Every year, a large number of darters and cormorants breed at Princes Bridge, near Balyang Sanctuary in Geelong. For 6 months, I got to watch multiple breeding cycles of all species.
This page curates the posts showing what happened last season.
Highlights:
- Baby Darters: Eyes Are Open!
- Little Pied Cormorant Feeding: You Can See It Regurgitate
- Parents encouraging cormorants to climb out of the nest
- Awesome cormorant feeding photos
- Darter Pre Mating Ritual
- More Photos of Little Pied Cormorant Nesting Behaviour
- Darter Chicks Sharing Food With Siblings
- Teeny Weeny Darter Chicks: Again
- Nesting Little Black Cormorants
- Little Black Cormorants Showing Nesting Behaviour
- Princes Bridge Little Pied Cormorants #2
Timeline:
October, 2015
Little Pied Cormorant Courtship: The first time I saw courtship behaviour at ‘The Mating Tree’ at Balyang. The photos were substandard as the view was obscured.
Little Pied Cormorant Nest building Fascinating seeing both birds work together placing the small branches on the nest
Mating Little Pied Cormorants at Balyang. First observed mating attempt. Occured shortly after the courtship in the previous post.
The Princes Bridge Darters have hatched!
November
Princes Bridge Darters Switching Duties
The Mating Tree: Baby Cormorants Have Hatched!
Darter Chicks: And Then There Were Three
The Baby Cormorants at Balyang Are Growing Up
December
Cormorants are starting to leave the nest! + other observations
Did the darters leave the nest – or where they pushed?
Baby darters have left the nest!
Little Pied Cormorant Feeding: You Can See It Regurgitate
Cormorant falling out of the nest
Parents encouraging cormorants to climb out of the nest
Juvenile Cormorants Have Left The Nest
Awesome cormorant feeding photos
Fledged Cormorants At Different Ages
Plumage Changes With Little Black Cormorants
Little Black Cormorants Showing Nesting Behaviour
Courtship Ritual Of Little Black Cormorants
January
Immature Little Pied Cormorants: Almost Grown Up
More Photos of Little Pied Cormorant Nesting Behaviour
Darter Chicks Sharing Food With Siblings
Nesting Little Black Cormorants
Better Look At Baby Cormorants
The Little Black Cormorants Have Eggs!
Teeny Weeny Darter Chicks: Again
February
Little Black Cormorant Chicks near Balyang
Recently Hatched Little Black Cormorant Chicks
Princes Bridge Little Pied Cormorants #1
Princes Bridge Little Pied Cormorants #2
Close Up Views Of Little Black Cormorants
Little Black Cormorants Getting Fed
Little Black Cormorant: Both Adults At Nest