WESTERN COVE WILDLIFE: BIRDS
   
  Some more birds seen at Western Cove



CORMORANT

The left photo shows a cormorant, two pigeons and two oyster catchers. When I tried to approach closer the cormorant stepped into the water, floated several metres, then dived. It stayed under water half a minute and reappeared 20 metres away. Cormorants have short legs, webbed feet, long neck, slender hooked bill, and mainly black plumage. The World Atlas of Birds says: "Nests, made of twigs and/or seaweed, are build on islands, mainland cliffs and sometimes in trees." This cormorant, however, spent the night on the beach where the beach meets the forest. I noticed it while taking a walk on the beach by moonlight. Its bill and head were tucked into its feathers but It looked up as I came close and made no attempt to get away. This was a vulnerable way for a cormorant to spend the night. I saw the cormorant once more the next day, dead at the water's edge.

IBIS

These birds were photographed in October and apparently lived at this spot at Western Cove for several months during their breeding season. When I checked again in March they were gone. The species appears to be the Australian White Ibis - Genus: Threskiornis Species: T. aethiopica or T. molucca. Three species of Ibis live on KI of which this is the most common one.    The White Ibis is a wading bird with bare black head and neck, long downcurved bill, white body plumage, and black legs. It lives mainly in grasslands near marshes and feeds on frogs, fish and insects. Breeding in southern Australia is August to November. The nest is a shallow circle of grass, sticks and reeds located near trees often near a river, swamp or lake.

PEACOCK

Peacocks and peahens belong to the Phasianidae or pheasant family which include the quail, partridge, and peafowl. A family of peacocks/peahens live at Western Cove. They are mostly green in color and their loud calls are regularly heard after sunset. I see them often and sometimes five or more walk in single file past my house. I lack a photo since they run away if they see humans as close as a hundred metres. If startled by encountering a human very close they fly rather than run. The bodies of the adults are about 70 centimetres long which makes them the second largest bird at Western Cove after the pelican. Some years ago the peacocks had the irksome habit of roosting on my roof every night at 2 or 3 a.m. until dawn. The noise would awake me and their manure would wash into the rainwater tank when it rained. I reacted by quietly sneaking outside and banging a plastic rake against the roof guttering. The result was a noisy panic as the peacocks rapidly flew away. After a number of repetitions on successive nights they stayed off my roof permanently.

EGGS

A clutch of eggs is the number of eggs a bird lays during one nesting period. An ostrich may lay more than 50 eggs; a Wandering Albatross breeds on alternate years and lays only one. I discovered the pictured nest on October 11 (2022) when going for a stroll near some sheoaks and experienced a sudden loud flutter as a bird flew past my face. It happened too fast for me to see the bird. The nest was about 1.5 metres above ground, 30 centimetres diameter, and the eggs numbered at least ten. The bird might have been a duck because ducks are said to lay from 8 to 18 eggs although this varies with species (the Australian wood duck lays 8-12 eggs). I'm also not sure whether ducks build nests in trees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Kangaroo_Island,_South_Australia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_egg https://petkeep.com/how-many-eggs-do-ducks-lay/ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search I wrote the above in 2022 but have now (2026) consulted the artificial intelligence COPILOT. I provided Copilot information on the egg-size (5 cm), surrounding vegetation (sheoaks), distance from water, etc. Copilot readily gets pedantic and repetitious, therefore I have condensed the analysis it supplied: 1 From the nest size, egg count, nest structure, height, and location (Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island), the species is almost certainly a duck, most likely Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) or Australian Wood Duck / Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata). No passerine or raptor on Kangaroo Island lays anything close to 10 eggs or builds a 30 cm twig nest in a low tree. Your photo shows: A large nest (~30 cm diameter) Built of twigs and soft lining In a tree, about 1.5 m above ground Containing at least 10 smooth, pale eggs Only ducks match your egg count. 2. Do ducks ever nest in trees? Several Australian duck species are tree‑nesters. The Australian Wood Duck (Maned Duck) is particularly known for nesting in tree hollows, on branches and artificial platforms up to several metres high. Pacific Black Ducks usually nest on the ground but also use low trees, stumps, or dense vegetation when available. Given your nest is 1.5 m high, both species remain strong candidates. 3. Does the nest structure match ducks? Yes. Ducks typically build: A large, messy bowl of twigs, grass, and down    30 cm diameter is normal Eggs are smooth, pale cream/white, exactly as in your photo     Clutch size 8–14 eggs is typical for both Pacific Black Duck and Australian Wood Duck. No other KI bird builds a nest like this with so many eggs.    4. Does the location fit? Nepean Bay has Wetlands; Coastal vegetation; Plenty of tree perches and safe nesting spots. Both Pacific Black Ducks and Australian Wood Ducks are common there. 5. Final identification Most likely: Australian Wood Duck / Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata) Common on Kangaroo Island Tree‑nesting species Clutch size 8–14 eggs Pale eggs Nest size matches Second possibility: Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosis) Very common Clutch size 8–13 eggs Pale eggs Occasionally nests in low trees Your extra details — sheoak habitat, white eggs ~5 cm, large twig nest, 200–400 m from water — tighten the identification. The evidence converges on one species. Australian Wood Duck (Maned Duck) — Chenonetta jubata ·         Clutch size: 8–14 eggs is normal ·         Egg size: 49–54 mm long (your estimate of 5 cm is spot‑on) ·         Egg colour: white to creamy white ·         Nest height: often 1–3 m above ground ·         Nest type: a large bowl of twigs, grass, and down, not a hollow ·         Nest location: frequently in sheoaks, eucalypts, or farm trees ·         Distance to water: commonly nest hundreds of metres from ponds or the coast ·         Behaviour: females flush suddenly and silently when disturbed — exactly what you saw Second possibility: Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa) is less likely because: They prefer ground nests in dense vegetation Tree nests do occur but are less common Their nests are usually more grass/down‑lined and less twig‑built They tend to nest closer to water than Wood Ducks Your nest’s height, twig structure, and sheoak location all favour Wood Duck: Diameter ~30 cm Twigs forming the outer bowl Soft lining (down, plant fibres) Smooth white eggs, ~5 cm Large clutch (10+) No other Kangaroo Island bird produces this combination. Australian Wood Duck (Maned Duck) — Chenonetta jubata Classifcation: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Chenonetta Species: C. jubata References: https://copilot.microsoft.com (2026) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian-wood-duck [includes photos]

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