On this day, only three bird species turned up to the bird feeder, but it was still a constantly shifting feast. Each species jostles the others out of position, and it is a constant flurry of wings. Missing were the Galahs, Bronze wing Pigeons and Australian Wood Ducks. The Ducks tend to wait for the … Continue reading A Gallery: Twenty Minutes at the Bird Feeder
Tag: birds of australia
Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)
It has been a long time since I’ve had a new bird species to add to the A-Z Native Species list, and small birds are hard to photograph, so I’m especially pleased to add the Red-Browed Finch. Technically it was Richard who saw and photographed these birds. I was somewhere else and missed them. Looking … Continue reading Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)
Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
Last year, I photographed a Black-wing Currawong, which is a race of the Grey Currawong. Here is a Grey Currawong for comparison. The Grey Currawong has light grey colouring, with black primary wing feathers and black around the yellow eye. The bird also has white tips on the tail feathers, white tips on primary … Continue reading Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
Kookie on a Foggy Morning
From time to time I’ve mentioned the Kookaburra without a tail we often see around the house. We’ve affectionately dubbed it Kookie (we don’t know if it is a male or a female). Here is a photo of Kookie on a foggy morning, sitting on the stump just next to our decking. Kookie has found … Continue reading Kookie on a Foggy Morning
Common Blackbird
It astounds me how many of the new additions to the Bird Species List have been photographed inside the cat enclosure. Here is another one! Although, due to its size, I can’t imagine how it got into the enclosure. Thankfully I noticed it before the cats caught it, and was able to catch and release … Continue reading Common Blackbird
Long-Billed Corella Flocks
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a single Long-Billed Corella which is often seen with a small flock of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos. I wrote that the flock of Corella we see fly over us twice each day NEVER stops here. Almost as soon as I published that post we have been visited by … Continue reading Long-Billed Corella Flocks
Just one of the flock: A confused Corella
We’ve noticed a single Corella flying and eating with a flock of Cockatoos. Not once, but over an extended time period. Does it think it is a Cockatoo or has it decided that they have a better lifestyle than the flock of Corellas that flies over the property twice a day? It doesn’t even seem … Continue reading Just one of the flock: A confused Corella
Mudlark or Magpie Lark
I’ve grown up calling these birds Mudlarks, and have always had them around my home. When I was a child, we rescued an almost fledged chick, which managed to tumble from a nest at the top of an electricity pole. There was no hope of getting it back up there, so we kept in inside … Continue reading Mudlark or Magpie Lark
Black-Faced Cuckoo Shrike
Strolling around with my camera mid-afternoon on a hot January day, I saw this fellow sitting high in a tree: a Black-Faced Cuckoo-Shrike. These are the times when I wish I had a telephoto lens. The bird was just sitting there, relaxed and I had the opportunity to take several shots before it moved to … Continue reading Black-Faced Cuckoo Shrike
Learning to Carol
Two young Magpies have taken to using the bird feeder as a convenient platform while learning how to carol. At the moment they produce a mix of squeaky or rasping twiddles and trills that are often grating to the ear, but over time they are developing some melodic notes. I know when they mature their … Continue reading Learning to Carol
An Injured Red Wattlebird
Today the light was eerie (click here for photos of the sky). I took the camera out to capture the colour of the sky, and wandered onto the jetty without looking. A fluttering sound caught my attention, and I turned to see what I thought was a fledgling Red Wattlebird running up and down the … Continue reading An Injured Red Wattlebird
Eastern Rosella
At last we have seen an Eastern Rosella! The Crimson Rosella is a common species on our property (we see them every day) but it’s surprising that other common species of parrot aren’t more visible. These birds were extremely shy, taking off at the first sign of movement. We saw them from a distance twice … Continue reading Eastern Rosella
Iridescent Feathers – the Straw Necked Ibis Returns
The Straw-Necked Ibis must have thought the food worth a return visit, for it was back again this morning. Still solitary, it was sharing the bounty with two ducks, two Corellas, a kookaburra and a flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. My best guess is that there is some kind of burrowing larvae hatching at this … Continue reading Iridescent Feathers – the Straw Necked Ibis Returns
Battling a Reflection: Superb Fairy Wrens
This morning I noticed two Superb Fairy Wrens chattering right outside the window between the deck and the dining room. Repeatedly they would fly to perch on a gardening tool leaning on the glass to chatter and scold. At first I thought it was me they were warning away. Later in the day, with a … Continue reading Battling a Reflection: Superb Fairy Wrens
White-Throated Treecreeper
I’ve been so focused on finding Australian Terrestrial Orchids over Spring that I haven’t really been looking out for new bird species. Yesterday, I was still hunting for flowers when a bird landed on a nearby tree. Its habit of climbing up and around the tree trunk looking for insects alerted me to the possibility … Continue reading White-Throated Treecreeper
Fishing for Yabbies
These two White Faced Herons were fishing in the dam today. We often wonder what lives beneath the surface of the water. Not being fisher-person’s, we don’t really know the tell-tale signs, and we don’t own the right equipment to attempt to fish in it. A photograph of one White-Faced Heron holding a yabby proves … Continue reading Fishing for Yabbies
Cheeky Cockatoos!!
For the last week or so, this is what I have seen through my study window: Update: I just took these two photos, which I am adding to the post – even better than the one I originally used! Now, back to the original post! Somehow, this Sulphur Crested Cockatoo has figured out that … Continue reading Cheeky Cockatoos!!
Magpie Breeding Season – Hold Onto Your Hat!
For the past six weeks or so, I haven’t been able to step outside the house without a sturdy hat. Breeding magpies are very defensive, and they will dive-bomb anything they perceive to be a threat, including innocent humans. Unfortunately, their aggressive habits have driven off some of the other breeding birds, such as the … Continue reading Magpie Breeding Season – Hold Onto Your Hat!
And then there were nine…with apologies to Agatha Christie!
Last year, the pair of Australian Wood Ducks successfully raised eleven ducklings to maturity, and we were hoping they would be able to do the same for the twelve ducklings in this year’s brood. The ducks frequently walk from wherever they nest to the grass verge in front of the dam to forage, and this … Continue reading And then there were nine…with apologies to Agatha Christie!
Sparring Pacific Black Ducks
On Friday night we attended our first Field Naturalist meeting in Ballarat. By asking myself the simple question, ‘What do we have on our land?’ I have discovered the pleasure of finding a bird or a plant, and classifying it. The Field Naturalists seemed a logical progression, but for various reasons Friday was the first … Continue reading Sparring Pacific Black Ducks
Grey Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
The Story: I’m amazed at how many new bird species we find inside the cat enclosure, which was designed to keep the cats in and the birds out. Hmmm, it is obviously not working as well as it should. Yesterday, a pleasant lunch was interrupted by loud bird calls, and excited cat noises. I went … Continue reading Grey Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
A Taste of Honey – the Eastern Spinebill is back
Our new, larger, laundry window has proved useful in observing this honeyeater feed. Last year, I photographed the Red Wattle Bird feeding on this cactus in flower, but the cat netting prevents the larger birds from coming into our back yard now. Small birds, such as this Eastern Spinebill, sneak through the openings on the … Continue reading A Taste of Honey – the Eastern Spinebill is back
New Brood: Twelve Little Australian Wood Ducks
Spring truly is here. Our pair of Australian Wood Ducks brought their twelve young ducklings down to the dam for a swim. This was our first glimpse of the new brood. I’m sure in the months to come, we’ll get many more photo opportunities, so I’ll just start with this one photo.
Birds in Spring: Nest Hunting
Two of the trees we can see from the house have hollows in the trunk – just about right for nesting birds. Over this first week of Spring, I’ve noticed a flurry of activity as pairs of birds try to find the perfect nest. It reminds me of house hunting. The birds will land close … Continue reading Birds in Spring: Nest Hunting
Fifteen Acres 