Tag Archives: Australian Birds

Grey-crowned Babblers

Posted on October 10, 2016 | 2 comments

The Grey-crowned Babblers are endangered in the state of Victoria. I have only seen them at Chiltern where a small group lived on the edge of the National Park. The aggressively territorial Noisy Minor honeyeaters seems to have pushed that colony away and I have not seen them for a few years. On the trip to the Goschen area I stopped by the Middle Lake Ibis Rookery just north of Kerang. In the carpark of the bird hide I was delighted to find a small family colony preening after a midday dip in the water. The birds chased each around the trees and squabbled. The bird is also known as a ya-hoo bird (Male makes a call and the female responds so quickly that it sounds like the call of one bird.) The adults have pale eyes while the juveniles are dark. The group below were mixed aged.

Grey-crowned Babbler, Middle lake Ibis Rookery, Kerang, Victoria

Grey-crowned Babblers, Middle lake Ibis Rookery, Kerang, Victoria

III

2 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Grey-crowned Babbler, Ibis Rookery, Kerang, Middle Lake, Middle Lake Ibis Rookery, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

Arid country Parrots – Greater Bluebonnet

Posted on October 9, 2016 | 4 comments

One of the targets for my weekend trip to the Goschen Blushland Reserve was the Bluebonnet. It is a medium sized parrot that prefers the drier parts of the country. The Mallee region is a perfect place to find them. I saw many flying around the reserve during my three days there but could not get close enough for a decent photo. They feed on the ground looking for grass seeds and flower heads. Once flushed, by movement or sound, will fly up to a nearby tree and watch for a chance to fly back to the food or to fly further away if you walk towards them. They are extremely wary and I never got really close without them seeing me first.

I had no luck at Goschen but while photographing the Variegated Fairywrens at Tresco West I found a pair feeding on new grass seeds and they did not notice me. I saw the movement of the grass and froze and when a Bluebonnet poked its head I knew I had a good chance for a photo if I could move quietly and slowly enough. I did not think I would get anything other than a head shot in the grass but while focussing on one I noticed the other watching me from a nearby bush and slowly took a few shots. They finally spooked and flushed but I did manage a few nice shots showing their beautiful colours.

Greater Bluebonnet, Tresco West Bushland Reserve, Tresco West, Victoria

Greater Bluebonnet II

4 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Greater Bluebonnet, Mallee, Nature Photography, Photography, Tresco West, Tresco West Busland Reserve, Victoria

Tresco West Fairywrens

Posted on October 5, 2016 | 7 comments

As part of my travels around the edge of the Mallee country I visited Tresco West Bushland Reserve. It has a similar bird list to Goshschen and has many of the same plants and trees but is much bigger with kilometres of drivable tracks. I stopped the car in several places and wandered around looking for Bluebonnets and Variegated Fairywrens, neither of which I been able to successfully photograph before. At an interesting spot I heard the high pitched call of a Fairywren and stopped to investigate. I came across several brightly coloured males and their female flock leader.

Variegated Fairywren, Tresco West Bushland Reserve

III

The boss

7 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Mallee, Nature Photography, Photography, Tresco West, Tresco West Busland Reserve, Variegated Fairywren, Victoria

Wild Goschen Cockatiels

Posted on October 4, 2016 | 7 comments

I saw my first wild Cockatiel at Goschen Bushland Reserve on the weekend. I have seen a Cockatiel on the road near the You Yangs previously but I had assumed it was an injured escapee. The birds on the weekend were true wild Cockatiels. They were easier to approach than the other local parrots and cockatoos and were beautiful in flight, wide wings, flashing white markings and a lovely call which was easy to pick out amongst the other birds calling at the reserve. I found this little family a few times over the three days that I visited the reserve. A highlight of the trip north into the mallee country

Cockatiel, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria

I found a small family flock of 4 including an immature Cockatiel

Feeding on the new spring growth

Immature Cockatiel, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Goschen, Victoria

7 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

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

Goschen Bushland Reserve revisted

Posted on October 3, 2016 | 5 comments

Last weekend I headed to the northern part of the state. I wanted to revisit the Goschen Bushland Reserve on the edge of the Mallee country. The state has been receiving a higher than average amount of rainfall and the Mallee has exploded with lush green grass and flowers. While many of the rare vagrant birds have not yet returned to this green oasis amongst the wheat and rapeseed fields surrounding it, many of the local resident species are enjoying the bounty and have started nesting.

I camped in the carpark of the reserve to ensure an early start. It was a very cold, windy, stormy night but I was up nice and early for the dawn chorus and a bit of sun to warm me up.

Goschen Bushland Reserve

The early bird gets the you know what….

hare-goschen-bushland-reserve-goschen-victoria

I ended up seeing 3 hares on this trip including this one watching me carefully.

Singing Honeyeater

brown-treecreeper-goschen-bushland-reserve-goschen-victoria

Brown Treecreeper – a noisy part of the dawn chorus

black-faced-cuckoo-shrike-goschen-bushland-reserve-goschen-victoria

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike – has a very distinctive call.

Male Hooded Robin

goschen-bushland-reserve-ii-goschen-victoria

Usually quite dry and sparsely vegetated, the bushland has exploded in grasses and flowers

school-marker-goschen-bushland-reserve-goschen-victoria

Historical marker – while Goschen is a failed town, the school serviced the area for a number of decades

new-access-point-goschen-bushland-reserve-goschen-victoria

The Bushland is under a recently active management plan – new fences, rubbish removal and limited access points – this one is a quite tight squeeze

5 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black faced Cuckoo Shrike, Brown Treecreeper, Goschen Bushland Reserve, Hare, Hooded Robin, Nature Photography, Photography, Singing Honeyeater, Victoria

Braeside Birding

Posted on September 26, 2016 | 2 comments

On the weekend I went for a walk around Braeside Park. I wanted to see if I could find any of the resident Tawny Frogmouths. I know quite a few of their regular roosting trees but with the breeding season well underway it can be a bit more difficult to find them. I only found one Tawny and it happened to be a large one sitting on a well made nest. The nests I have previously seen have been quite flimsy but this one looked more robust. Along with the Rainbow Lorikeets, and the nesting Tawny Frogmouth, I found a White-faced Heron, a wind-blown Black Shouldered Kite and a Wood Duck that seemed confused by my antics – I was standing on the walking path with my binoculars looking up into the trees looking for Tawny’s. I heard a squawk and just above me was the duck. It must have had a nest in the tree hollow or it would not have stayed on the branch so close to me…

tawny-frogmouth-braeside-park-braeside-victoria

Tawny Frogmouth, Braeside Park, Victoria

White-faced Heron

Black-shouldered Kite

Australian Wood duck

trying to figure out what I was doing…

2 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black Shouldered Kite, Braeside, Braeside Park, Nature Photography, nesting, Photography, Tawny Frogmouth, Tawny Frogmouth nest, Victoria, White Faced Heron

Curious Rainbows

Posted on September 25, 2016 | 5 comments

While visiting Braeside Park on the weekend I was photographing a nesting Tawny Frogmouth, and two Rainbow Lorrikeets decided to investigate.

Rainbow Lorikeet Braeside Park, Braeside, Victoria

III

5 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Braeside, Braeside Park, Nature Photography, Photography, Rainbow Lorikeet, Victoria

Calls of the forest

Posted on September 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

Walking through an Eastern Australian eucalyptus forest, one of the loudest natural sounds a visitor could hear would be the White-throated Treecreeper. While a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo could be louder when heard close-up, (and they are very loud), shear decibels for size would have to go to the treecreeper. I found this one in its usual position – climbing vertically up the side of a tree, and occasionally stopping and calling. The small orange marking indicates that it is a female.

white-throated-treecreeper-point-addis-great-ocean-road-anglesea-victoria

White-throated Treecreeper – Point Addis Ironbark Basin walk, Anglesea, Victoria

Moving around the tree and working her way up the trunk looking for insects, ants and grubs.

Point Addis Scrubwren

Posted on September 18, 2016 | 2 comments

While photographing the Rufous Bristlebird at Point Addis recently, a White Browed Scrubwren decided it was safe enough to feed alongside the Bristlebird. It foraged amongst the leaf litter hunting for small invertebrates. These small birds usually are very timid and are more often heard scolding trespassers than actually being seen. The adult birds have very distinctive brows that always seem to make them look angry…

White browed Scrubwren, Point Addis, Great Ocean Road.

Turning over leaf litter and small pieces of bark to find invertebrates…

2 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Great Ocean Road, Nature Photography, Photography, Point Addis, Pt Addis, Rufous Bristlebird, Victoria, white browed scrubwren

The Rufous Bristlebird of Point Addis

Posted on September 14, 2016 | 3 comments

There are two species of Bristlebirds found in Victoria – the Rufous and the Eastern. The Rufous can be seen along the Great Ocean Road from Anglesea to the border, while the Eastern Bristlebird is found in only a few areas of far eastern Victoria. I have attempted to photograph these species 6 times in the last few years and while I was successful the first time I tried for the Eastern I have not had much success with the Rufous. I have glimpsed it a few times at various locations but I have not got a good look at it or managed to even get close to taking a decent image. It is a shy, ground feeding bird that hides for much of the day. The photographs below were taken on my last trip to Point Addis. I finally worked out where they can be easily photographed and scored a few nice images.

Rufous Bristlebird, Point Addis, Great Ocean Road, Anglesea, Victoria

A furtive bird with some interesting colours and feather patterns

The Bristlebird hunted along the ground and allowed us to get quite close – as long as we stayed low as well.

VII

VIII

3 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Anglesea, Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Eastern Bristlebird, Great Ocean Road, Mallacoota, Nature Photography, Photography, Point Addis, Rufous Bristlebird, Victoria

Swamp Harriers of Braeside Park

Posted on September 5, 2016 | Leave a comment

There are several Swamp Harriers at Braeside Park Wetlands. On a recent visit we watched a pair circle the main wetlands in search of dinner. The usual bird alarm went up and gave us a chance to get ready to photograph the Harriers as they flew nearby. Over the wetlands, a single Little Raven kept flying up to harass the Harriers.

Swamp Harrier, Braeside Park, Victoria

Circling the wetlands searching below for prey

Identifying white rump markings for a Swamp Harrier

Little Raven taking on the raptors

Spring is here…

Posted on September 4, 2016 | 4 comments

I enjoyed a walk to the local lake and along the Elster Creek with some of the local birders late Saturday afternoon. Many of the resident birds are starting to nest and raise chicks. It is a noisy, busy time with much activity. Several neighbourhood locals are keeping an eye on the breeding swans and sadly the cygnet count has already gone from 6 to 3 in a few weeks. I daresay the foxes at the golf course are also raising young.

Spring along Elster Creek, Elwood, Victoria

Elsternwick Lake Swamphens, Elsternwick, Victoria

Elsternwick Lake Swan family

Elsternwick Lake cygnet, Elsternwick, Victoria,

one of the cygnets

Elsternwick Lake Swan, Elsternwick, Victoria

A watchful parent…

Elsternwick Lake Little Pied Cormorant

4 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Black Swan, Elster Creek, Elsternwick Lake, Elwood, Little Pied Cormorant, Nature Photography, Photography, purple swamphen, Victoria

Snacking on seeds

Posted on August 30, 2016 | 4 comments

Stalking Eastern Rosellas can be tough. They spook easily and fly just out of reach for a good photograph. Once in a leafy green tree they can be just about invisible even with the bright red head and chest. Locally their numbers have been building. I am hoping the increase is from the breeding locals rather than Rosellas migrating through. A local naturalist has been building nest boxes suitable for Rosellas but unattractive to possums. On this walk along the creek several Rosellas were feeding on the seeds of a Desert Ash.

Eastern Rosella, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Victoria

4 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

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

The White-browed Scrubwrens of Point Ormond

Posted on August 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

At Elwood’s Point Ormond is a section of old seaside vegetation. Much of the area has been cleared with just a few scraps of native vegetation left. In this small pocket beneath the Point and its navigation tower, live a few species of birds – Superb Fairy-wrens, Brown Thornbills and White-browed Scrubwrens, with many other species stopping by for a feed and rest while migrating elsewhere – Rainbow Lorikeets, Black Faced Cuckoo-shrikes, Pink Robins, Grey Fantails, Singing Honeyeaters and Silvereyes to name a few. On the last few visits we have been watching a nest of Scrubwrens and the busy parents feeding their chicks. A visit on the weekend seemed to indicate that the chicks had fledged and had moved from the nest but were still being fed by the parents.

White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond scrub, Elwood, Victoria

White-browed Scrubwren – looking for juicy morsels for the chicks

The Scrubwren returning a grub to its chicks..

Finally a Nankeen Night-Heron

Posted on August 27, 2016 | 5 comments

The Nankeen Night-Heron has been a bit of a hoodoo bird for me. While I have seen the species at various places during the day and locally at night I have not seen it well enough to photograph and add to my local birds page. Finally today while walking down the creek with a local birder friend, Dave, we found an adult Night-Heron (with head plume) on its daytime roost high in one of the pines along the canal part of the Elster Creek. It seemed to be very curious about us and intently watched everyone who walked by. It is an nocturnal bird that hunts in the shallow waters and edges along the creek.

Nankeen Night-Heron, Elster Creek, Elwood, Victoria

III

5 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Elster Creek, Elwood, Nankeen Night-Heron, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

	Anonymous on A yellow-tailed Vandal
	Anonymous on Stinkers in the garden
	Malt Padaderson on Winter antics in the flowering…
	aussiebirder on Winter antics in the flowering…
	Malt Padaderson on An Australian Painted Snipe or…

Tag Archives: Australian Birds

Grey-crowned Babblers

Arid country Parrots – Greater Bluebonnet

Tresco West Fairywrens

Wild Goschen Cockatiels

Goschen Bushland Reserve revisted

Braeside Birding

Curious Rainbows

Calls of the forest

Point Addis Scrubwren

The Rufous Bristlebird of Point Addis

Swamp Harriers of Braeside Park

Spring is here…

Snacking on seeds

The White-browed Scrubwrens of Point Ormond

Finally a Nankeen Night-Heron

Follow Blog via Email

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Categories

Archives

Tags

Meta