Sunny Sunday Afternoon and my wife suggested a walk in our local park for some much needed exercise, and so off we went. Our first sighting from the footbridge was this Greater Egret in its various hunting positions. The key to success for Egrets and Herons alike is to be perfectly still and wait. While one went fishing the other partner rested on top of the mangrove nearby. Similar to Kingfishers Egrets move their head slightly to correct their vision for water refraction so that they make an accurate strike at the fish.

waiting patiently
alarmed by our company

As we walked along the track to the ponds we noticed that, unlike this time last week, no birders were gathered around the Powerful Owl nests since the owl family with owlet in toe had left the site, to a quieter human free retreat, possibly in the tall trees across the creak, where we have seen them in past years. We noted this male Kookaburra resting in a tree nearby as well as several Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Rainbow Lorikeet now nesting in the holes of angophora trees in the park. Click on images to enlarge them.

Laughing Kookaburra male
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo guarding nest

As Spring has almost arrived so some of the early native wildflowers are blooming beautiful. These include these following :

Fine-leaf Bush-Pea
Pink Spider Grevillea
Parrot Pea (Egg and bacon flower)
Fine-leaf Bush-Pea
Small-leafed Daisy-Bush

The highlight of our walk which my wife spotted with her sharp spotting abilities, was the male Rose Robin which many birders return to this park each winter to observe as it migrates here each year for several months before returning south. Unlike all of our other robin species this insectivorous one feeds only from trees and not the ground, so it is more difficult to photograph as it rapidly moves through the native casuarina trees. Robins are very curious birds and often land nearby to look at you before fleeting away. The name Rose is well represented.

It was a challenge following the mixed feeding flock (MFF) of various species along the track to catch a glimpse of the Robin. The usual permanent inhabitant, its cousin the Eastern Yellow Robin was not seen anywhere. As the afternoon was getting later, the light was becoming a challenge for us.

This White-browed Scrubwren did not escape our attention either.

We were delighted to see these birds. In addition we saw and heard the male Golden Whistler starting to put out its melodious call as it approached the Spring breeding season when it would be calling constantly to its female as well as warning other whistlers to stay away.

Golden Whistler male

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Posted on 10 By aussiebirder Australian birds Posted in Australian birds
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aussiebirder

My wife and I share a love of bird observing and bird photography which takes us all over Australia. We love sharing our experiences. Birds live in the beautiful parts of our country. We always get blessed with beautiful gifts of new birds and unexpected experiences each time we go out birding or just walking in the parks and reserves in our wonderful land. We love Australia, and the variety that each state and region offers in its wildlife and nature aspects. Join us in sharing our love. We have always found other birders enthusiastic and friendly people who appreciate the good things in life.

10 Comments »

    • Thanks Deborah, yes we love the bright colours of our several species of various shades of red robins, the Rose Robin is a beautiful little bird. It is lovely to finally see some early Spring flowers again. As we get older the seasons seem to come around much faster. Have a wonderful week also my friend.

  4. Hello Ash,
    It’s wonderful to hear you had unexpected (pleasant) finds so close to home. Sometimes, the most notable encounters happen in our local territory – I’m glad your wife wisely suggested to visit your local park over the weekend. We’re happy to learn the young Owl has moved on and pray for safe journeys. We always enjoy seeing your birds, and the male Rose Robin was a highlight!
    Have a wonderful week ahead.

    • Thanks Takami, yes it is good that the owls have vacated the area for their own privacy as many birders were spending too much time at the nest though it was mainly the other birds in the park that were causing stress to the owls since the parents were killing occasional birds to feed the youngster. The Rose Robin is always a treat to see in Winter. Enjoy your week my friend.

  5. Hello Ashley,
    Good views of the Rose Robin. We used to have several pairs and Pinks come down over winter, but the area has slowly been built on by suburbia, and we’ve had few sightings the past few years.

    While I am among the first to help people see and locate our local owl, the sight of groups of photographers trying get the best angle, and get the bird to turn this way or that, has distressed me more than the owl.
    We all want views, but when the bushland around the site is all trampled down by myriad of feet I wonder where a line is drawn.

    Fortunately as your birds have been able to relocate, the birds do have an escape mechanism once the young are fledged.

    I’m not a grumpy old man, as I do want people to enjoy the birds, and getting good sightings always a pleasure. High impact can just be a problem.

    Good to know they have been successful this year. Hopes for next.

    Regards
    David

    • Thanks David, yes it has been somewhat noisy and crowded at times under the nest, thankfully the male has sat deep in the mangroves the whole time it watched the nest and the female stayed inside except when it was harassed by the Sulphur-cresteds and the male by the Ravens which I reported recently. The owlet seemed to be high enough to be unaffected and only a small group of birders actually knew where to look for it. I know where it has probably gone, we may take a look in a few days as I know very few know this and we will try not to disclose it. Every local birder who follows these owls is delighted at the success. There are reportings of several families of Rose Robin this year in the park which is more than usual.

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