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Birdwatching and Photography of Australian Birds.

Welcome to our Birding Website ! Scroll down to view weekly posts,

read helpful birding tips and gain an appreciation for our

beautiful Australian birds

A beautiful introduction to our Australian birds for your child, grandchild or bird lover

Find out why this is the most helpful gift you can give

Click on the book cover to learn more and find out why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Blog Post

When Only a Few Will Do – Winter Birds in Low Numbers.

Click on the Blog Post Title above to View the  Current Post of my Weekly Blog.

⇒ So what’s so good about Birdwatching?  Check out my: Benefits of Birding page.

⇒ I am interested in Birdwatching I want to learn more. Check out my  Birding for Beginners         page.

⇒ What are the 5 Steps to Better Birding ? Find out here.

⇒ Links to helpful resources are found here.

⇒ How can I bring birds into my back yard to enjoy them?  Click here

What Birds Teach Us – A Beautiful Introduction to Our Aussie Birds

To find out more about this book click here.

Flight of a Fledgling – Growing Up and Leaving Home 

To find out more about this book click here.

Check out my YouTube Channel where you can view interesting videos

and learn amazing facts about our Australian birds at:  aussiebirder YouTube

The Enjoyable Daily Experience of the Humble Birdbath

One of the most enjoyable experiences we have each day is watching our local native birds drink, wash and cool off at our birdbaths. This can be quite entertaining. Birdbaths can be purchased from Garden and Landscape Centres or homemade by just fixing a large dish or bowl, firmly  to a small table or very secure base. It is important the bowl does not move when birds land on it, otherwise they may not return. You will notice in the following video that it is helpful to the birds to have places nearby where they can land and access the baths from. Notice how they use the pole next to the baths, and the advantage of shading the baths under a tree.

 Refill it with fresh water daily and clean it weekly, and let the birds do the rest. We have found having a large and small bath next to each other advantageous, as it allows several birds to make use at the same time.

 In Australia the land of drought and hot summers, finding water to drink and bathe is the bird’s most pressing need.  Providing a constant source of clean water is the best thing we can do for our native birds, and a birdbath is the most practical means. Over time the birds will get to know you and allow you to come closer as they learn to trust your kindness.

The birds will thank you for providing daily for their needs, and sing for you at your birdbath, like my resident pair of Magpies.

If you want to feed native birds, in particular our many honeyeaters and lorikeets, plant several  nectar producing native shrubs, especially Bottlebrush (Callistemon) and Grevillea, and keep any cats away. It is wise not to feed human food to Australian wild birds as it can cause them to develop an unhealthy dependence which can lead to them becoming aggressive and destructive. Clean water is the bird’s most important need, they know how to find food.

Rainbow Lorikeet feeding on our Bottlebrush flowers

If you are struggling, grieving or going through a difficult time at present…

If you need renewed courage and peace to step out and face life afresh…

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To privately contact the author of this website email: ashley@aussiebirder.com

otherwise please leave your comment below.

W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.

39 comments on “Home Page”

  2. Hello Ash,
    The cover of your newest birdbook “Flight of a Fledgling” looks stunning, and the intro video brought a smile to my face. My husband and I will be among the first to purchase a few copies once it is hot off the press 🙂 Blessing to you and all your dear ones.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Nice to meet you both at The Town Common in Townsville today and really glad that despite a slow start our birding pride and joy came to the party with a few birds for your enjoyment 🙂 My highlight today ended up being the pics I got of the Rufous Fantail, my nemesis has been defeated!!! Safe travels and I look forward to exploring your blog.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Matt, it was lovely meeting you and having a birder chat. We both enjoyed meeting a local birder. We were so blessed to have what appeared earlier to be disappointment turn into pleasant surprise. It is a great feeling to finally capture the ever elusive bird. The rufous eludes me at times also. Enjoy your birding and thanks for talking the time to look us up.😊

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  10. Goodness and neglected to specify I truly cherish birds!…I truly making the most of your seasons video with the empowering words, your excellent photographs and adored the tune and music. Much thanks to you!..

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  11. Hi, I was looking at some of the great photos that you have taken in the Wingham national park, the photo of the different coloured Rainbow Lorikeet, it was very interesting to see that, are they common in that area?

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    • Hi Joseph, thanks for your welcome comment, the olive-backed variant Rainbow Lorikeet that I posted on my visit to the Taree/Wingham area is not a very common mutation, and this is the only one I have seen. There are many different mutations for different birds, and in particular for the lorikeets. Sadly I can not find the link to the website article that had documented the many variations of these birds. If I find it I will email it to you. Enjoy birding!

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  12. What’s the secret to identifying birds?

    It’s not an easy question to answer.

    More than 700 kinds of birds live in North America and more than 10,000 worldwide, enough variety to keep anyone absolutely amazed for a lifetime.

    But you probably know other people that are able to accurately identify just about every bird.

    How do they do it? Do they know some “birding” secret that you don’t?

    Actually, yes, they do!

    And today I’m going to show you one of my favorite birding pursuit strategies of all time: the Eagle Eye Approach:

    https://www.dignitree.com/blogs/news/eagle-eye-approach-to-identifying-birds-of-north-america-the-definitive-guide

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    • Thank you Mary for sharing this information. We find the shape and manner of the bird helpful from a distance. In Australia we are more likely to hear the bird before see it, so knowing the call is helpful and we have apps for that. Most bird identification comes from the study of the bird as one encounters it usually for the first time. Your information looks very helpful.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. I read the new book, “What Birds Teach Us”. Its great! Love the photos. My favorite photo is of the Spotted Pardote, I am sometimes blessed to see them around my home.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. I really enjoyed your seasons video with the encouraging words, your beautiful photos and loved the song and music. Thank you! It’s great that you share Scriptures and your faith on this website and your lovely blog, “MyBeautifulSeries”. Really enjoy the photos on there too. Blessings to you and your wife. Thank you, again. ~ Janette. 🙂

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    • Blessings also to you dear sis, your Scripture art is likewise spiritually delightful and commendable. Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for checking out my site. The Birder Sanctuary is also a page on my site we have devoted to the spiritual application of bird peculiarities to our lives. Thank you for your warm blessings to my wife and I, likewise I return the same to you and your family. Shalom. and richest blessings… Ashley:-)

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  17. Hi Mister I really need to know when does Black Winged Stilt live in India. I am looking forward for your answer.

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    • The Black-winged Stilt is a migrant to many countries of the world including Asia, and may migrate to Africa and other warmer climates during winter months. As I am an Australian birder my knowledge is more with Australian bird activity and how this bird moves in our country. However, to my knowledge, the Black-winged stilt is found in India from around November to March and possibly longer. Hope this helps. I suggest you look up this bird in a birding field guide for Indian birds, or search the internet for more specific times and places.

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    • Thanks so much Elisa, producing my own music is my second hobby to photography and birding, though I don’t do as much recording these days, I like backing my movie clips to add character. My DVD set Ashley’s Beautiful Series incorporated my photography and my own unique soothing music. My attention at the moment has been in completing the second draft of my book “What do the birds teach us?” I hope to publish later in the year.

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