If it had not been for the persistent, urgent chirping, I would not have noticed the Striated Thornbill in our fernery today.  It seemed to be giving an alarm call, as if I were intruding into its territory. The longer I watched it, the more exaggerated the flitting from one place to another appeared to be.  Assessing that it was going to stick around, I went inside and came out with the camera. Sure enough, it was still there, and still “defending” its territory.

When I walk around the boundary of the property each day, I hear this call from many trees, so I suspect we have quite a few of this species in our bushland too.

My field guide tells me that the Striated Thornbill breeds between July and December, hanging a woven nest in amongst bushes. We have a few sizable bushes in the fernery, so perhaps if I look hard, I might find one.  I didn’t look for a nest today.  Firstly, because i was focussed on photographing the bird, and secondly because our two cats appeared toward the end of the photo shoot.  I didn’t want them to notice the bird, so I led them back inside.

I’ve posted quite a few photos below to show you as clearly as I can the colours and markings of the bird.  It was a sunny day today, and the shadow of the canvas weave is falling on the Striated Thornbill in most shots.