aussiebirder

Satin Bowerbird male

The Satin Bowerbird is a bird we have seen more recently as males attend their bowers and impress visiting females with the hope of mating with as many females as possible. To do this they seek to gain the prestige of having the most beautiful bower and trinkets, performing the most creative dance and singing the most skilful mimicry song. The male is blue-black and the female green and brown with a patterned chest, the juveniles are similar to the female but with less green and more brown in plumage.

Each male has spent weeks tirelessly building each strand of the bower from dried grass and sticks, collecting blue coloured objects (his jewels which match his own beautiful alluring colours) and positioning them in an impressive display. he has spent most of his life practicing building bowers and learning his own dance steps and peculiar song in a very similar way to the Lyrebird.

The Bower

He knows there are several competing bowers in his local forest, and that these males may come at any time he is absent from the bower, to steal his blue trinkets or to ruin his bower. They all want the prize of impressing and mating with as many of the resident females as possible.

Female looks into bower, will she enter it?

Female examining bower

Female observes male and bower

Bowerbirds are endemic to the rainforest areas of the east coast of Australia and are primarily native fruit and insect eaters (mostly figs). Of our over 45 species of fig there is always one or more fruiting at any time of the year, as well as the fruit from both introduced and other native species. Similar to the Lyrebirds they are low flying birds and capable of mimicking other bird sounds.

The juvenile male looks the same as the female and takes seven years before it gains its mature black feathers and violet eyes. It is the refraction of light on the surface of the feathers that gives the glossy blue-black appearance.

Of our 8 species of Bowerbird (10 if we include our Catbirds which are in the same family) most build bowers and gather trinkets (some collect white or green objects, flowers or fruits to decorate their bower and attract female interest). Simply put, if the male is not smart, artistic and creative enough the female will notice it and fly off to view another bower. Males spend many hours repairing and improving their bowers as they search for blue objects. Researchers have found that when red objects are placed in the bower area, the Bowerbird will either remove them or cover them up.

All through Spring this flight of the females visiting bowers takes place, in a similar way men and women courting and dating, with ladies seeking out and ticking off the qualities they see in their aspiring suitors as they seek to impress. I had the amazingly rare opportunity to film the process of the female entering the bower and the male dancing for her. I apologise for the shaky camera as it is shot at quite a distance from the bower, up under a large tree (bowers are often hidden under trees or bushes). It was difficult to stabilise due to low angle I had to hold the camera.

Considering the the amount of time, great skill and creative effort that goes into the construction of the bower and the wooing of the female my thoughts are drawn to consider the difference between excellence and perfectionism. The pursuit of excellence is a healthy attitude to have because it is based on a realistic and positive understanding of who we are, accepting that we can strive to do better but it is OK if sometimes we make mistakes and or fail to meet our goals, we can learn from these and stay humble. However, perfectionistic attitudes, which are primarily bred in children from a young age, by perfectionistic, legalistic and negative parents and carers demanding a high level of performance and achievement in life, give the impression that one’s value comes from what they do and achieve, and is only acceptable when it is completed with perfection. As they constantly fail to reach their goal, even when they do exceedingly well, they are constantly under the stress of trying to achieve unrealistic goals to please their parents and themselves resulting ultimately in discouragement, depression and a sense of worthlessness. The child raised to exhibit excellence, however, can accept themselves for who they are, like a Bowerbird, as a teenager, he spends many hours practicing to build a bower, which will not be needed till years later. He makes mistakes but tries many times till he finally masters the art. He learns to dance and to mimic, knowing he may not be the best but he will give it his best shot, in the hope it will be acceptable when the time comes.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” – Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the birds. We put out a special call to our Aussie conservationists to help save our threatened Koala population click on this link.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. My Special Sightings page has my rare bird sightings. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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

Regent Honeyeater (male)

Last weekend my wife and I drove to Wollongong Botanic Gardens on the tip off that a single Regent Honeyeater had been visiting a bright red flowering bush known as the ‘Drunk Parrot Tree’ (Schotia brachypetala). To our great delight we were blessed with many sightings of the bird as it came briefly to feed and then flew off, usually because it was harassed by the highly aggressive Red and Little Wattlebirds which dominated the tree along with the alos aggressive Rainbow Lorikeets. I managed a few decent photos, though it was difficult having to shoot to the back of the tree as this timid bird kept well away from us and the other birders present.

Botanic Gardens in any town we visit always provide some of our best birding, especially in spring when the high nectar output is occurring which Australian honeyeaters love so much that it sends them into an aggressive frenzy at times. The Regent is not so aggressive but rather shy on his own.

This is one of Australia’s most endangered species, nationally labelled ‘Critically Endangered’ and this particular sighting was a lifer in the wild for my wife, and more so for us both, it is my second sighting of an unbanded bird, which for us birders is a BIG plus, as it was not a release from Taronga Zoo Regent Honeyeater Breeding Project to save the bird, which is suffering from the deforestation of their prime nectar tree the Box and Mugga Ironbark, as well as the drought affecting the Capertee Valley breeding area.

Less than a hundred years ago there were flocks of hundreds flying over inland rural areas, but the railway found the iron like strength of the Ironbark tree ideal for railway sleepers, and most were felled for this purpose, as it was Australia’s hardest hardwood.

Today the Regent Honeyeater Project is the largest single conservation project ever in our nation, consisting of volunteer tree planters, bird counters and property lenders. The national government also have a Recovery Plan which they have enacted to save this beautiful bird. Of our over 70 species of Honeyeater their main diet is insects, nectar, some fruit and of course lerps. For this bird the specie of tree appears to be important for its survival and breeding, unlike most other species.

Regent Honeyeater

We took our lunch and Thermos along and sat in the shade of some large trees on a bench provided nearby and watched and waited for each return. We were told by a bird group the bird would return to the nearby rainforest area to rest between feeds, but sadly no female has been seen or nesting, which is the current plight of so many of these birds spread now across the coast in unfamiliar areas to escape the drought and ind sufficient food. This last shot was a gem as it flew off…

The other honeyeaters on the bush, most of which were aggressive toward the Regent are the Little Wattlebird, Red Wattlebird, Rainbow Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet and Lewin’s Honeyeater. The Lorikeets are not classified as honeyeaters though they do eat the whole flower as well as nectar, being less dependant. They eat fruits and seeds as well, however the nectar has the same frenzy effect as on the Wattlebirds.

Musk Lorikeet feeding

Lewins Honeyeater

Little Wattlebird with youngster

Little Wattlebird feeding

Rainbow Lorikeet feeding

Little Wattlebird feeding

Musk Lorikeet feeding

Rainbow Lorikeet

Little Wattlebird feeding

Rainbow Lorikeet feeding

Hope you enjoyed our special little visitor, who’s appearance gave so many of us great delight to travel several hours early in the morning to observe. We also enjoyed conversation from birds from the local Illawarra Bird Observers Club, who posted the original tip off. Look how regent this Regent is in the photo below, what a stunning bird when seen in the sunlight, especially when in flight.

It is interesting they call this bush the Drunk Parrot Tree as it intoxicates the birds with its high sugar content nectar. It is interesting how greedy and possessive many of the flocking (pack as I call them) honeyeaters become, often ganging up on other species and taking over whole trees and sometimes parts of a forest, keeping them exclusively for themselves. They spend their time driving unwanted species from their food source, precluding the humble and shy birds in small number from access, as they noisily feed communicating constantly with the pack or gang.

This spirit of selfish, aggressive oppression rises its ugly head in our society from time to time causing all forms of pain for the humble innocent. This is a lesson to me of the need to help those who are disadvantaged because of such destructive behaviour, and to stand up for and assist where I can in real time, not just by giving financially for others to do. God’s heart and concern is for the underdog, the outcast, the oppressed, the foreigner, the orphan and widow, he blesses those who have a heart like his own of mercy, compassion and unconditional love. Jesus himself brought hope and help to these people in his society when no one else would, transforming their lives forever. I have had to change my attitude to the influx of many different cultures and beliefs to my own society in recent years. The Lord is the one who knows us and cares about us, his faithful promises can always be trusted. One just needs to ask and rest, trusting in him to act, and he will do the rest.

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” – Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV)

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:17

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.” – Exodus 23:6

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” – Psalm 140:12

Consider this, as I have, an orphan and a widow may look a little different from the past, where women lost their spouse in the battles of war. The battle is there still, but now it causes divorce and separation of families, and it is these ones who need our protection and support today.

May you enjoy the birds this week as you get out and about. May they assist, along with the surrounding nature, to bring rest and peace to your stressful life as you re-earth yourself in the Creators magnificent garden.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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

Pink-eared Duck

This week as my wife and I were accessing difficult birding areas, I realised just how elusive and fearful of humans our fresh water birds are, and because of this how many non-birders would probably never laid eyes on some of the most beautiful and unique birds in our country of Australia. One such duck, the Pink Eared Duck (above) is a good example. These unusual ducks filter water for micro marine organisms and insects using their purpose built spatulated broad bill.

The Pink-eared Duck gets its name from a pink marking on the side of its head which is smaller or absent in females and absent in juveniles. They are mostly found in inland fresh water lakes throughout the Australian continent and is endemic to Australia. It is often found in large flocks of hundreds as we observed last weekend…

Pink-eared Duck

We were doubly blessed to see two juvenile Pink-eared Ducks for the first time ever. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Another rarely noticed fresh water duck which keeps its distance from humans (on the other side of the lake) is the Australasian Shoveler, also endemic and sports a very similar spatulated bill to our previous duck. The male is the more colourful and the female mainly brown. Note how it sweeps the water filtering it for its food, allowing the water to pass out. These are usually seen in small family groups.

Australasian Shoveler male

Australasian Shoveler female

Australian Shoveler pair

One of the most popular freshwater ducks which are found in very large flocks in northern Australia and in some of our lakes and dams here in our state also, is the Plumed Whistling Duck. These are migratory as they return to the top end in the wet season of summer to breed.

Plumed Whistling Duck male

Plumed Whistling Duck

You may remember seeing this video clip from a previous post, highlighting the cacophony of sound the whistling of thousands of ducks can produce.

The most elusive and human sensitive duck we have encountered and laboured to see is of course the Blue-billed Duck. The bill of the males during breeding glows bright blue. The male is distinctly different to female, the female being very similar to the female and juvenile of the Musk Duck, another fresh water elusive duck, and can be often difficult from a distance to tell them apart. Both the Blue-billed and Musc Ducks share very similar characteristics which I will share later.

Males in foreground females in background

Blue-billed Ducks sleeping on the water

Hardhead male and Blue-billed Duck male

The Musk Duck gets its name from the musk like scent the male liberates from a gland on its rump, it sports an unusual leathery lobe, and because of its greasy grey appearance is always difficult to photograph from a distance.

The Blue-billed and Musc Ducks are often found together in family groups well away from human approach. These birds spend almost all of their life on the water, they sleep afloat (see Blue-billed photo above). Both birds are identified by the fact they float low in the water, they have large splaying tails which the males use to attract females, they both have long involved courtship displays and are endemic to Australia. I managed to get some pics (from a distance) of a male doing a courtship display with his followers looking on as he kicked, turned, rolled onto his back and splayed his tail in the water.

Courtship display by a male Musk Duck

Courtship display by a male Musk Duck

The Australian Shelduck is a duck often only seen in family groups and not commonly seen on the coast being more of an inland bird to the southern part of Australia. We often only find the occasional bird at a wetland or lake but not in any number though their numbers are always increasing and are of little concern. In this case the white surrounding the eye is the female.

Australian Shelduck in flight(Male and Female)

One duck most people here in NSW would not have seen because it only lives in the far north of Australia is the Radjah Shelduck which we have posted here in our far north travels earlier this year.

Two other birds only found in Far North Queensland that I also featured in previous posts are the Cotton Pygmy Goose and the Green Pygmy Goose which are extremely elusive, but are called geese rather than ducks, but are elusive, fresh water and seldom seen, so included them.

Green Pygmy-Goose pair

Cotton Pygmy-Goose and Wandering Whistling Ducks

The Wandering Whistling Duck, which lives up to its name, as it is not endemic to Australia, but is found in south-east Asia and moves about in northern Australia, occasionally seen as a vagrant here. It is found in large flocks similar to its Plumed cousin.

Wandering Whistling Duck

The Hardhead is an Australia’s most common diving duck (endemic to Australia) similar to the Blue-billed Duck (also a diving duck) but more common. It is not as shy as the above but can be. The male is identified by the white eye and the female by the brown eye. These birds do not swim as low in the water as Blue-bills but are often found with them and look similar from the distance. The Blue-bills keep their tail low in the water unlike the Hardhead.

Hardheads landing near Cotton Pygmy-Goose

The other ducks such as Australian Wood Duck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal and Pacific Black Duck are very common and not listed as elusive or rarely seen. The Grey Teal is apparently our most abundant duck. However, our most endangered and rare Duck is the Freckled Duck. Posted as vulnerable in our state, but is most endangered of all our ducks as it inhabits swamps and lakes inland, and when these dry up it moves towards the coast. It is only found in the southern part of our continent but not Tasmania.

All of the above ducks have had to photographed from a distance in a fresh water lake, swamp or lagoon, the Hardheads being the not so shy and more frequently seen. Many in the general public think ducks eat small fish and only small marine creatures, however, ducks are mostly omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, grains, grass, water weeds, mollusks and what ever they can find. They do not normally feed on fish. As we saw above, those ducks that have been given purpose built bills such as the Pink-eared and Shoveler extract most of their nutrient directly from filtering the water, for crustaceans, molluscs, fresh water plankton and insects. Last weekend we saw many different species resting together in the middle of the lake all on friendly terms, as each kept its distance from the other.

There is safety in numbers and this was well demonstrated as we approached the lake. The first warnings alerted those who were sleeping and not facing our way. This caused some to give an alarm call and fly off, while others (the Pink-eared flock) took off and circled the lake several times, as they would for a raptor’s appearance and finally resettle in another lake nearby. Others would just swim further to the other side of the lake, keeping an eye on us. The flock is a safety structure for many reasons, especially in the harsh country of Australia. This is one reason why many of our birds can learn multiplicity of bird languages and can also be taught to speak words (Parrots, Budgies and Cockatoos) as they combine with other flocks and learn their local lingo. By pooling their resources they are able to stay safe and find food, water, companionship and mates especially in drought times. We do the same when we pool our resources as a family or community, whatever that may look like. Sharing our knowledge and experiences helps our family flock do life better. It is for this reason I exhort fathers in particular to share their life with their children while they are young, it is so important, and the children hunger for it. My book is just another way of helping dads do this well as it is full of Godly advice without being religious

“And now a word to you parents. Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice.” – Ephesians 6:4 (Living Bible)

“A wise teacher makes learning a joy;” – Proverbs 15:2

“Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.” – Proverbs 22:6

Have a wonderful and restful weekend. We are facing a heatwave today with total fire ban which is not good for the many birds nesting after recent rains. Breeding numbers here remain down this year also.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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

One of my primary goals in life is to leave an appreciation of our natural heritage for our youth. Writing my first book (available here online) was one attempt at achieving this, followed by whetting an interest in family and friends to explore our native birds and also our beautiful bush with its unique trees, flowers and animals. Sharing a pair of binoculars many have had their eyes opened to a beautiful living world they had not known, hidden in the very trees they walk past, as they are introduced to the birding experience.

During the recent school holidays one of my grandsons came to stay and my wife and I took him on a bird walk in the Royal National Park near where we live. This park is affectionately known as the ‘Nasho’. You have seen many posts from this park, but it alive at the moment and the birds have returned because of the recent good rains and Spring, the time to court, mate and nest.

There is much song in the bush. Scientists have recently found that our birds not only sing in Spring to attract and communicate with their mate, but also sing both in and out of season for the love of it. Singing stimulates the release of feel good endorphins in the birds brain, making singing a very enjoyable experience. We heard and saw several male Golden Whistlers calling.

My grandson Joel, started enjoying spotting these birds high in the trees, seeing how beautiful they are, and how the binoculars bring them so close. His father had warned us not to take him birding too long, as he might get bored easy, but we kept asking him and he said he was enjoying the experience with us and we went further into the bush spending several hours exploring together. He saw several Golden Whistlers but only the male, as the female is possibly sitting on the nest. Click on photos to enlarge them.

We need to help our youth discover the benefits of birding to save them from the tyranny of the electronic devices that preclude them from healthy exercise and an appreciation of their natural heritage. This grounding has therapeutic effects in actually lowering stress levels.It is not just birds we see but the beautiful Spring flowers high in nectar and food for our many honeyeaters.

Bush Fuchsia

Spider Grevillea

We were quite amazed to find several flowering Waratah flowers, a rare treat, as many of these plants have been stolen from National Parks for their beauty. This is the floral emblem of our state NSW and its botanical name Telopea speciosissima means ‘bright red beauty seen from afar‘, and that is exactly what these flowers are, they are iridescent flower heads made up of hundreds of tiny flowers. It is a difficult plant to grow in your garden at home and can not tolerate transplanting or being moved.

NSW Waratah (State floral emblem)

Waratah

Another large red flower seen in the park is the Gymea Lily a plant indigenous to the Sydney area. It also has many smaller flowers that make up the large flower head. It stands majestically over four metres tall,,,

Gymea Lily

Most of the birds we saw were honeyeaters feeding off the flowering eucalypt trees. In Australia, unlike Europe, pollination is performed by the birds, not bees. Most of our pollinating bees were introduced. The Australian native bee is very tiny and is not the main pollinator. So it is a buz to see this Lewin’s Honeyeater feeding from flowers along with this Yellow-faced Honeyeater.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater feeding.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Lewin’s Honeyeater feeding on Spider Grevillea

Lewin’s Honeyeater

The beautiful Eastern Spinebill was moving rapidly around the flowers and calling to its mates. This honeyeater has a long curved beak enabling it to reach deep into tubular flowers such as Bush Fuchsia (seen above) and larger flower heads.

Eastern Spinebill

This tiny Silvereye was also getting in on the action but was after insects…

It is always a delight to see and hear the Brown Thornbill, another tiny insectivorous bird as it moves around the tree’s lower canopy making its unique call…

Brown Thornbill

By now Joel has seen and heard many birds and been introduced into a whole new world of discovery which we can only encourage him to continue to explore. Not many young people find it their cup of tea, but our desire is that at least some may be given the opportunity to sample the experience and learn the value of conserving our natural heritage for the future years when they will be the voters.

A highlight of the walk was to firstly hear and then site a White-throated Treecreeper as he was making his way up a eucalypt tree. He found an insect in the bark and proceeded carrying it, possibly collecting food for a nestling. The sound file below lets you know what you hear as he climbs the tree.

White-throated Treecreeper

The sound of Yellow-tailed Cockatoo passing overhead caused quite an excitement, but we could only see their silhouette as we were deep in the forest.

So the message is, purchase two pair of binoculars, one for you and one for your birding guest then take your family and friends on a bird walk and share your love and knowledge with them. Your passion and love of birding will have a contagious affect on those who walk with you. Our prayer is that children will appreciate their natural heritage from a young age. I have enjoyed talking at seminars and schools in the past promoting this along with my book, and have had wonderful responses from both parent and child. I love talking to people who share my passion to save our youth from addiction to electronic gadgetry and the physical, social and emotional illnesses that accompany this.

Royal Spoonbills WORKING

Royal Spoonbills RESTING

We may need to help our youth strike a balance between work and rest, as spending time with electronic media etc is stressful work involving active mind and eye activity. The birds know how to work and rest but our modern coffee society has adrenal overload helping to bring on many chronic illnesses, simply because they are over stressed and not allowing enough time for rest and sleep. Self control and developing healthy habits, such as taking a walk in the park or bush each week can help to lower your stress level, reducing the chances of both physical and mental illness. Birding takes resting to the next level with endorphin release in the brain as an added enjoyment factor when a bird is sighted and appreciated. This is similar to what a bird experiences when it sings for the pure joy of it. We have the blessed honor of leaving a positive and memorable influence on our youth, a priceless legacy that may be passed on from generation to generation.

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

“Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.”

“Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 (NEV)

Have a wonderful week! I have been asked to continue working on my existing agreement to assist training staff before my full-time position is filled, so my second book writing remains on hold.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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

Collared Sparrowhawk

Continuing from last weeks Birding tour of the red centre around Ayers Rock (Uluru) in central Australia, my wife and I set out mid-morning in 35°C heat to do the popular Mala Walk (named after the Mala people its original inhabitants) along the western side of the The Rock. We were immediately alerted to the loud noisy chatter of huge flocks Zebra Finch in an alarm flurry moving from tree to tree. This made us curious as to why all the comotion. Our first thought as always is to look for a raptor in the sky, but none was seen, and then we spotted nearby in a tree what appeared to be the cause, a beautiful Collared Sparrowhawk (so we think after much checking of features). The reason being, this bird is easily mistaken for a Brown Goshawk. We saw several of these birds on the walk…

A more experienced birder on raptors may choose to differ. The questions to ask are is it a glare or a stare? Is the tail rounded or square? Is the middle toe greatly or mildly extended? etc etc. My wife and I laboured over this bird with various books and photos for over an hour and remain open to either name, whatever it be for us is another lifer. We even conceded that we may have seen both species of bird, as they are both found here. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Oh yes, back to those Zebra Finches, from left to right, female and male in the foreground. These tiny birds can exist in huge flocks and live well in the desert eating grass seed and flying insects. The lack of water here has possibly caused them to flock during Spring. Zebra Finch are being used all over the world in current research into bird intelligence, due to their easy breeding and learning skills. Here are some the shots we took of the flock, it was too difficult to catch movie clips of them.

Zebra Finch (4males+1female)

A flock of finches is called a charm of Finches, and charm us they did! There excited call was quite loud as they passed by in flight, like little bullets shooting through the air.

Charm of Zebra Finches Uluru

Charm of Zebra Finches resting

Interesting as it is Finches, Budgerigars and some Parrots do very well in the hot arid desert regions. But some of the comoner birds seen on the south east coast of the continent are also here. This includes two subspecies (races) of Magpie, the Black-backed and White-backed, the latter being found mainly in Southern states of Australia.

The Pied Butcherbird, Magpie-lark (PeeWee), Crested Pigeon and of course, Willy Wagtail (which we see every where we go in Australia) were also found here.

It was lovely to see the male Mistletoebird in several locations around the resort and the rock. There was quite a lot of mistletoe growing in the desert gums. We did not see the female, so maybe she was nesting. We see this bird from time to time west of the coast.

The only parrot we saw was the Galah, which was in small flocks grazing at the resort grounds on grass seed. These are usually in large flocks in central as well as coastal regions, but more so inland.

Galah

As the morning heated up and became midday, we noticed this woodswallow alone in a tree, and on closer view realised we had sited another lifer, a Black-faced Woodswallow. .

Nearby we saw a pair of Dusky Woodswallow sitting on a dead branch in the heat. Woodswallows also survive well in arid regions of Australia, being mostly insectivorous. These birds are often seen huddled snuggly together in a row on dead branches.

Dusky Woodswallow

Last week I showed a slide-show of the various colour changes of Uluru throughout the day. Here are some of the unusual rock formations found around the base of the rock. See how coarse the rock is. It is said that if a person falls off it, by the time they reach the ground below their skin is so stripped from them they are unidentifiable. These caves served as shelters for the traditional inhabitants. Climbing the rock (a very sacred site to its original inhabitants) is not appreciated by the indigenous community, and is only allowed under perfect still clear weather conditions. Climbing the rock will be banned from October 2019.

Early the next morning we drove some 52 km from the resort to Kata Tjuta (known as the Olgas) another beautiful vista of rock similar to Uluru, much of which lies beneath the desert. It is the arkose rock, course grained sandstone rich in feldspar that gives it is magical luminary properties. We were wanting to beat the rain storm and check out Walpa Gorge for birds. There is usually water in the gorge stream but it was dry. Here is some shots of Kata Tjuta…

Despite the dryness birds could be heard flying about mainly the Grey-headed and White-plumed Honeyeater I showcased last week. There were several nests in trees at the mouth of the gorge.

The wind blew relentlessly as we walked into the gorge at around 30 to 40 km/hr, we could barely stand up and walk forward. Finally in the gorge the wind passed over. We saw this desert wild flower growing up out of bare rock.

Desert flora

After much pursuit we finally tracked down our last lifer, a quite unexpected find, this Western Bowerbird. At first I saw the female hiding in a tree some distance in the gully. She eventually saw me and flew into the gorge to thicker inaccessible thich bush.

As we watched we saw a smaller flash of bright yellow follow beneath the same bush, which we thought to be a juvenile. Within seconds a larger bird flew and landed in view, with its back to us, watching us, just in front of the bush which may have housed the nest. I only managed to get these shots of him. Note the male below has a pink nuchal crest, which is smaller in females and not present in juveniles.

Recent research has shown that these bowerbirds are sensitive to the ultra violet end of the light spectrum, enabling them to greater visual appreciation than we have. Similar to the Great and Spotted Bowerbird it decorates its bower with white objects like shells, feathers and pebbles or anything it can steal from humans.

It was lovely seeing the floral emblem of the Northern Territory, the Sturt’s Desert Rose flowering while we were there. This flower appears on their state flag, as does the Southern Cross star formation peculiar to our southern skies. This can be seen well here and the huge white ribbon of the Milky Way on a dark desert night.

Sturt’s Desert Rose

Northern Territory flag

Lastly let me show a sunset during a desert storm over Kata Tjuta…

To finish our desert birding adventure, we ponder on the Sparrowhawk/Goshawk sitting quietly in the tree watching the Zebra Finches. We know that Finches are food for the raptor and that by flying in flock (as a charm) they are protecting themselves. They must listen carefully to the call of the flock, sometimes in frequencies outside our perception to know when to fly and perch, it could be a matter of life and death. They seek out water and food as a flock even as the streams and ponds are dry, they survive and flourish together. This confuses the raptor as he looks for a stray member or sick bird to pluck from the flock.

No one is ‘a rock or island’ in response to Simon and Garfunkel’s song I am a Rock. We are all vulnerable when alone, we need to have a charm or flock of good friends and people around us who encourage and help lead us into good places in life. I once heard a helpful hint which I share as a counselling help: Always make sure your Balcony friends or acquaintances outnumber your Basement ones. This means keep check that the people who you spend time with and speak into your life and share experiences with are more the encouraging, helpful sharing type than the selfish, needy. use and abuse negative type. If they are negative it may be you who needs to speak positivly into their life to help them correct their behaviour, as a true friend should.

“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6

“The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26 (NLT)

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” – Proverbs 17:9

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17

Have a wonderful week my dear friends. Just to let you know I have been asked to stay on in my medical work for another month to assist in training staff, so I am waiting to see what God has for me at the end of the year. This has delayed both my transition to partial retirement and also the writing my second book, which will most likely be an ebook. The bird guiding proposition appears to have fallen by the way.

If this is your first visit to my blog please check out the rest of my website through my Homepage and menu.

I was greatly blessed to receive a very extensive review of my new book “What Birds Teach Us” in a post by Jen an American blogger who purchased my book here online recently: “Birds, Blooms and all things Beautiful”

You might like read it (click on link above) and also read more reviews and information and purchase your copy through the security of PayPal on my BirdBook page.

The book is also sold in One of these Places.

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

Yellow-throated Miner Uluru 2011

You may wonder why this Yellow-throated Miner is my feature photo, well it has a history. When my wife and I went on our first holiday together we were not aware that we both loved birdwatching, but when I saw her get excited seeing this bird I realised and so we shared that we had a common interest, which to this day has been a wonderful hobby we share together as ‘recreational birdwatchers’ or more accurately birders. We were returning to our first holiday place Uluru a.k.a. Ayers Rock. the world’s largest monolith (single rock) sitting in the red centre desert region of central Australia’s Northern Territory [Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park].

Uluru from the air

Most of this rock lies underground but stands 348m high with a circumference of 9.4km. The feature which draws people out to the desert other than the unique bright red pindan dust soil…

…is the colour changes that take place during the day of this very coarse high iron content rock. Here is an example I put together of shots throughout the day…

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The other fascinating feature of this desert is the amazing enduring Desert Oak tree, which is able to withstand drought, fire, extreme temperature, poor soils and grows about 10mm a year making some the trees well over 1000 years old. They send down roots over 8 metres to the water table. The juvenile trees look like feather dusters the mature trees have seed cones and look like native pine or Casuarina. The native Australians sometimes use this tree to get a drink of water when they cross the desert.

Desert Oak at various stages of maturity

Where do you stay in the desert you ask? when you can freeze at night and boil by day. We had days of 35°C in Spring with afternoon thunderstorms. My wife loved the fact she could swim in the Sails in the Desert resort pool. Oh yes, it is Voyages Resort in the Desert, since the nearest town is 468 km away in Alice Springs. Beautiful Ghost Gums were planted around the resort attracting many birds, these are native to the coast of NW WA.

The beautiful Ghost Gums of the North West.

Birds you say! What birds live in a desert you ask? and this was one of the reasons we came to find out. The first bird we saw in large numbers around the resort was the Yellow-throated Miner which is just as numerous and aggressive as our Noisy Miner back down on the south east coast. It is the dominant bird here, and looks much like its noisy cousin. It tends to drive other birds away from the flowering native shrubs and Ghost gums. Click on pics to enlarge them.

Interesting enough, the greatest variety of birds were Honeyeaters around the resort. Again you ask: “How can that be your in the desert?” This proves the old adage ‘If you build it they will come’. This applies to our own backyards also, if you plant nectar producing native plants you will eventually attract the birds. Most birds enjoy nectar, flowers and lerps. Australia has the most amazing nectar producing plants and trees which produce lots of high energy (sugar) nectar in the poorest of soils. The next most numerous noisy bird was the White-plumed Honeyeater…

White-plumed Honeyeater

a tiny gregarious inland honeyeater which forms very into groups often seen playing and perching together, calling excitedly to each other as they feed. Honeyeaters often experience a nectar feeding frenzy which is known to cause some aggressive behaviour between and within nectar eating species. Australia has the largest honeyeaters, and the most aggressive birds in the world, including the most dangerous. You might get the impression in some of the next shots that some poor fella is getting nagged at by his lady, but the bird on the left with the pink beak is actually a juvenile bird, most likely complaining to be fed. The black beaked bird on the right is the adult parent.

However, the greatest delight was to hear and see the rarer Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. This bird can be heard in feeding frenzy high in the Ghost Gum flowers, loudly calling to each other, early in the morning as the sun rises, before the miners have taken over and driven them off. here is some footage of their peculiar call.

I so enjoyed hearing and watching these birds calling in the morning and watching as they busily fed on the tree blossom, calling to one another in constant communication. They have beautiful blue eyes.

When we drove out to ‘The Rock’ (as commonly known by us Aussies), we were both hoping to find some lifers and had asked God to show us to them. One which we were hoping to find was the Grey-headed Honeyeater, which is only found here in the northern inland desert regions of our continent and occasionally on the NW coast. We were blessed to find a pair in the heat of the day near the Mutitjulu Waterhole, which was currently dried up. The brown background is the Rock itself.

I managed to catch one Grey-headed Honeyeater eating lerps from the bottom of a leaf. The lerps can be seen as white crystalline sugary covering of the psyllid insect, which birds love and is one of the main foods for many birds, causing some species (such as the miners) to prevent other birds from accessing by patrolling particular feed trees using aggressive pack like gang behaviour toward other birds. This can eventually cause the death of eucalypt trees as miner birds mostly only harvest the lerps and not the psyllid insect, which other birds also eat, thus causing the tree eventually to be over-run by the insect and die. Pardalotes lessen the stress on our native plants by eating both lerps and psyllids, but these our tiniest birds, are easily driven away, injured and killed by the larger aggressive birds. Many These birds have developed a way of removing the lerps without removing the insect beneath.

Removing lerps from beneath gum leaf

It is not difficult to deduct our lesson for life from the above action of miners whether they be Yellow-throated, Noisy or Bell Miners, their aggressive controlling possessive behaviour ultimately causes the death of the very source of their food. This highlights the principle of what goes around comes around – a universal principle. Greed eventually consumes the greedy, and the selfish who exclude others and manipulate and cheat for their own gain. Those who follow this course in life will eventually be left alone excluded by others to die a lonely sad and shameful death. Jesus said it well:

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” – Mark 8:26 (NLT)

The antithesis of this behaviour is echoed again in Jesus words which he showed in his own life and death.

“Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” – John 12:25 (NLT)

This does not mean we have to hate ourselves, it means that there is more to life than us, there are others who need to live also who need love, sometimes more than we do.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” – Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)

Have a wonderful week! We are so glad to get rain for a few days, even if winter has returned which will be good for Spring nesting.

If this is your first visit to my blog please check out the rest of my website through my Homepage and menu.

I was greatly blessed to receive a very extensive review of my new book “What Birds Teach Us” in a post by Jen an American blogger who purchased my book here online recently: “Birds, Blooms and all things Beautiful”

You might like read it (click on link above) and also read more reviews and information and purchase your copy through the security of PayPal on my BirdBook page.

The book is also sold in One of these Places.

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

What Spring Brings – The Wader’s Return.

Posted by aussiebirder on October 4, 2018

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, shorebirds, Sydney, Uncategorized, waders, water birds, wetlands, wildlife. Tagged: Bar-tailed Godwit.

Bar-tailed Godwit

With the return of Spring comes the return of our wonderful migratory waders, in particular my favourite, the Bar-tailed Godwit, featured in my book as the most endurant bird. This bird has been tracked travelling 16,000 km (9,942 miles) non-stop for 6 to 8 days directly across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Australia and New Zealand. At the end of Summer it will journey all the way back, via the Asian coast to breed, that’s an amazing 32,000 km in one year. In a bird’s lifetime, it is estimated, they travel to the moon and back 2.5 times. You can see the orange breeding plumage they gained before they left in Autumn still blotchy as it disappears for their non-breeding Summer in Australia. Click on photo to enlarge it.

Breeding plumage disappearing on rump of Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

To get an idea of size and how small they are, see how tall they are beside this Silver Gull. Again you can note remnants of breeding plumage on the male.

Comparison of size with Silver Gull

The female is slightly larger in size with a longer beak than the non-breeding male, as seen below.

Non-breeding male next to a female Godwit

The beach where we see these birds is protected (apparently) for these birds, however, I had to remind one family to leash their dog as they encouraged it harass these birds as they fed on the tidal mud flats. The dogs are actually banned from this beach, which makes one quite angry at the selfish disregard and arrogance that many people display for our wildlife safety.

Flying to safety

Nearby in a creek flowing onto the beach we found this lone Royal Spoonbill decked out in full breeding plumage attempting to sleep in the wind. As you will see in the footage below his afro hairdo as a humorous dimension to the bird. Spring brings with it the breeding plumage in many resident waterbirds.

These birds breed well away from humans, often with other non-migratory waterbirds, in fact they are known to permanently desert their nest should a human approach or disturb them off it. It was strange to find this bird sleeping as the tide was going out, so I think it was quite happy to stay by the fresh running water of the creek.

Also grazing the mud flats were a small flock of Australian White Ibis (nesting mates to the above Spoonbill).

Australian White Ibis flock

Another sign of Spring was this pair of Australian Pied Oystercatcher. These birds pair for life and are often seen in breeding pairs, especially now as this is the season. These birds are now listed as Endangered in NSW due to their nests being disturbed and destroyed on beaches by humans being permitted to drive 4×4 WD vehicles on NSW National Park beaches without a concern for the delicate habitat of these very shy birds. It amazes me that they be allowed to do this, particularly on a beach protecting wildlife. The fencing off of breeding areas has worked for other bird species.

Aust. Pied Oystercatcher

It was an enjoyable walk along the beach just before sunset, as my wife and I look forward to exploring more of the wader feeding areas in future weeks.

On closing, I share these photos of a nesting pair of Sulfur-crested Cockatoo we saw in the Royal National Park recently, protecting their nest from impending intruders. The action of sacrificial, unconditional love seen in bird parents is an inspiration to us of true parenting which when carried on as the family develops, in a love shown between spouses, is modelled for the fledgelings. As parents we always need to be aware it is our actions that speak loudest to our children, not our words. Words are given validity by the quality of the love we live and demonstrate firstly to our spouse and then to our children. Children learn most about what love is from watching how mum and dad love each other.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18

Have a wonderful week!

If this is your first visit to my blog please check out the rest of my website through my Homepage and menu.

I was greatly blessed today to receive a very extensive review of my new book “What Birds Teach Us” in a post by Jen an American blogger who purchased my book here online recently: “Birds, Blooms and all things Beautiful”

You might like read it (click on link above) and also read more reviews and information and purchase your copy through the security of PayPal on my BirdBook page.

The book is also sold in One of these Places.

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

Nankeen Kestrel in flight

Last weekend was the last weekend of the Mudgee Wine and Food Festival held this time each year. Friends living in Mudgee invited us to share the experience with them, so off we went for a wonderful weekend of wine, food and fellowship, where both my wife and I experienced some most enjoyable wineries and their fruits. On the way over the Great Dividing Range we visited Lake Wallace in the hope of spying the Blue-billed and Musk Ducks which are known to live there and can be the most elusive ducks on the planet. Nankeen (Australian) Kestrel sightings occurred on several occasions during the weekend and I managed to get some lovely flight shots, as the light illuminates the spread tail feathers. Click on photo to enlarge.

The Australian Kestrel or Nankeen Kestrel as it was previously known to most, is one of our smallest falcons, about the same size as the Australian Hobby, and feeds mainly on insects as well as small mammals, birds and reptiles. It is seen hovering high over its prey with rapid wing beats before ascending on it from directly above often catching its victim by surprise. The Australian Kestrel below was sighted at Lake Wallace as we were leaving. It had caught something and was eating it high on a power pole in the distance.

We were not disappointed at Lake Wallace, though human shy as they were, the Blue-billed Ducks swam off immediately they sighted us sighting them. My photos were thus taken from some distance. The breeding male has a bright Blue bill. The female is a grey colour and looks almost identical to a female Musk Duck. The reason why this small freshwater duck is seldom seen is that it spends almost all its life afloat and well away from humans, often in the middle or far side of lakes.

Blue-billed Duck male with trailing female

The Musk Duck male has the strange large round protuberance from its neck hanging down which it increases in size when fanning its tail during mating season. The duck gets its name from the musk smell it emits from a gland on its rump. Both the Blue-billed and Musk Ducks share similar characteristics: spend most of their life afloat, sleep afloat, swim very low in the water, have tails that fan to impress their mates, shy of humans, both are diving ducks, eat similar food, stay in family groups. The female Musk Duck has a much smaller protuberance, see below. It is not an easy duck to photograph.

Another pleasant surprise was the discovery of this pair of Hoary-headed Grebe an inland grebe which we seldom see. It gets its name from its streaky hair-do.

Hoary-headed Grebe

On the grass we spotted a small flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbill foraging for grass seed and insects. These small birds are mainly insectivorous but will eat seed, and since it is drought insects are not as plentiful.

Small flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeater flew in and out of trees by the lake with amazing synchronization.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

We drove the last leg of the 3.5 hour journey to Mudgee where we were greeted by our friends. Later we made our way to the Putta Bucca Wetlands on the Cudgegong River, but were disappointed as the drought had affected bird numbers here also. Our attention was first drawn to the whistle of the Whistling Kite which was resting on dead tree. The bird soon left after spotting us near the bird hide.

Our most interesting find was this only pair of Australasian Shovelers cruising in the distance. The more colourful male leads the female.

Australasian Shoveler male

Australasian Shoveler pair

Australasian Shoveler female

A pair of Black-winged Stilts were also present.

There were many passerines also in the trees around the wetlands including the main honeyeater found out here, the tiny White-plumed Honeyeater. The white plume is quite distinctive on the side of its neck. These are quite playful birds and are often chasing each other and showing affection to each other, strangely enough often in groups of three.

White-plumed Honeyeater

A most delightful observation was of this loving pair of Red-browed Finch, only just visible through a small clearing in the dense tree foliage as the sun lit their faces up for me to capture these shots. Remember it is Spring here so birds are busy pairing off.

Red-browed Finch pair

The Red Wattlebird, one of Australia’s largest honeyeaters, made his appearance , but you usually hear its ‘choc choc’ (choking sound) before you see it.

Red Wattlebird

Here’s the call of the red Wattlebird…

This Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike watched us as we left the wetlands area.

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

The long dry winter following a very hot dry summer has had its toll on our state’s animals, birds and trees. Our farmers are suffering as are their livestock and crops, We have had some rain but not drought breaking rains. When you travel over the Great Divide you get to see how dry it really is. Despite the dry the Golden Wattle blooms in all its glory. It is interesting how we do not notice which trees are wattle as they all look green but when they all flower together in Spring one realises just how many there are. This particular tree at the wetlands caught our attention as every inch of the tree was covered with blossom.

The overall glory of the tree in blossom is due to millions of tiny blossom balls.

This highlights the fact that people notice, remember and favour us when we bloom and shine forth in our encounters and relationships with others, even those we have only met once. My experience has been that God’s favour rests on those who exude joy and loving interest in the people that cross their path. Sometimes its a smile, or a word of appreciating and encouragement, people remember you, even if they do not know your name. This impact is like the blooming wattle, the more we all do this, the brighter the place will become. I once heard the testimony of a Suicide Assist trainer how he smiled at a passing man and it saved his life, as he was on his way to die. This man years later, attended the Suicide Assist course and when asked by the instructor (who did not know or recognise him) in front of the class “Why are you doing this course?” He answered: “Because this man here smiled at me and gave me hope when I had none, as I was on my way to act our my suicide plan.” WOW! We can all make a difference and it costs nothing to do, in fact it strengthens our immune system and makes us healthy people in all aspects of our being.

“Do everything in love.” – 1 Corinthians 14:16

Have a wonderful week! I have been asked to stay on for another month at my work part time, after a two week vacation. God is good!

If this is the first time to my blog, why not check out my birding website for more info and interesting facts at my HOMEPAGE.

Also check out my book you can purchase here online with secure PayPal or at any of these places. Check out the promo 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

The Black-winged Stilt – Wader of the South

Posted by aussiebirder on September 20, 2018

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, shorebirds, Sydney, Uncategorized, wetlands, wildlife. Tagged: Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Avocet, Sydney Olympic Park.

Black-winged Stilt reflecting

This week I want to honour a wader which is common to the shores of Australia, South America and South Africa, Indonesia, New Zealand and other countries south of the Equator. The Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is probably one of our most common waders, and one of the few that does not migrate to the north each year to breed. It breeds in Australia and as my book explains, has a friendly foraging relationship of comradery with the Red-necked Avocet a purely Australian wader which also breeds locally, but more inland.

Stilt and Avocet foraging together

Avocets and Stilts flocking together

The Black-winged Stilt is one of my most favourite birds to photograph because it is such a perfect bird for reflection photos, which I love to take., as you can see.

This is one of the few birds that I have photographs of that follow this bird from egg to its adult stages. The Black-winged Stilt feeds on aquatic insects and small molluscs and crustaceans. They feed in the shallows of freshwater lakes and wetlands including brackish marshes. They are a flock bird and can be quite noisy with their bird-bark-like-call which usually warns of alarm or encroachment of territory, as they are very protective of their space when nesting and raising young.

Let’s start with the eggs. The Black-winged Stilt has a clutch of 3 to 4 eggs and like many bird eggs they are dappled as you can see below. The female has a simple shallow hollow with some soft grass as the nest. Note below how she bends her very long legs, her knees fold backwards, the opposite to our human knees. This allows her to tuck her large feet comfortably under her body.

Black -winged Stilt off nest with legs folded forward.

When the chicks are finally born after 22 to 24 days incubation. Most birds would be starting to nest by now or be about to as Spring arrives. The chicks begin walking about and fending for themselves soon after. You can hear the parent warning off potential trouble as we walk by.

As the juveniles start maturing and begin looking like the adult they lack the black neck but sport a black eye marking for their first years. As they mature their brown plumage becomes black, the eye marking lessons and disappears and the black neck stripe forms.

In this very rare and unique image one can see four different stages of maturity for the Black-winged Stilt. See if you can work out the stages of maturity.

Four different stages of development in one photo

When these birds fly they tuck their long lanky legs behind and fly quite majestically.

Finally the bird matures to an adult and at low tide and around the lake edges it pokes its long sharp beak into the water seeking out marine insects and small crustaceans. You can hear its monotonous call as it forages.

As I have shared earlier the Black-winged Stilt though not endemic to Australia has formed a friendly alliance with Australia’s Red-necked Avocet, where both birds are often found forading beside each other and their flocks mixed. Here is a candid moment which is seldom experienced where the larger Avocet runs into the Stilt and moves it on.

So there we have it, a beautiful bird with beautiful reflective properties for photographers, in the still shallows. If you are in Sydney and you would like to see both these birds together, visit Sydney Olympic Park and walk to the large lake with the bird hide, past the mangrove walks. What we learn from these two birds is that you can be quite different in appearance and culture yet live and feed in the same areas and have peaceful and caring relationships. This is God’s best for us all in this multi-cultural age, an example set by these birds.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” – Romans 12:16

During the last decade, Sydney has become one of the most multicultural cities in the world (Australia the 2nd most multicultural nation) and with that many of us Anglo-Saxon Aussies from country areas, such as myself, found it a challenge to adjust to this change. As I currently work with people from all over the world, warm caring family people, I have learned to appreciate them in a much more understanding and loving manner, enjoying many warm friendships. Sometimes we need to reflect on our attitude to those who are different from us.

Have a wonderful week birding!

As I approach my final weeks of full-time work in Immuno Haematology, negotiations are continuing as managers discuss the possibility of continuing my employment part-time. My wife and I seek God’s best for my future, and wait for him to open or close the door. The future always remains in the reliable hands of the One who ‘knows the end from the beginning’ of all things, and always works everything in life for our good. The proposed bird guide work and 2nd book writing are both on hold till this is resolved, your prayers are valued.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

If this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out my birding website pages from my Homepage.

Also check out my book you can purchase here online with secure PayPal or at any of these places. Check out the promo 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

Birdwatcher, Birder or Twitcher, which are You?

Posted by aussiebirder on September 15, 2018

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, rainforests, Royal National park, Sydney, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: Birder, Birdwatching, Twitcher.

Aussiebirder birdwatches an Eastern Yellow Robin – truly ‘a bird in the hand’

It has been a couple of years since I visited this topic, and I continue to meet many people who ask me to explain the difference, it is timely that I reiterate, but with more information from more of a counselling and lifestyle perspective.

A group of tourists have an unexpected sighting, a family of Tawny Frogmouth

Most people in our community are only familiar with the term Birdwatcher and what that entails. A person who actively seeks out birds to view them and study them as a recreational pursuit. This title or description, to most people, could be used to generically include all who look at birds as a past-time both recreationally and ornithologically. However, to us who pursue birdwatching as a recreational pursuit and have done so for several years or more, birdwatching is but the first stage or introduction, where interest in birds and their presence begins to ignite a delight and desire within us for more…

Glen, acclaimed naturalist, birdwatching a male Regent Bowerbird

We start to include looking at birds as part of our nature/bush walks and family picnic experiences, this begins as the birds make their presence known or demonstrate some unusual behaviour and we start to have an awareness that the birds are there, and for the first time in our life we start looking for them and expecting them to be in particular places because we have seen them in the same places when passing. Picnic areas and car parks are some of the best places one can see and get close to Australian birds, as they have learned that humans have food.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at the Royal NP – they know how to get a free feed

However, it is better to feed them their own food if you can.

Hand feeding seed to wild Eastern Crimson Rosella

The Cafes can be good birdwatching places also…

Australian Raven drinking milk at Cafe in the Royal NP

Pied Currawong at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Cafe also drinking milk

For me personally, photographing nature and beautiful vistas was my prime delight for most of my early years, producing My Beautiful Series and the website by that name which many of you may have followed but was recently deconstructed. When my interest turned to birds more specifically, after a visit to Lord Howe Island years ago, in search of the Red-tailed Tropicbird, a whole new interest took my heart. I took less interest in landscape and nature photography and more in photographing birds. I was transitioning into the next stage and becoming a Birder.

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

A large percentage of Birdwatchers become Birders, a term which is mainly used by Birders themselves to describe their passion or differentiate themselves from others with greater or lesser enthusiasm in the recreational vocation. A Birder is a person who deliberately and passionately pursues birdwatching, particular bird species and bird habitats to actively engage with and view birds in their native habitat. The birder studies the birds and seeks to gain an active practical knowledge of bird species, their appearance, their call, their food, their habitat, their breeding, their migratory patterns and their peculiar characteristics. You could possibly use the term a recreational ornithologist.

For me personally, I call myself a Birder, along with my wife. The change to Birding meant a change in my camera lens from 18-250mm to 100-400mm. It also meant purchasing some books on where to find various birds including several different kinds of Bird Field Guides, taking interest in native bird conservation groups such as Birdlife Australia, joining a local bird observer club and checking on latest local sightings on eremaea birdlines or ebird websites. Many an avid birder, but not me, wear bush camouflage clothing, and purchase camouflaged binoculars, telescopes and camera lenses. Another sign is that the equipment used becomes more expensive some moving to high powered lenses including tripods and telescopes.

I started meeting other people, singles and couples, armed with binoculars and cameras with long lenses like mine. I would usually greet them and get right to the point by asking the question ” Are you a Birder?” or ” Are you into Birding?” The conversation would then include latest sightings and what was seen so far on the current walk. It could include name sharing of Birders we may share in common. You know your family know when all your gifts for whatever occasion have something to do with birds.

It was not till on our Honeymoon that my wife and I first seriously understood the term Twitcher, which is when one takes birding to the next level. When we shared with a lady how we met and found out later we were both Birders she gave us a copy of the movie The Big Year and said it was a must see for us. If you have not seen it is is as humorous as it is sad, starring the three funny men, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black but depicts a nonfictional story from a 2004 book called The Big Year. In a nutshell a Twitcher is a person who has an active addiction to Birdwatching and has become an obsessed Birder. These people seek out particular birds including rare bird species at any cost to themselves, their relationships and their health. They may devote a whole year to tick off a list and try and see the most birds in that year.

From the movie ‘The Big Year’ available on DVD – 3 Twitchers on their Big Year

The term originated in the 1950s in reference to a British birdwatcher Howard Medhurst who would get showing nervous shaky behaviour when he started thinking of and pursuing a rare bird. His mate would say he is ‘on the twitch’. He is thought to have started the idea of travelling long distances purely for the purpose of seeing a particular bird species. Read this interesting article on the origin of the term ‘twitcher‘. Some have said it comes from the term tick hunter as they would be trying to tick off their list of birds to be seen, These people have taken the joy of birdwatching to an extreme, where it can become a quite competitive task, rather than a delightful enjoyable experience. Watch the above mentioned movie to learn more.

The above mentioned person may need personal counselling to rectify their behaviour when it starts to place important life relationships and care for one’s self and others on a lower priority to their bird quests. Sadly, as the movie shows, as with any addition, the lies that are told, the moody behaviour with its accompanying anxiety, is ultimately destructive, and also to those in relationship with the Twitcher. It is said that the natural hunter instinct of man is enacted in the process.

It easy to get overly passionate about birding – the hunter instinct

I have to confess that there was an occasion where I almost crossed over, and this can so easily occur as we begin to become passionate about our new found hobby, if we do not check our behaviour at regular intervals, or have not been trained to do so. People living stressful lives, driven to achieve, with extreme goal orientation, are more prone to become Twitchers. I pulled back as I saw I was being consumed by my obsession to find new birds, and I listened to my wife tell me the changes that she was seeing in me that were not healthy for our relationship. I thank God I pulled back and saw what she saw, and established guidelines for my behaviour.

I pulled back from almost ‘crossing over’ – almost becoming a Twitcher

I have drawn up my own comparison here for you to consider. I pray this will be helpful, even if only for one Birder on the brink of crossing over for I speak from experience, but not just as an almost victim, but also as a self assessing family counsellor. Please note: My definition of Twitcher may not agree with all who call themselves Twitchers. My main purpose is to highlight healthy from unhealthy behaviour, as the term Twitcher encompasses many displaying addictive behaviour.

Birdwatcher	Birder	Twitcher
Thinks about birds occasionally and does not distract from normal life.	Thinks about birds daily, possibly talks about them, this may only occasionally distract and interfere with normal life, but rarely.	Thinks about birds most of the day and takes up most of their conversation, and may interfere and distract them from normal life on a regular basis.
Seeks birds occasionally when on an outing, not necessarily to reason for the event.	Seeks and pursues birds recreationally on a regular basis, birds being the prime purpose of the outing.	Seeks birds and pursues them as the prime focus of thir life, always thinking of the next encounter and how & where they will view them.
May or may not use or even be aware of an ebird app. This will have little impact on weekend plans unless the sighting is nearby and unusual.	May use an ebird app at least once a week or more to help plan a weekend birding adventure, and may travel several hours or more to location but minimise cost.	Will most definitely use an ebird app and other means to access live and recent sightings. This will help determine their next day. They may travel long distances at great cost.
Weekends away & recreational walks may include bird watching, Binoculars may be optional unless kept in the car. Only done outside work hours.	Weekends away and day trips prime focus on finding birds. Always brings binoculars and camera. Only outside work hours with very infrequent day off during the week.	Any time during the week when rare birds and rare sightings seen, may interrupt normal work week and family functions to pursue birds on a regular basis.
Stress level Low to Moderate – seeing birds adds an interesting dimension to the outing and assists in lowering stress levels. They share their delight with those with them.	Moderate stress level – birding a healthy distraction from busy & stressful life. Excitement or disappointment with pursuit of birds mostly lowers stress levels but can at times be stressful. They love sharing their delight and knowledge.	High stress level – driven with high expectation and personal achievement. Addiction is stressful causing anxiety lacking peace. Hence the ‘twitch’ in Twitcher. Can be very selfish, guarded, not wanting to share.

Birding is an enjoyable experience most of the time. It is good and healthy to be passionate about people we love and things we love to do, but only when we have control of our passion, not allowing it to take control of us. Addiction encourages and paves the way for demonically inspired behaviour, which is physically, emotionally, socially (relationally) and mentally destructive. When I look at Jesus I see a man who was passionate for the good of others (unselfish love), having a totally balanced character, always in control of his person. Jesus was man as God had intended him to be, growing in all 4 aspects of life – healthy mind(pure loving thoughts with emotional stability), body(stature or health), spirit (with God) and relationships(with man). He trusted God’s Holy Spirit to guide him through life.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

May your week be peaceful, satisfying, full of joy and enjoyable birding experiences.

If this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out my birding website pages from my Homepage.

Also check out my book you can purchase here online with secure PayPal or at any of these places. Check out the promo 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

He knows there are several competing bowers in his local forest, and that these males may come at any time he is absent from the bower, to steal his blue trinkets or to ruin his bower. They all want the prize of impressing and mating with as many of the resident females as possible.

The juvenile male looks the same as the female and takes seven years before it gains its mature black feathers and violet eyes. It is the refraction of light on the surface of the feathers that gives the glossy blue-black appearance.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” – Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the birds. We put out a special call to our Aussie conservationists to help save our threatened Koala population click on this link.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. My Special Sightings page has my rare bird sightings. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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Botanic Gardens in any town we visit always provide some of our best birding, especially in spring when the high nectar output is occurring which Australian honeyeaters love so much that it sends them into an aggressive frenzy at times. The Regent is not so aggressive but rather shy on his own.

Less than a hundred years ago there were flocks of hundreds flying over inland rural areas, but the railway found the iron like strength of the Ironbark tree ideal for railway sleepers, and most were felled for this purpose, as it was Australia’s hardest hardwood.

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” – Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV)

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:17

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.” – Exodus 23:6

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” – Psalm 140:12

Consider this, as I have, an orphan and a widow may look a little different from the past, where women lost their spouse in the battles of war. The battle is there still, but now it causes divorce and separation of families, and it is these ones who need our protection and support today.

May you enjoy the birds this week as you get out and about. May they assist, along with the surrounding nature, to bring rest and peace to your stressful life as you re-earth yourself in the Creators magnificent garden.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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We were doubly blessed to see two juvenile Pink-eared Ducks for the first time ever. Click on photos to enlarge them.

One of the most popular freshwater ducks which are found in very large flocks in northern Australia and in some of our lakes and dams here in our state also, is the Plumed Whistling Duck. These are migratory as they return to the top end in the wet season of summer to breed.

You may remember seeing this video clip from a previous post, highlighting the cacophony of sound the whistling of thousands of ducks can produce.

The Musk Duck gets its name from the musk like scent the male liberates from a gland on its rump, it sports an unusual leathery lobe, and because of its greasy grey appearance is always difficult to photograph from a distance.

One duck most people here in NSW would not have seen because it only lives in the far north of Australia is the Radjah Shelduck which we have posted here in our far north travels earlier this year.

Two other birds only found in Far North Queensland that I also featured in previous posts are the Cotton Pygmy Goose and the Green Pygmy Goose which are extremely elusive, but are called geese rather than ducks, but are elusive, fresh water and seldom seen, so included them.

The Wandering Whistling Duck, which lives up to its name, as it is not endemic to Australia, but is found in south-east Asia and moves about in northern Australia, occasionally seen as a vagrant here. It is found in large flocks similar to its Plumed cousin.

“And now a word to you parents. Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice.” – Ephesians 6:4 (Living Bible)

“A wise teacher makes learning a joy;” – Proverbs 15:2

“Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.” – Proverbs 22:6

Have a wonderful and restful weekend. We are facing a heatwave today with total fire ban which is not good for the many birds nesting after recent rains. Breeding numbers here remain down this year also.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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Another large red flower seen in the park is the Gymea Lily a plant indigenous to the Sydney area. It also has many smaller flowers that make up the large flower head. It stands majestically over four metres tall,,,

The beautiful Eastern Spinebill was moving rapidly around the flowers and calling to its mates. This honeyeater has a long curved beak enabling it to reach deep into tubular flowers such as Bush Fuchsia (seen above) and larger flower heads.

This tiny Silvereye was also getting in on the action but was after insects…

It is always a delight to see and hear the Brown Thornbill, another tiny insectivorous bird as it moves around the tree’s lower canopy making its unique call…

The sound of Yellow-tailed Cockatoo passing overhead caused quite an excitement, but we could only see their silhouette as we were deep in the forest.

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

“Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.”

“Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 (NEV)

Have a wonderful week! I have been asked to continue working on my existing agreement to assist training staff before my full-time position is filled, so my second book writing remains on hold.

If this is your first visit to my blog, please take a minute to check out my website Homepage menu and helpful birding and counselling info. Check out my unique book which can be purchased through secure PayPal here online on my BirdBook page.

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A flock of finches is called a charm of Finches, and charm us they did! There excited call was quite loud as they passed by in flight, like little bullets shooting through the air.

The Pied Butcherbird, Magpie-lark (PeeWee), Crested Pigeon and of course, Willy Wagtail (which we see every where we go in Australia) were also found here.

It was lovely to see the male Mistletoebird in several locations around the resort and the rock. There was quite a lot of mistletoe growing in the desert gums. We did not see the female, so maybe she was nesting. We see this bird from time to time west of the coast.

The only parrot we saw was the Galah, which was in small flocks grazing at the resort grounds on grass seed. These are usually in large flocks in central as well as coastal regions, but more so inland.

As the morning heated up and became midday, we noticed this woodswallow alone in a tree, and on closer view realised we had sited another lifer, a Black-faced Woodswallow. .

Nearby we saw a pair of Dusky Woodswallow sitting on a dead branch in the heat. Woodswallows also survive well in arid regions of Australia, being mostly insectivorous. These birds are often seen huddled snuggly together in a row on dead branches.

Despite the dryness birds could be heard flying about mainly the Grey-headed and White-plumed Honeyeater I showcased last week. There were several nests in trees at the mouth of the gorge.

The wind blew relentlessly as we walked into the gorge at around 30 to 40 km/hr, we could barely stand up and walk forward. Finally in the gorge the wind passed over. We saw this desert wild flower growing up out of bare rock.

After much pursuit we finally tracked down our last lifer, a quite unexpected find, this Western Bowerbird. At first I saw the female hiding in a tree some distance in the gully. She eventually saw me and flew into the gorge to thicker inaccessible thich bush.

Lastly let me show a sunset during a desert storm over Kata Tjuta…

“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6

“The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26 (NLT)

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” – Proverbs 17:9

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17

If this is your first visit to my blog please check out the rest of my website through my Homepage and menu.

I was greatly blessed to receive a very extensive review of my new book “What Birds Teach Us” in a post by Jen an American blogger who purchased my book here online recently: “Birds, Blooms and all things Beautiful”

You might like read it (click on link above) and also read more reviews and information and purchase your copy through the security of PayPal on my BirdBook page.

The book is also sold in One of these Places.

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Most of this rock lies underground but stands 348m high with a circumference of 9.4km. The feature which draws people out to the desert other than the unique bright red pindan dust soil…

…is the colour changes that take place during the day of this very coarse high iron content rock. Here is an example I put together of shots throughout the day…

I so enjoyed hearing and watching these birds calling in the morning and watching as they busily fed on the tree blossom, calling to one another in constant communication. They have beautiful blue eyes.

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” – Mark 8:26 (NLT)

The antithesis of this behaviour is echoed again in Jesus words which he showed in his own life and death.

“Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” – John 12:25 (NLT)

This does not mean we have to hate ourselves, it means that there is more to life than us, there are others who need to live also who need love, sometimes more than we do.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” – Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)

Have a wonderful week! We are so glad to get rain for a few days, even if winter has returned which will be good for Spring nesting.

If this is your first visit to my blog please check out the rest of my website through my Homepage and menu.

I was greatly blessed to receive a very extensive review of my new book “What Birds Teach Us” in a post by Jen an American blogger who purchased my book here online recently: “Birds, Blooms and all things Beautiful”

You might like read it (click on link above) and also read more reviews and information and purchase your copy through the security of PayPal on my BirdBook page.

The book is also sold in One of these Places.

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