On the weekend I made a return visit to the Jawbone Reserve in Williamstown. It was cold and windy but at least a sunny winter’s morning. The highlight of the walk was photographing Yellow-rumped Thornbills. They can often be found feeding in a busy twittering mixed species flock working the mid and lower levels of the forest canopy. I also see them feeding on the ground picking at what I assume to be small insects in the grass. On this occasion a flock of nine Thornbills were moving along the grass fringe near the Jawbone lagoons. I kept trying to intercept but they just worked around me at a distance of 20 feet or so. They seems to be moving along with the wind direction so I moved around and in front and let them work up to me. I tried sitting but they moved away so I just stood still as I waited for them to drift toward me. This seemed to work and I was generally ignored. At one point they were only several feet away and did not seem bothered by me at all. This was the first time I have had such a close look at this species. Usually I just hear their chittering in the forest and see a flash of yellow rump as they fly away.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Jawbone Nature Reserve, Williamstown, Vic
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The Gap Year and Beyond 
You did well to get close and got good picks Malt
Their rump is so bright it is like a tail light. They also come to ground to eat small grass seed as well as insects in a similar
Way to finches, We were watching there cousin the Buff-rumpled Thornbill on the weekend. Have a great week!
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thanks, it just took bit of time and patience. I dont often see the buff-rumped, need to get further out of town for that species.
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Lovely intimacy in these. I’ll look out for this bird next time I am at Jawbone
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Gorgeous! Lovely captures.
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Thanks Dina
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