June, 1953 THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST Sixty five 
EXCURSIONS 
TRIP TO PORT GAWLER 
26.1.53. 
Leader: Brian Glover. 
The trip was attended by a full buS 
load of members, and the various habitat 
types in the area (excluding the man- 
groves) were searched tor bird life. The 
day being unpleasantly hot there was 
little activity amongst the birds, and 
apart from Singing Honeyeaters 
( Meliphaga mrescens), Spiny-cheeked 
Honeyeaters ( Acanthagenys rufogularis) 
and White-browed Babblers ( Pomatos - 
tom us super ciUosus) very few birds were 
seen in the Melaleuca pubescens scrub, 
where an hour or so was spent during 
the morning. One interesting record in 
this area was a single Spotted Harrier 
( Circus assimilis), a rare bird this far 
south. 
The afternoon was spent at the lake 
on the property of Mr. E. A. Brooks. 
Although the water-level was falling 
there was not enough mud exposed to 
attract many wading birds, the only 
migrants seen being Greenshanks (Tringa 
nebularia) and the Sharp- tailed Sand- 
pipers ( Erolia acuminata). 
The bird-life on the lake itself was 
rather disappointing. None of the species 
w r hich had invaded southern South Aus- 
tralia during 1951-52 U) and which were 
so conspicuous at the Buckland Park 
lake at that time, was to be seen, and 
many of the usual residents — Spoonbills, 
Ibis, Egrets, etc., were also absent. 
However most members appeared to 
enjoy their trip to this area, anti those 
interested in birds seemed to be satisfied 
with what was seen. 
As a point of interest, the leader, with 
several other bird observers again visited 
the lake on 8.2.53, this time under per- 
fect weather conditions, but the bird-list 
was still disappointing. 
However, a number of interesting 
additions were made, including: — Banded 
Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus )- — ■ 
several small flocks. Avocet ( Recurvitostra 
ii(wae-hollandiae ) — flock of over 100. 
Black-tailed Goclwit (Limosa limosa ) — 3, 
and several other ducks and migratory 
waders. 
Reference: 
(f 1 ) Glover, Brian, “Movements of Birds in 
South Australia.’’ South Australian 
Ornithologist, Vol. XX, pp. 82-91, 1952. 
EASTER CAMP, 1953 
The Field Naturalists spent Easter at 
the Youth Hostel, Aldinga Beach. A 
smaller party than usual attended the 
outing but in some ways this was an 
advantage for it was possible to squeeze 
most of the party into the utility and 
travel to more distant places of interest. 
Unexpected patches of rain on the 
Friday afternoon restricted our move- 
ments but eventually the weather became 
cool and remained fine for the rest of 
the camp. Warm weather tends to create 
a “can’t be bothered attitude” especially 
when you’re well fed, and believe me 
some of these Field Naturalists were fed! 
Saturday afternoon we crowded into 
the utility for a run along the beach 
northwards to the Fish Tower where a 
search was made among the sandhills 
for blackfellows remains. Several kitchens 
were found with the familiar round fire- 
blackened stones, and several places where 
stone chipping had been done when 
making their stone implements. A black- 
fellows’ burial ground is known to exist 
about here but no remains were found, 
probably because they are a little further 
east than where we were. A windmill 
near the beach is now the only indica- 
tion where the blacks used to have a 
soak of fresh water. 
Sunday morning meant church service 
in the Methodist Church at Aldinga, and 
in the churchyard is a memorial to the 
sailors who were drowned in the wreck 
of the “Star of Greece.” In the after- 
noon we made another trip along the 
sea-beach to the cliffs on the south side 
of Sellicks. This was an afternoon out 
for the shell and seaweed collectors and 
also for those who were interested in 
pebbles. Having the utility handy a 
number of them were brought home and 
dumped around the camp site “all the 
same blackfellow”. 
Monday morning the camp had a pre- 
liminary dean up so that in the after- 
noon we were again able to make a 
trip — per utility — along the cliffs to Port 
Willunga, where an inspection was 
made of the fossils contained in the 
Miocene limestone cliffs. 
In the evening after signing the log- 
book, camp was left at dusk to catch the 
Adelaide-bound bus. Here, with a tinge 
of regret, I once again parted from 
friends who share a common interest “in 
the birds, the bees and the wild flowers 
of nature”. Geo. Hazel. 
