Trip to Fogg Dam in the NT

The Fogg Dam Conservation Area was originally built as part of the Humpty Doo Rice Project - a scheme hatched in 1954 to develop the area for rice production. From what I have read, the dam was (hastily) built to provide a regular water source, however poor management eventually sent the project bust and in 1962 the land was returned to the government it was officially declared a Conservation Reserve. Fogg Dam is only 50mins from Darwin and is well managed with walking trails, observation platforms, parking and even toilets.

The wetlands of the Northern Territory are awash with flora and fauna - these water lilies are typical of the plants that are often so prolific that they choke the ponds and billabongs.

Comb-crested Jacana hopping across the Dam's lily pads. This is a small bird perfectly adapted for life on the lily ponds. It has huge feet - in fact, the largest feet of any bird in the world proportionally which enable it to stand on even the smallest of lily pads or other water plants. When there's not enough to support the small bird's weight, it flies to a safer landing, dangling its over-size legs behind it.

This is an immature Pied Heron at Fogg Dam

A rather bad picture of the tiny Forest Kingfisher - there's no light in the eye because of the position, but beggars can't be choosy. One minute it's there, then its gone in a flash.

Probably the tamest wild birds in the dam - the rather ugly Magpie Goose is to be seen throughout the region.

Tiny frill-edged Snowflake lily water plant flowering in the dam.

Several Egret species can be seen at the Dam - this, I think, is an Eastern Great Egret (as it has the longest neck).

One of my all-time favourite small birds, the Rainbow Bee Eater is found all over the NT, often in pairs, cleaning up the local bugs, bees and insects. You can spot a bee eater from a great distance simply by noting its unique acrobatic flight pattern. This pair were spotted at Knuckey Lagoons, a series of smallish billabongs about 15mins drive from Darwin. As these wetlands are surrounded by farmland, it's quite hard to get to the shoreline - and there's no shelter or hide available (which would have been a nice shelter from the heat).

Although I photographed this File Snake at Howard Springs close to Darwin, there are plenty of these aquatic snakes in Fogg Dam but as the water is so often packed with vegetation you are unlikely to see one as clearly as this. An Aboriginal woman at the Springs told me that they make "...excellent tucker...".

Fogg is mostly about birds - although there are other critters like snakes (pythons), black rats (python food), turtles, lizards and freshwater crocs. This lizard was about a foot long and had no trouble negotiating the floating lily pads.

An adult Pied Heron stalking in the shallows of the Dam (The pronounced dark cap and neck frills indicate that it's an adult).