Monarto Woodlands/Browns rd)

Rainbow Lorikeet (Belair National Park)

Striated Pardalote at nest hollow (Belair National Park)

Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo (Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park)

Red-rumped Parrot female (Sandy Creek Conservation Park)

Red-rumped Parrot female (Sandy Creek Conservation Park)

Rufous Whistler (Sandy Creek Conservation Park)

Black-fronted Dotteral (Whites Road Wetlands)

Black-winged Stilt (Whites Road Wetlands)

Golden Whistler female (Hale Conservation Park)

Rainbow Bee-eater immature (Hale Conservation Park)

Bassian Thrush, an amazing find! (Hale Conservation Park)

Rainbow Bee-eater (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)

Wood Duck chicks (Adelaide Botanical Gardens)

Hardhead (Adelaide Botanical Gardens)

Sand Goanna (Altona CSR Landcare Reserve)