Lately, a bedraggled Kookaburra has been sitting in trees near the house in the afternoon. When we first spotted it, the bird’s tail feathers were completely missing, and it looked like it had been in some kind of skirmish. Even now, with half-grown tail, it looks very scruffy compared with many beautiful Kookaburras I have … Continue reading Laughing Kookaburra
Tag: birds of australia
Black Kite
I was at the opposite end of the house to Richard when he called out ‘What’s that brown thing in the dam?” Never too far from the camera, I caught a distant shot of a large bird, which we initially thought was a Wedge-Tailed Eagle. This large bird of prey was taking a bath in … Continue reading Black Kite
Royal Spoonbill
Today was a day for unexpected visitors. When I returned home at lunch time today, I found a Spoonbill walking around the dam. I actually stumbled across the bird when looking for orchids. Luckily it didn’t fly away, and I rapidly backed away from it, raced inside and grabbed my camera. By the time I … Continue reading Royal Spoonbill
Australian White Ibis
When we awoke this morning, a small number of Australian White Ibis were wading in, and walking around the dam. We didn’t actually count them, but there were about six or seven all in different locations. It is hard to tell if these were a family of ibis, or a flock of individuals. Males and … Continue reading Australian White Ibis
The Fairy Wrens and the Cat Enclosure: A happy story
In an earlier post, I worried about disturbing the Superb Fairy Wren’s habitat in our back yard. I also worried about our cats killing the wrens if they were able to find a way into the newly constructed cat enclosure. Most of all, I lamented that I would no longer see their cheery form hopping … Continue reading The Fairy Wrens and the Cat Enclosure: A happy story
Jetty Buddies: Pied Cormorant and White Faced Heron
I was fascinated to see two very different water birds sitting side by side on the jetty. A wader, the White Faced Heron has long yellow legs and a long sharp beak. It’s feathers are fluffy as they are not immersed in the water when the bird fishes. In contrast, the Pied Cormorant has short … Continue reading Jetty Buddies: Pied Cormorant and White Faced Heron
Crimson Rosella
We are lucky to have a small population of Crimson Rosella living on our property. They, along with the Galah’s, have been constant visitors to our bird feeder ever since we moved in. First to notice that we have put out seeds each day, they live in the trees near the house. When feeding, they … Continue reading Crimson Rosella
The end of the painted parrot
When we bought our house, a colourful wind parrot adorned the near end of the jetty. From the house, it looked almost realistic. More than one person thought it was a real bird, and went down to investigate it. In high winds the rotating wings gave the illusion of fluttering, and it was very cheery. … Continue reading The end of the painted parrot
Great Cormorant
We’ve had a few cormorants here before – the pied cormorant, and the little black cormorant – so when we saw this huge bird sitting on our jetty, we both exclaimed “What’s that!” and rushed for the Field Guide to Australian Birds. Turns out this is the Great Cormorant which can grow up to … Continue reading Great Cormorant
Taunting Kookaburras: Photographing our environment
Every night, just when the light is too low to capture them on film, I hear kookaburras laughing in the trees. It sounds like they are taunting me because try as I might, I simply can’t get a good photo of one. During the day, the kookaburras call from neighbouring properties, or the opposite end … Continue reading Taunting Kookaburras: Photographing our environment
Eastern Spinebill
A pair of Eastern Spinebills, also nectar feeders, can squeeze through the lattice fence into the fernery. Thankfully, this pair seems to have mastered the process of getting out of the cat enclosure as well as breaking into it. The cats don’t seem to have noticed their presence, which is a huge relief! … Continue reading Eastern Spinebill
Yellow-Faced Honeyeater
As I stood in the kitchen chopping food for lunch, I noticed frantic flapping in the cat enclosure. The trapped bird was a Yellow-Faced Honeyeater which must have come in through the lattice fence. Small birds are able to hop through the squares created by the lattice which forms the side wall of the fernery. … Continue reading Yellow-Faced Honeyeater
Long Billed Corella
Occasionally we have heard Corellas calling to each other as they fly overhead and once we saw a pair on a tree over out back fence, but until today, we had not actually seen one on our land. Today we had two Corella outside our study window, with three Galahs and a Crimson Rosella for … Continue reading Long Billed Corella
Fifteen Acres 