Tag Archives: Australian Birds

Cockatoos and Corellas

Posted on November 20, 2016 | 2 comments

A sunny late afternoon walk along the creek produced the usual array of local birds, many with new families. We watched a pair of Long-billed Corellas feeding on grass seeds and later found a snoozing Cockatoo. It turned out to be One-eye, the partner to an escaped or released Cockatoo still wearing a cage leg ring. This couple has now bred in the same tree two years in a row and currently there are several chicks inside the big gum where we found One-eye.

Long billed Corella, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Victoria 19 Nov 2016

Sulphur crested Cockatoo, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Victoria 19 Nov 2016

Sulphur crested Cockatoo, Elster Creek, Elsternwick – the cockatoo was fast asleep, enjoying the evening sun.

We have named this local Cockatoo, One Eye.

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Long Billed Corella, Nature Photography, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Victoria

Sparrow colony of Ormond Road

Posted on November 9, 2016 | 2 comments

With the weather a bit too wild and wet for a walk along the beach, I went to find the local House Sparrow colony at the nearby shops. There are several palm trees that are flowering and the sparrows were enjoying a floral feast. A few fed while the rest waited for the rain to stop.

House Sparrow, Ormond Road, Elwood

Waiting out the rain

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Enjoying the flowers and seeds of the palm trees

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Elwood, Flowering Palm Tree, House Sparrows, Nature Photography, Ormond Road, Photography, Victoria

A Spring walk to the beach.

Posted on November 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Nothing like a walk on a lovely spring’s day after so much bad weather. I am pretty lucky that I can walk out my back gate down the local creek and to the Elwood beach. Along the way I can find all sorts of interesting things to photograph. On this occasion I found a juvenile Little Raven waiting patiently to be fed, a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike hunting for food in a large Plain Tree and a beautiful Silvereye at Point Ormond. I am so focussed on the birds that I often forget to take a few landscapes for the context…I promise I will next time…

Silvereye, Point Ormond, Elwood

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Elster Creek, Elwood

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Little Raven, Elster Creek, Elwood, Victoria, 1 Nov 2016

A young Little Raven waiting for a feed.

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black faced Cuckoo Shrike, Elster Creek, Elwood, Elwood Beach, Elwood Canal, Little Raven, Nature Photography, Photography, Silvereye, Victoria

Brown Thornbill’s mid morning sun-bake

Posted on November 7, 2016 | 2 comments

A return visit to Berwick to look for the Channel-billed Cuckoo, resulted in another failure. I did however enjoy another walk around the Wilson Botanic Park. On the boardwalk near the bird hide I found a young Brown Thornbill hunting for spiders and enjoying a little morning sun. He seemed quite young as I was only standing a few metres away and these little shy birds move quickly through the brush, never standing still or staying exposed in the open.

Brown Thornbill, Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick, Victoria

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Berwick, Bird Photography, Brown Thornbill, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria, Wilson Botanic Park

Something wicked this way comes….

Posted on November 2, 2016 | 2 comments

I was delighted to find that Berwick is a stronghold of the New Holland Honeyeater. It is a small, aggressive and active bird, quick to defend its territory and raise the alarm when it sees something not quite right. We had spent a few hours at a large Fig tree along Princes Highway waiting for the Channel-billed Cuckoo to turn up in a regular feeding tree. The New Hollands were along the fence line behind us and as we made our way back to the car after our failed steak-out, they raised the alarm. Besides us walking by with our camera gear, the other threat I had seen was a Brown Goshawk cruising by and perched within a nearby tree watching all the action.

New Holland Honeyeater, Princes Highway, Berwick, 30 Oct 2016

New Holland Honeyeaters on the lookout for trouble

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Brown Goshawk, Princes Highway, Berwick, 30 Oct 2016

Brown Goshawk in a large nearby tree, watching all the local bird action.

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Berwick, Bird Photography, Brown Goshawk, Nature Photography, New Holland Honeyeater, Photography, Victoria

Spotted Pardalote

Posted on November 1, 2016 | 2 comments

Joining in the bird chorus at the Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick, was a loud Spotted Pardalote. He was hard to find at first as we expected him to be high in a gum but the sound was coming from close by. We finally found the little bird on a branch in lower section of the tree. We were able to sit close and try and shoot the Pardalote through the foliage while he made his 3 tone territorial call.

Spotted Pardalote, Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick, 30 Oct 2016

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Berwck, Berwick Botanic Gardens, Bird Photography, Nature Photography, Photography, Spotted Pardalote, Victoria, Wilson Botanic Park

Black Bird Singing…

Posted on October 31, 2016 | Leave a comment

I don’t often take much notice of the Common Black Bird as its well so common. They are also quite furtive and fly off in alarm whenever I walk by. I walked past the one below while exploring the Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick yesterday. It was singing in a low bush and allowed me to approach while I tried to get a few shots. Most times of the year the Black Bird will just fly off in alarm and are only seen flying across roads and in front yards but in Spring they often find a vantage point in their local area and sing their beautiful song claiming their territory.

Black Bird, Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick

Listening for the return call of a nearby Black Bird..

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Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Berwick, Berwick Botanic Gardens, Bird Photography, Black Bird, Common Black Bird, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria, Wilson Botanic Park

Little Wattlebird of Wilson Botanic Park

Posted on October 30, 2016 | 12 comments

Today, with a few of the Port Phillip Birders, I visited the Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick. We were searching for the reported Channel-billed Cuckoo but while we were unsuccessful we did find a number of other beautiful birds. Much of the bottlebrush was in full bloom and attracted many birds feeding on the nectar.

Little Wattlebird, Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick, 30 Oct 2016

Little Wattlebird, enjoying the nectar of the native Bottlebrush

III – I did not notice the second bird in the right hand bottom corner until processing.

12 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Berwick, Berwick Botanic Gardens, Bird Photography, Bottlebrush, Little Wattlebird, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria, Wilson Botanic Park

Point Ormond Coastal Reserve

Posted on October 23, 2016 | Leave a comment

The bush reserve below the Navigation Point at the beach along Elwood foreshore is full of small birds hunting the prolific insects currently available. The insect numbers have exploded due to the wet weather and perfect insect conditions. The local birds and a few migrating through are enjoying the bounty and are well under way with their breeding season. Both the species below seem to have an angry, annoyed expression when they look at you…

Grey Fantail, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood

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White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood

Taking a mouthful of insects back to the nest…

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Elwood, Grey Fantail, Nature Photography, Photography, Point Ormond, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Victoria, white browed scrubwren

On the lookout

Posted on October 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

Elster Creek runs through the local golf course. Over the last few years the number of local Eastern Rosellas has started to increase and now we actually have a pair nesting in a new breeding box built by a local naturalist Gio. So many mature trees with hollows have been cut down that the Rosellas and many other hollow nesters don’t have anywhere locally to breed. Gio has been building boxes for several years and has come up with designs to suit various species as well as stop the possums from taking the box for their own. He trials the possum proof designs on his own backyard fence. The rosella is a favourite for photographers but can be a challenge as they are quite timid and flighty around people. I found the one below acting as a lookout for a group feeding on pine cone seeds in a confer.

Eastern Rosella, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Victoria

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Eastern Rosella, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Elwood, Nature Photography, Victoria

Portraits of a Black Swan

Posted on October 18, 2016 | 8 comments

While I was paying a lot of attention to the Black-winged Stilts that were resting and preening on the rowing platforms on Albert Park Lake in inner Melbourne, a pair of swans cruised up to my side and waited patiently to be fed. These semi-tame swans are used to being fed by people at the local picnic tables. Being empty handed I took advantage of their tameness (and hunger) to practice my portrait shots.

Black Swan, Albert Park Lake, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

Black Swan, Albert Park Lake, Melbourne

Where is my food?

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Eye and bill markings are unique to each Swan

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Albert Park, Albert Park Lake, Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black Swan, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

The delicate Black-winged Stilt

Posted on October 17, 2016 | 4 comments

One of the stranger looking birds we have in our local area lists is the Black-winged Stilt. More normally found on open shallow wetlands it was a bit unusual to hear about a pair spending the winter at the Albert Park Lake (where Melbourne’s F1 street race is held). My birding mate Dave had mentioned how good the Lake was for birding and it wasn’t until recently that I actually visited with him for the first time to find and photograph birds. The Stilt is a delicate medium sized mostly white bird with long legs and black wings. The Stilt feeds using its long sensitive bill, in shallow water mostly plucking small insects on the surface of the water.

Picking up this pair was a nice addition to my local birds list.

Black Winged Stilt, Albert Park Lake, Victoria

I had not noticed the Stilts red eyes until I processed these images…

Makes the Silver Gull look short and dumpy

Black Winged Stilts resting after a feeding session…

Wearing his nice little mohawk hoodie…

4 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Albert Park Lake, Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black Winged Stilt, Local birds, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

Goschen Wheat fields

Posted on October 16, 2016 | 2 comments

On my recent to trip North, I walked along one of the edges of the Goschen Bushland Reserve looking for birds. The early morning colour and light breeze made the new wheat look interesting. While photographing the wheat, a Raven flew to a nearby tree and collected what seemed to be wasps or flying ants.

Wheat fields, Goschen

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Australian Raven, Goschen Bushland Reserve

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Australian Raven, Bird Photography, Goschen, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Nature Photography, Photography, Raven, Victoria

Early morning chores at Goschen

Posted on October 12, 2016 | Leave a comment

On my last day visiting the Goschen Bushland Reserve, I was exploring a section with a small grove of Mallee trees and I heard the unmistakable call of the small Striated Pardalote (about the size of a finger). It can be a difficult bird to photograph as it usually remains high in the canopy feeding on lerp and small insects so I froze and waited to see if it was as near as it sounded. I noticed the Pardalote fly down to the side of a Mallee with a small moth in its mouth. It disappeared into a tiny hole, quickly flew back out and took off across the grassy field to the brush on the other side. I found a position behind some close by trees and waited for it to return. Ten minutes later one of the parents turned up without any food squeezed into the holed and re-appeared with a faecal sack, flew to a nearby branch, discarded it and flew off to continue the hunt. Between feedings there are always house cleaning chores to keep the nest tidy.

Striated Pardalote at nest hole, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria, 2 Oct 2016

Striated Pardalote nest hole

Striated Pardalote at nest hole

Tight fit

Striated Pardalotet, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria, 2 Oct 2016

Just dropped a faecal sack from the nest – this how many birds keep the nest clean and tidy, the chicks expel a sack of poo that the parent grabs and takes from the next and drops away from the area, leaving no indication of a nest.

Striated Pardalote.

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Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Goschen, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Mallee Trees, Nature Photography, Photography, Striated Pardalote, Victoria

Lifer 333 – Plumed Whistling Duck

Posted on October 11, 2016 | Leave a comment

Instead of watching the AFL Grand Final on a lazy Saturday afternoon at the pub in Lake Boga on my road trip to Goschen, I took off south to find an ebird reported duck species that I had never seen before – a Plumed Whistling Duck. Without a lot of expectations I drove south for a few hours, got bogged, got dirty, got lost but in the end I found my duck and after dancing my little victory shuffle I tried to get a few images as proof of bird 333. In the end I found 7 ducks across 2 dams including 3 flying over my head just to make sure. It is a strange looking duck with large wings, tiger stripes and makes a high pitch sound as it flies. It feeds at night and sleeps and preens during the day, resting in long grass around dams. I actually saw 2 Wood Ducks on a farm dam along Kow-Swamp Rd in Terrick Terrick and pulled over to check them out and on the bank close to me I found my Plumed Whistling Ducks. [This is actually my second time reporting Lifer 333, one of my previous bird species has been merged back into another related species…painful but it can happen both ways – merges and splits].

Plumed Whistling Duck, Mitiamo-Kow Swamp Road Dams, Terrick Terrick, Victoria

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Nice big wings

Stripes under the wings

Australian Wood Duck, Mitiamo-Kow Swamp Road Dams, Terrick Terrick, Victoria, 1st Oct 2016

Australian Wood Duck – the reasons I found lifer 333

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Australian Wood Duck, Bird Photography, Kow Swamp Road, Lifer 333, Nature Photography, Photography, Plumed Whistling Duck, Terrick Terrick, Victoria

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Tag Archives: Australian Birds

Cockatoos and Corellas

Sparrow colony of Ormond Road

A Spring walk to the beach.

Brown Thornbill’s mid morning sun-bake

Something wicked this way comes….

Spotted Pardalote

Black Bird Singing…

Little Wattlebird of Wilson Botanic Park

Point Ormond Coastal Reserve

On the lookout

Portraits of a Black Swan

The delicate Black-winged Stilt

Goschen Wheat fields

Early morning chores at Goschen

Lifer 333 – Plumed Whistling Duck

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