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Birdwatching and Photography of Australian Birds.

Welcome to my Birding Website where you can view weekly posts and Learn about our beautiful Australian Birds.

Click on links below or above Menu to connect with my weekly blog posts and website information. 

Now Posted

Current Blog Post: The Quiet Forest of Autumn – The Unexpected Findings.

If this is your first visit to my website and you are wondering: Whats so Good about Birdwatching?  check out my Benefits of Birding page.

If you are new to Birding and seriously thinking of embracing it as an enjoyable recreational pursuit, visit my Birding for Beginners page where you will get lots of helpful information.

If you are under 16 years of age or know a young person who is interested in learning about birds or has my book “What Birds Teach Us” check out my Special weekly blog post for young people on my Young Birders Page.

What’s New in 2020? 

Soon to be Released: “What Birds Teach Us” 2nd Edition: Improved & Enlarged. Check it out: NewBooks2020 page.

Attention: Primary School Parents and Teachers!

A Great Fundraiser for your School or Group!

Aussiebirder addressing a Primary School

Ashley as Aussiebirder delivers a dynamic illustrative interactive presentation of his book  “What Birds Teach Us” 2nd Edition, using bird behaviour to encourage good life values. His book will sell for the Special Price of $25 on the  day, of which $5 per book sold will go to the school. Please use contact provision below to book or inquire as to a visit to your school or organisation.

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.

 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.

I often get asked: “What can I do to attract our native birds to my backyard?” or “Is it alright to put seed, fruit or meat out for birds?”  In Australia the land of drought and hot summers water is the bird’s most pressing need.  Providing a constant source of clean water is the best we can do for our native birds, and a birdbath is the most practical means.

  Australia is the home of several of the worlds most aggressive birds. Feeding native birds can not only lead to a dependence but more so to aggression from particular bird species, which can result in personal and property damage. Australian birds can find food most of the time and it is in their own interest to do that. 

All birds need water, especially in time of drought which has been 4 years now for us.  They need to drink and bathe and cool off, just like we do. The best thing you can do for your local birds is to buy or build a birdbath or two, and keep it filled daily, and cleaned weekly. If you want to feed your birds, in particular the many honeyeaters we have, plant nectar producing native shrubs, especially Bottlebrush (Callistemon) and Grevillea.

Noisy Miner feeding on Bottlebrush

Plant native fruit trees, these include varieties of native fig, Lilly Pilly and other native fruit trees trees as most of our birds are fruit eaters.  Many birds are small seed eaters so allow your grass to seed at the end of summer and any other seed producing plants.

female Figbird enjoying native figs

Be aware that if you grow edible fruit for your family, you may have to cover and seal off the tree while it fruits to protect from birds by day and Flying Foxes and Possums by night. Leave a tree or part thereof with ripening fruit just for them to enjoy.

OK I have a birdbath, so what is the best place to position it for the birds to use?

* A shady spot under a tree is best with easy access and escape routes from all sides. Birds are very wary of being hemmed in.

* Close access points to the birdbath are important as many birds never fly straight to it, they like to inspect it for safety beforehand. Tree branches, posts and garden furniture are examples, which need to be above the height of the birdbath (see photo above).

* Make sure it is safe from marauding cats, and young children, so the bath needs to be high enough and far enough away from danger.

* Birds have a safety buffer so give them space to enjoy the experience, and you will also. View from a window inside or at a distance of at least 10 feet till you earn their trust. Most native birds are cautious and fear humans. They think faster than us and have  a much faster response as well as possessing more sensitive sight and hearing than we do. 

* It is interesting that when I have been away for several days and return to empty birdbaths and no birds to be heard or seen anywhere, seconds after refilling them and making my way upstairs, several birds race to the water and immediately call and splash and drink together. Yes. they are watching and sometimes even waiting for me to return, especially on a hot day. Even though these birds are wild, they have become my friends.

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…

To send me a message or inquire  regarding books please use the Contact Form below:

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.

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31 comments on “Home Page”

  2. 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

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    • 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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  7. 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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  8. 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?

    Liked by 2 people

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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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  9. 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

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  11. 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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  13. 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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  14. 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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    • Thanks Donna, these guys are young ones, when you see the adults fighting over food in the wild, they may give a different impression. They often bare battle scars from fights over food. Their jaws are one of the most powerful, you should hear them crunching bone, it is quite eerie.

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