Tag Archives: Grey Fantail

Warning calls, take the hint

Posted on February 3, 2020 | 3 comments

On the drive into the Mallacoota township there is a spot that I explore each day as part of my birding/photography schedule. During December when I visited it was hot and very dry. Winding through the reserve, the creek was low and mostly dry, just several pools of dark water. As I entered the rain forest and my eyes adjusted to the lower light conditions there were multiple birds on the opposite bank diving into the creek bed and back up onto low branches. There was at least 5 species involved –  Bell Minors, Superb Fairy-wrens, Scrubwrens, a Lewins Honeyeater and a very agitated Grey Fantail. As I stood and watched I noticed movement and saw a large Red-bellied Black Snake. I am not usually concerned about these snakes as they hunt the really dangerous snakes. But they are a sign that other snakes are around. I was not even in the area 15 minutes and I had already found a snake.

The feisty Fantail below was dive bombing the snake and a landing on a branch near me before taking off again.

Grey Fantail, Double Creek Nature Walk, Mallacoota, Vic

Grey Fantail, Double Creek Nature Walk, Mallacoota, Vic

Grey Fantail, Double Creek Nature Walk, Mallacoota, Vic

II

Grey Fantail, Double Creek Nature Walk, Mallacoota, Vic

III

Red-bellied Black Snake, Double Creek Nature Walk, Mallacoota, Vic

Red-bellied Black Snake, Double Creek Nature Walk

3 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Tiny occupants

Posted on January 30, 2019 | 5 comments

While walking with a friend in Greens Bush recently I found two new Grey Fantail nests, the first empty but the second was occupied by two tiny Fantails. The small goblet shaped nest made of strips of bark, grass and spiderweb has an opening only 4cm wide and 3.5cm deep. (I measured an empty nest). While we watched the nest for a while one of the parents would come back every few minutes with a snack for one of the chicks.

I returned the following week hoping the light would be better but found an empty nest. Standing there looking for any signs I eventually found the chicks above me in the dense foliage. As a parent came near the pair would make high pitched begging chirps but would quickly go quiet when the parent left. It took a while to track the pair back to the chirps through the leaves and branches.

grey fantail chicks in nest, greens bush, mornington peninsula national park, vic

Grey fantail chicks in nest, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic

grey fantail chicks in nest, greens bush, mornington peninsula national park, vic

II

grey fantail nest, greens bush, mornington peninsula national park, vic

Grey fantail nest.

5 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

A home of grass and spider webs…

Posted on November 21, 2017 | 2 comments

Taking a long slow walk around the Baldry Circuit at Green’s Bush, I am still finding many birds hard at work building nests and feeding young. Some of the early starters like the Pardalotes, Rosellas and the Eastern Yellow Robins are just about done with many new juveniles now flitting amongst the branches waiting for a free feed from their parents. Another group are just starting their breeding duties. A pair of busy Grey Fantails were flying in and out of the lower branches of an Acacia. The material they were collecting was a mix of finely shredded dried grass and spider webs interwoven into a small goblet shape that the Fantail could barely sit in. A fantastic little structure fit for purpose for just a few months and then will disappear.

Grey Fantail, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Grey Fantail building a nest, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Grey Fantail, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

II

Grey Fantail, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

III

Grey Fantail, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

IV

Grey Fantail, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Off for more spider-web

Further around the track I found another Eastern Yellow Robin’s nest that appeared to be done for the season. It was empty inside and I waited for a while nearby to see if any Robins visited but none appeared. It is also made up of finally stripped bark and spider webs as well as decorated with bits of moss and lichen – great camouflage. The nest was in plain sight (if you could recognise it) next to the the path in a low prickly bush.

Eastern Yellow Robin nest, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Eastern Yellow Robin nest, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

2 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

Grey Fantail, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood

Grey Fantail, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

II

Grey Fantail, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

III

White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood

White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

Taking a mouthful of insects back to the nest…

White-browed Scrubwren, Point Ormond Coastal Reserve, Elwood, Victoria, 21 Aug 2016

III

Leave a comment

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Thornbill and the Magic Fantail

Posted on March 14, 2016 | 4 comments

I travelled down the Western Port Bay coastline over the long weekend and camped at Balnarring Beach with some friends. On Sunday I met up with my mate John and explored a new site – a long forested gully called Wuchatsch Reserve in Nyora.  The site had an impressive list of forest birds including Crimson and Eastern Rosellas, Spinebills, Silvereyes and a good number of honeyeaters. While watching the honeyeaters we found a small flock of Striated Thornbills and a Grey Fantail hunting flies off a branch.

Striated Thornbill, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

Striated Thornbill, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

Striated Thornbill, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

II

Grey Fantail, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

Grey Fantail watching the watchers…

Grey Fantail, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

a quick jump in the air…

Not a Grey Fantai, Wuchatsch Reserve, Nyora, Victoria

and magic…

4 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

A warm Winter’s Day and a Lifer

Posted on June 14, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Pink Robin has eluded me for several years – it even turned up in my neighbourhood last year and no matter how many times I took off to find it I kept missing out. Recent reports put one at a Melbourne Water Wetlands on Huntingdale Rd in Oakleigh East. So today I followed the bird report’s details to the backyard fences along the creek feeding into the wetlands where it had been seen and waited quietly to see if I could be lucky this time. I was visited by a Grey Fantail and while taking a few photos of it to test the conditions I saw a little flutter of wings on the fence beside me. I finally had my Pink Robin ( a female).  My 31oth Victorian Lifer.

I followed her around for an hour trying to get better shots as she moved into low scrub with a small feeding flock of Brown Thornbills, White-Browed Scrubwrens and the Grey Fantail.

Grey Fantail

Grey Fantail

Pink Robin

Female Pink Robin

Pink Robin

Many of the shots were like this one.

Pink Robin

Getting closer

Pink Robin

Pink Robin – my 310th Victorian Lifer.

Leave a comment

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

1st Jan 2015: a quiet start at Greens Bush

Posted on January 3, 2015 | 5 comments

My birding related goals this year are to improve my photography and fieldcraft. To get off to a flying start I hit one of my favourite spots in the Mornington Peninsula National Park – Greens Bush. I visited twice over two days – midday on the first day and 9 am on the second. On the first visit it was full of families and groups  bushwalking and making a racket. Strangely there were quite a few birds around and lots of opportunities to take shots. The second day while it was earlier and I only saw two guys going for a cross run, it was very much quieter – not many birds around at all. This may have been because the forecast was for a hot day and the birds had found cooler patches to wait out the pending two day heatwave.

White Browed Scrubwren , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014_

White Browed Scrubwren , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

White Browed Scrubwren II

White Browed Scrubwren II

Grey Fantail , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

Grey Fantail , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

always a favourite to try and photograph - Superb Fairy Wren, Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

Always a favourite to try and photograph – Superb Fairy Wren, Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

This bird took me a while and a lot of effort to find as a lifer in 2013 and I am still excited to see it whenever it pops up – they  are summer migrants to Greens Bush . They are hard to photograph and never sit still for very long and always seem to use a bit cover when having a look at something….

Rufous Fantail , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

Rufous Fantail , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

Rufous Fantail II

Rufous Fantail II

Rufous Fantail III

Rufous Fantail III

Rufous Fantail IV - showing the beautiful colouring on the back

Rufous Fantail IV – showing the beautiful colouring on the back

Rufous Fantail V

Rufous Fantail V

Rufous Fantail VI

Rufous Fantail VI

Rufous Fantail VII

Rufous Fantail VII

For the first time at this site I also found a large Koala up an unusual tree  – he was facing away and happy to glance at me and then ignore my presence.

Koala , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014_

Koala , Greens Bush, Vic 1 Jan 2014

I knew I would find these guys soon enough as I could hear them from the car park – they are fun to watch as they preen, squabble and harass each other.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos II

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos II

The Grey Kangaroos were also out and feeding, getting a quick top-up from mum, and resting. The female Roo feeding her young was very alert and had spotted me from the other side of the creek through the trees even though I was moving quietly and very carefully….

Grey Roo mum and joey , Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014_

Grey Roo mum and joey , Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014

Grey Roo , Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014

Grey Roo , Greens Bush, Vic 2 Jan 2014

5 Comments

Posted in Birds, Greens Bush, grey fantail, Grey Kangaroo, Koala, rufous fantail, sulphur crested cockatoo, superb fairy wren, Victoria, white browed scrubwren

Tagged , , , , , , , ,