aussiebirder

As we move into Autumn and the summer migrants, which are mostly waders, have taken flight north, we are left with our winter birds, and a period of not so many birds. However there are many waders and water birds that stay all year round and breed here in Australia. It had been a while since I was able to get time in Olympic Park, Sydney, to see how the resident waterbirds and waders are, so on Wednesday I took a look, and found this pair of Australian Black Swan alone in a pool among the mangroves. Note the male is the larger of the two. How beautiful and graceful they are when seen up close. These symbols previously peculiar to the state of Western Australia (found in its coat of arms), have been breeding well all over Australia and its surrounding islands now for many years. Click on photo to enlarge it.

It was good to see nests of Australasian Darter and Pied Cormorant in the usual breeding trees, however numbers were drastically reduced, possibly due to the extreme heat of the passing summer and prevailing drought conditions.

The commonly seen waterbirds that are more often seen grazing on grassy areas by water are the Australian Swamphen and the Masked Lapwing.

It has always humoured me when I hear the sound of the Masked Lapwing call in Australian movies, as a representative of Australia’s birds. I think what about Kookaburra, Currawong or Magpie? However, in many movies it is this bird call that is used.

As I walked to the larger lake I came across a most delightful experience where a family of Superb Fairy-wren came out from under small shrubbery to give me an excellent photo moment. What a beautiful gift! The adult male was in non-breeding plumage retaining just a bright blue tail and dark beak. This is called the eclipse stage of the male Fairy-wren. He may transform several times a year to breed, while the female and immature retain their brown tail and light orange beak and lores, only the mature males eclipse. Here is a comparison.

Superb Fairy-wren in eclipse

Superb Fairy-wren (in breeding plumage)

So this what the little family looked like as they moved about on this small bush together. You can distinguish the males from the females by the tail colour and beak and lores.

Female and Male Superb Fairy-wren

2 males, one in full and one in almost full eclipse.

Superb Fairy-wren female

The resident waders were in various stages of activity. Some slept, some preened, but most were foraging. Over the water a large flock of swallow were constantly circling.

The Chestnut Teal are in large number on the lake as usual.

Male Chestnut Teal

4 males with 1 female

But the birds I wanted to see were the three remaining waders who do not migrate. The Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Avocet and Black-fronted Dotterel. I especially love the reflections these birds generate from the shallow water. The Black-winged Stilt is one of my favourite. Notice the immature Stilts also pictured below.

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt immature

Black-winged Stilt

Immature Stilt balancing on a rock

It is interesting to see the scythe action of the Red-necked Avocet sweeping their uniquely curved bill through the water to sift for tiny brine shrimp. They sweep their bill slightly open just above the muddy bottom of the lake. It is also interesting to watch some Stilts copy this action which is not normally their own. The younger ones having grown up with the Avocets, being companion waders, copy the action.

The Red-necked Avocet, a friend to the Stilt, is also a bird seen in flock here.

Red-necked Avocet

Red-necked Avocet in all three stages of activity.

Red-necked Avocet

It was interesting to see this collision of the Avocet and Stilt foraging, it shows how serious food foraging is.

The tiny Black-fronted Dotterel was also on the shore foraging.

Black-fronted Dotterel

Of course the best place to view birds without disturbing them is the ‘Bird Hide’. However, this hide is some distance from the water, but it does give a good overall view of the lake, but you need a powerful lens to get good captures.

Bird Hide

Lastly, this Noisy Miner was attracted to my car rear vision mirrors, moving from one to the other he tries to find and make contact with the bird he is looking at. Finally, not being able to solve the conundrum he eventually leaves.

This bird’s quest is like our own, we often don’t know ourselves enough to appreciate who we are. We compare and impair the image we have of ourselves and so never really appreciate the beauty of the unique and wonderful creation we are. There is no one in the whole universe who will ever be you. Your DNA is uniquely yours, and so you bring a uniquely beautiful asset into the world in the place where God has placed you, as he has done also for me. How we understand and appreciate this gift will directly influence the way we live our lives and boldly love and accept the person we are. It is this person we must look at in the mirror and realize, we are God’s beautiful child and we are loved dearly by him our Heavenly Father. How we see ourselves affects how we enjoy life, giving confidence and acceptance to achieve great things.

“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.” – Psalm 139: 13-18. (NIV)

Some of you my dear followers know that I am currently considering leaving my full time work as a Senior Scientist to go into part time work as a Eco Tourism Bird Guide. I was recently approached by a person following my blog to operate bird tours and introductory bird courses with Farm Club Australia, situated in the Southern Highlands, south of Sydney. I am currently considering this option and how this will look for my future. I know many of my followers, will be visiting Australia and the Sydney region in the coming years. I hope to put together birding packages which will hopefully make the Sydney region leg of the journey much easier. I meet birders from all over the world, especially from USA, Canada, New Zealand and Britain doing full on birding tours of Australia, and they are often looking for birders with local knowledge to guide them to the birds on their list, as many only have limited time in each city.

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

Last weekend we drove to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, part of the Great Dividing Range, and home of some of Australia’s most stunning mountain and valley scenery, for my wife’s favorite birthday celebration tradition. The blue haze over the mountains is due to the eucalyptus oil vapor from the millions of eucalypt trees of various species. This oil also makes the forests very vulnerable and volatile to bush fire, which can rapidly devastate these pristine forests. One of the highlights is the view at Echo Point over the massive Jamison Valley of the famous rock formation called the Three Sisters after an aboriginal legend. My book is sold at the Tourist Information Centre here.

The Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba NSW

Standing on the various lookouts and waterfall vistas in the mountains, bird sounds can be heard, and flocks of birds fly over, including the Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo, which is currently feeding on the native Casuarina and introduced pine cones and Banksia cones. It is always a race to the camera when we hear the classic call of this bird loudly over the town.

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo

While we were exploring the Valley of the Waters, where numerous waterfalls plummet into the valley from all directions, we saw canyoners coming down through Empress Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls here. We actually saw this same group a short time earlier up on top plunging and disappearing into the Empress Canyon which flows into the Empress Falls. We had climbed down to the bottom of the falls where they emerged.

Before our walk we had birthday cake and coffee under the trees near the Conservation Hut, where my step daughter sighted this White-browed Scrubwren, of which only one photo was taken as she sighted a female Superb Lyrebird almost immediately after.

The Lyrebird appeared relatively tame and use to visitors to the Hut, and appeared to be a young bird of only a couple of years old. The female does not have the fancy tail plumage seen in the male, and the rufous neck coloring remains a feature of the bird, whereas the males loose this after their fourth year. After some pursuit it easily mounted the fence and disappeared down the cliff side.

AS we walked down to the Valley of the Waters we came across this Eastern Crimson Rosella feeding on forest fruit, a common sight in the mountains.

Crimson Rosella

This New Holland Honeyeater was also seen along the track.

New Holland Honeyeater

One bird which is always a feature here is the Eastern Spinebill, which I have showcased from up here on many occasions. This bird with its long curved beak is able to reach down into tubular flowers such as the native Mountain Devil to extract yummy nectar. The two flowers which feed this bird during the winter months are the Mountain Devil and the Banksia species.

Eastern Spinebill

Mountain Devil

Banksia species

Mountain Devil

Because of the drought and extraordinary extended heat of autumn, breaking all records, bird numbers were low and new young bird numbers reduced. Though after our walk, as we had lunch at the Conservation Hut, we saw this beautiful male Grey Shrike-thrush, quite tame, sitting on a railing watching the outdoor tables. This bird has a beautiful song, and is known to be curious of humans coming quite close to watch them, having a classic head tilt on observation. mature because of dark beak and male because of white lores.

Grey Shrike-thrush

One of the features we enjoyed in various parts of the mountains was the beautiful warble of the Eastern Magpie. These birds will sit for hours on a branch communicating to other magpies nearby with their melodious warble. In scientific studies it has been noted that the Australian Magpie has one of the most complex and amazing calls of any bird being able to move between two octaves in a less than a second. Watch his throat move as he warbles.

Male Eastern Black-backed Magpie

Saturday night we had a lovely meal and stayed at the Three Sisters Motel. Early in the morning as the sun rose we all headed down to Echo Point to see the view.

As we walked back around the cliff face we saw many Grey Fantails flashing about catching insects on the fly, but found them difficult to photograph due to poor light and positioning.

I could show you the sunrise on the sandstone walls, but it is better if you come and see it for yourself, and let me show you around. Walking back to the motel we saw these two juvenile King Parrots feeding quietly by the footpath. Immature parrots, like many birds resemble the female till they reach maturity.

This Eastern Crimson Rosella was also feeding in the same tree with them.

I forgot to mention this Grey Butcherbird was the first beautiful bird song we heard as we awoke. This bird is my morning joy where I live also, always singing to me each morning, and enjoying our bird bath. Though our dear dog has passed, we leave her water bowl for this bird as he likes to use it if the bird bath gets emptied by the larger Magpies. This bird gets its name from hanging its victims in the forks of trees or on branch spikes till it is ready to eat them, like a butcher in a meat shop. There song is beautiful, and the song of their more violent Pied cousins even more beautiful, though they are found more further north from the mid-north coast upward.

In our search for the male Lyrebird at our usual spot, we were disappointed, possibly too many tourists were present. We did see this Yellow-faced Honeyeater before we left. Flocks of this bird were continually flying through the valley. This is a commonly seen winter and summer bird.

The last bird I caught before leaving the valley, and checking out my book in the Blackheath National Parks Visitor Centre, was this White-throated Treecreeper, creeping up this eucalypt in bright sunlight. This is unusual, as they prefer to climb the shaded side of the tree usually, but gave me an over exposed view of this female (note the orange spot on her face). This bird climbs the tree making its classic repatative cheep call as it checks beneath bark and in crevices of trunk and branches for insects.

A most enjoyable weekend had by all, so we made our way home back down the mountain to coast and Sydney. Our leg muscles ached for a few days after the strenuous mountain climbing, but we felt so much stronger and better for the weekend in the mountain air. Like the Treecreeper creeping ever upward, we seek the highest point of our lives to give them meaning and a sense of achievement. For many we can not highlight any particular time when this occurred, if it ever did. For some it occurs when they step courageously out of their comfort zone and take the risk of caring and loving and showing compassion beyond the norm of selfish, mundane human existence. To love with unconditional love, expecting nothing in return, but only to know the joy of having been the hands and feet of Jesus, by helping another come to a better place, this is the most blessed attainment in life. Reaching into the lives of people forgotten, broken and disgraced by our society and extending the hand and the heart of their Father God to them. This is the greatest delight and joy one can know.

“Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
    My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!.” – Psalm 103:1-5 (NEV)

Have a wonderful week!

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

Last weekend we flew up to Port Macquarie to visit my daughter and family, and to have a restful Easter weekend by the Hastings River. We always love to visit Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, a place where my wife and I have fond memories when courting. We took my daughter and grandson Jesse along though little Pippa was sick and her daddy stayed at home with her. On arrival my grandson soon found that Pa’s book was quite visible with its bright blue cover. This was one of the first places to sell my book, and they sell very well here.

It is actually a declared NSW National Park and houses some of the last remaining subtropical coastal rainforest, with extensive elevated boardwalks for easy access, and very good cafe where we later celebrated my daughter and wife’s birthday with lunch. However, the long dry and very hot summer has had its toll on the usually lush green forest. Click on photo to enlarge it.

Rainforest boardwalk

Palm flowers

Strangler fig around tree by road

One of the first birds one might see in coastal rainforest due to its year round territorial presence making it predictably discoverable, along with its curious nature, is the Eastern Yellow Robin. Yes, and it was the first bird we saw there. This insectivorous robin will sometimes follow or lead you down the track.

We were amazed as we walked along the boardwalk, how quiet it was, as we were accustomed to hearing the constant sound of bird song from many species, but now, just an occasional sound, it was just too dry, and there was little native fruit present. We were occasionally excited when we heard the sound of the elusive Green Catbird, but never saw it, though it would have seen us. I did record its sound for you.

One of the few birds we did see was this immature Grey Butcherbird which sat on the side wire and allowed us to get very close, as it had not yet developed fear of our presence.

This was a great opportunity to teach my grandson about the forest and birds, and highly recommend you grandparents do the same, as we need to show them there is a beautiful world outside of their technology devices. One bird which brought a moment of excitement was the very fast moving Crested Shrike-tit, a true rainforest bird though small, uses its powerful small beak to dislodge bark from trees to uncover underlying insects and grubs. You discover this usually quiet bird by the noise of falling bark. I was only able to get a few pics before it saw us and left.

Probably the most heard bird in the forest the whole time we were there was Lewins Honeyeater, a classic rainforest honeyeater for the east coast of Australia. Its

Lewins Honeyeater

The White-throated Treecreeper is another bird often difficult to spot as it climbes the tree trunk on the dark side under the canopy. This is a female (see the orange spot on face). It makes it call as it climbs the tree in search of insects.

White-throated Treecreeper

The last birds we heard and saw was the Satin Bowerbird male and female high in the tall tree canopy, but it was difficult to photograph them, only a female was clearly visible.

Female Satin Bowerbird

You will often hear the scratching of the Australian Brush Turkey as it lifts the lesaf litter in search of insects, in a similar way to the lyrebird which sadly was not found in this forest area. This female was actauly well adapted to searching through the bags of picnicers in the beach nearby while unattended.

Brush Turkey

After lunch I wanted to show Jesse the huge Lace Monitor goannas that haunt the picnic ground down on Shelly Beach (part of the national park), but they were not present. This is what we had seen the day before.

Lace Monitor

Lace Monitor head

This family of monitors was checking out the picnic of a family of humans who were watching with feet up on chairs as they checked for any food scraps. These goannas are notorious for robbing picnic tables while no one is watching.

The Little Wattlebird is common find in the coastal forest, we saw this one in the back yard of my daughters new home.

Little Wattlebird

As we left the park we spied these rainforest birds high up in a huge eucalypt tree some distance way, and they seemed quite curious to us, as to what these two bird species were doing. The common Rainbow Lorikeet were checking out the not so common Scaly-breasted Lorikeets who just happened to be in the neighborhood.

Rainbow and Scaly-breasted

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Rainbows in flight

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

We stayed at a boutique resort by the river, where we saw many waterbirds. We also saw this Brown Honeyeater enjoying nectar from the beautiful Bird of Paradise flower by the pool. You can see here how the curved beak assists in getting deep into the flower base to retrieve nectar.

My wife enjoyed the pool on the unusually hot autumn days, I soon learned that I needed to have my camera ready by the pool as bird stuff was going down all the time we were there. The most notable bird activity was the noise flock of Little Corella moving too and fro across the bay, feeding from pine cones and grass seed.

Every so often there would be a sudden flurry and cry of the flock as they flew all over the sky. I thought ‘look up, must be raptor in sight’, and sure enough this Brahminy Kite was doing the rounds, but was against the sun and a fair way up so my shots are bot pristine.

The comical Australian Pelican was doing its preening from the top of the lamp post, which is a common site here at Port. Lo and behold, should your car be parked beneath such a post, you would not believe what these birds could do to your car when they defecate.

While all this drama is taking place, this lone White-faced Heron fishes quietly along the shores. We saw it in the same area each day.

White-faced Heron

Each day after everyone had finished using the swimming pool this pair of Australian Wood Duck came flying in and felt quite at home swimming in the pool and camping beside it for the night. The male has the dark brown head.

The last birds we saw as we drove to the airport to fly home after a wonderful weekend away, was this small flock of Straw-necked Ibis working this grassy paddock.

Straw-necked Ibis

One of the features of the Port coastline is the many small rock islands and formations along the many beaches, and this large rock seemed to host hundreds of gulls and terns. What makes one rock more homely than another? Maybe its the company of others…

These rocks receive a constant buffeting from the ocean, which caused me to ponder the following as I watched the waves crash…

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NLT)

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Have a wonderful week exploring this amazing planet of ours. Check out my website for more birding information and helpful hints.

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

Red-rumped Parrot

Last weekend we ventured over the Great Dividing Range to the south west inland city of Wagga Wagga , for my wife’s brother’s 70th. The Great Dividing mountain range runs down the east coast of Australia’s mainland giving two distinct climates coastal and inland, and with it some distinctly different birds. Some birds do better in the hot dry climate than the humid moist coastal climate, preferring west of the ranges. many of our parrot species are found in this region including the Red-rumped Parrot featured above.

Female and male Red-rumped Parrot

This is the predominant parrot, small and robust as it is, and with its notable red rump in view, which is only a feature of the male. The female has a green rump, yet no body named her the Green-rumped Parrot, did they! These small seed eating parrots are often disturbed unexpectedly by passing walkers as they graze silently unseen on the ground on grass seed. They are found in small family flocks. Click on photos to enlarge them.

It was a rainy overcast Sunday morning early, after the party the night before, that I ventured out alone around Lake Albert, a place I have posted several times in previous years. I apologise for any not so clear photos, as some had to be enhanced with touch-ups due to poor lighting. Here is some movie footage of them grazing, there is nothing amazing about it, but it gives a better perspective of this little bird.

One of the features of the inland cities is that they were build on the large rivers that flow from the inland to the coast. The River Gums are a beautiful tree one sees by the Murrumbidgee river as well as along Lake Albert. A great haven for birds.

As I walked around the lake (not pictured here as my birding lens could not capture it), I saw various species of seed eating birds including the Galah, a common inhabitant of the west. These birds like others of the parrot family mate for life, and have a beautiful relationship of caring and preening one another.

A surprise find was this ‘Yellow Rosella’ a subspecies of the Crimson Rosella, which is usually found further southwest.

This Eastern Rosella turned up briefly to check me out before flying off.

Due to the persisting drought conditions inland, it has resulted in many bird species being either missing or in small number and/or not breeding here this year. It was surprising to see how the drought has affected the numbers and breeding of birds both coastal and inland this summer. Though some were not perturbed, such as the Australian Magpie where we saw an example of both immature black backed and white backed sub species.

Immature white-backed Southern Magpie

Black backed immature

White-backed Magpie

Adult black-backed Eastern Magpie

Black-backed Magpie immature

White-backed immature

One bird common to most of the mainland is the Magpie-lark (PeeWee, Mud-lark) found usually in pairs. See if you can remember from my previous posts which is the male and female? I will tell you at the end which is which.

Magpie-lark

pair of PeeWees

A not so popular migratory nomadic introduced bird is the Common Starling, which I could tell by their squeaky call. This dead tree by the lake has always had these birds present when I have visited. I think they breed in it.

This Crested Pigeon is a beautiful specimen and posed for me so well so I had to include it, having one of the best crests I have seen in a while.

One little guy I have always enjoyed seeing here by the lake which we do not see down our way is the Dusky Woodswallow, as he was hunting and devouring a worm.

One of the sad things is that there was a great depletion in water birds since my visit last year. The drought had taken its toll and only a few Pacific Black Duck and Little Black Cormorant were present, along with Australian Swamphen, who were in good number grazing in the cow paddocks nearby. The White-faced Heron flew off before I could catch him on camera.

Little Black Cormorant

Australian Swamphen

This pair of Australian Pelican took the show with their beautiful photogenic synchronous pose.

Finally, the common honeyeater of the inland west is the tiny White-plumed Honeyeater, a very busy bird continually checking leaves for lerps, nectar, insects and blossom. How did you go determining the sex of the Magpie-lark. The female is on the left having a vertical black facial and neck marking and the male is on the right of her, and has a horizontal black facial feature through the eye.

White-plumed Honeyeater

So after a brief walk around the wetland portion of the lake I made my way back to where we were staying to find that everyone was now up and about and ready for breakfast. While they slept I had feasted on the local beauty surrounding the lake and watched the morning sun break on the lake. Sadly my birding lens could not capture this. Apart from the Noisy Minor and the Australian Raven, these were the birds I was blessed to see in that short hour. I am truly thankful that the Lord blesses us with an appreciation of his majestic glory and intelligent design displayed in the beauty and magnificence of his Creation. This always delights me that he shares his delight and enjoyment of all this with me, displaying another beautiful aspect of his abiding love and favor.

“The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” – Proverbs 10:22

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:17

Have a wonderful celebration of thanksgiving for Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.

“He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God through Him.”

Which puts us in a wonderful relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus:

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” – Ephesians 3:12 (Quotes from NIV)

Check out the rest of my website from my homepage.

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

It is that unusual time of year again where the seasons are changing, and so are some of our bird species. In Australia most of our birds are permanent territorial birds, but there is a certain amount of migration that takes place, especially with our migratory waders which are leaving for the upper reaches of the northern hemisphere during the next few weeks to breed. As we can see above, this male is already donning his breeding plumage is almost fully colored for breeding before taking his 16,000 km flight to Alaska with his family. We won’t see him again till next Spring, when he with his kind, will return on a 16,000 km direct flight non-stop for 8 days across the pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Australia. The world’s most endurant bird. I love seeing these little guys before they leave with their orange appearance. You can see them with the family which do not show breeding plumage. Yes, this is the little flock I features some weeks ago on my favorite wader beach. I was thankful for half a day to get out and about from my very busy life.

Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding and non breeding plumage

breeding plumage

Non-breeding plumage

The passerine migrants will be on their way up the top of Australia and into New Guinea and south east Asia, these include the Dollarbird, the Bulbuls, the cuckoos and the Bee-eaters. I drove around to my other viewing place which is more secluded behind the mangroves and was delighted to find one Eastern Curlew and a Whimbrel, quite uncommon in our parts. These birds will take flight also for the north in the coming weeks. A couple of Australian Pelicans rested on the shore with a Masked lapwing, these birds will be staying through winter.

Eastern Curlew

Whimbrel

Eastern Curlew

Masked Lapwing

Pelicans

The Silver Gull is a permanent beach resident here, and an immature gull (note the brown dappled plumage) watched the strange Godwit creatures walk past, while its parent flew past.

Immature Gull with Godwits

Silver Gull in flight

As I walked around the waterfront toward Botany Bay hoping for a double bonus afternoon, I saw this beautiful pair of Pied Oystercatcher walking the shoreline. These birds are now classified as endangered in NSW due to their drop in numbers because their breeding places on human occupied beaches are interfering with their breeding patterns. The problem with 4×4 cars is that men like to drive them on beaches, which makes the shore and sea bird breeding areas more access able than ever before. Even when signs warn to take care or not enter sensitive areas, they continue to do so.

Pied Oystercatchers

With this changing season comes a special treat which occurs each year in Cook Park, Botany Bay. So I walked around to the large grove of unusual pine trees, where last year I blogged the feast of the Cockatoos and Corella as they fed on the pine cones, extracting the seed. Yes! they were there as predicted, which gave me great delight photographing their wild behaviour as Sulphur-crested and Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo along with Little Corella competed for cones. Bird everywhere flying and calling. Cones and pieces of them falling like rain from the trees. One cone landed on my camera, and thankfully it did not damage it.

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo (male)

Little Corella

Silphur-crested Cockatoo eating a cone

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo (female)

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo (male)

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo (male)

Little Corella

Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo (female)

If you look to the Yellow-tails above you can tell the males apart from the female by the red eye-ring. Notice how the Cockatoo, as with others in the parrot family, can hold, grasp and manipulate the food in one claw and bring it to its mouth while standing on the other leg. This is a unique feature of these birds. The above birds are all flockbirds and were present in their groups. When an alarm went up up from the corellas, the whole place was overcome by the sound of squawking and wing movement for several minutes.

Little Corella

It was a perfect birding afternoon, so I topped it off with an icecream and made my way home, knowing that each season brings its own, and like the cycle of the earth around the sun, so the birds cycle and move around in predictable habitat changes. In most cases they follow their food, and seek breeding places that provide warmth, safety from predators and close nearby fresh water and food suitable for their young. It is important for us humans to see that our life has seasons also, maybe not quite as predictable and cyclic as the birds, but nevertheless, we need to appreciate this fact of life, or fall foul to depression and disappointment. Many of you will have seen this clip I made some time ago but I feel it is appropriate to finish this post with it.

Have an extraordinary wonderful weekend!

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyright 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

A most wonderful experience, while exploring the rugged coastline of Norfolk Island, was watching and listening to the flight of the Red-tailed Tropicbird, which many of you will recognize as my avatar. It was the bird that drew me into birdwatching as a recreational pursuit. My wife and I came up close to this bird here more so than ever before, with the added blessing of seeing the birds nesting and baby birds in various stages of development. Here is footage where we share some of our excitement at Rocky Point in the Hundred Acre Reserve, which we share in this post as a birders haven. These birds flew right over us continually with their unique call.

This bird seldom frequents human habitation and is mainly found on the rugged sea cliffs of the pacific islands in tropical and sub-tropical waters. It spends much of its time on the wing and has a reputation for its courting antics where it performs aerial acrobatics and the male impresses the female by flying backwards. This is partly made possible by the red streamer/s (tail) that protrudes from its backside. One of the birds in the video above and the first bird below has not yet gained its streamer, as a sign of full maturity.

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

From a distance this bird can be confused with a specie of Tern or Gull, but on close inspection the red tail and black feet give it away. Walking through the 100 Acre Reserve near the sea cliff, at the foot of Norfolk Pine trees we found several new born, juvenile and immature Tropicbirds. We saw several on nests incubating eggs, and one returning to its nest quite alarmed at our presence.

Recently born R-T Tropicbird

Parent with youngster

Parent with youngster by cliff side

mum sitting on eggs

An interesting find was this single juvenile Tropicbird which nobody noticed while filming the bridge, in an alcove of a pine visible near the famous convict built bridge (click on the name to find out the history of its name) Bloody Bridge.

Here it sits undisturbed by the many who pass by.

baby Tropicbird next to Bloody Bridge

Bloody Bridge

Another special sea bird which is found in the south pacific islands including Lord Howe Island (which I have previously blogged) is the beautiful White Tern, which has the very unique custom of laying its eggs only in the Norfolk Pine tree. It does not build a nest but lays the egg directly onto the tree branch high up, leaving it balancing there until it hatches. Interesting enough it survives very well, much better here than in Lord Howe where the mainland Pied Currawong hunts its eggs and rats. It has only introduced rats to contend with here which are in process of being eradicated. You may remember these pictures from Lord Howe Island, which also has many Norfolk Pines.

white tern family (newborn)

This beautiful Tern is ghost-like in appearance and is found flying constantly around the Norfolk Pines making its own familiar sound. It is often found in pairs flying in beautiful synchronous flight.

White Tern

synchronized flight

synchronized flight

As we stood on the sea cliffs we saw the White Terns, Red-tailed Tropicbird and White-capped (Black) Noddy fishing together.

We observed a continuous toing and froing of the White Tern parents constantly bringing small fish to their young waiting in the nearby Norfolk Pine branches.

The other bird that breeds on the island is the White-capped Noddy or Black Noddy as it is known. These birds nest also in the Norfolk Pine in large numbers in the 100 Acre Reserve, but they build simple nests of dry grass. These birds constantly fly about us to distract us as we walk through their nesting area. Their nests seem to hang in the branches in an amazing way.

White-capped Noddy

White-capped Noddy nest

White-capped Noddy nests

White-capped Noddy

Also in the 100 Acre reserve were many Shearwater holes. We had observed the Wedge-tailed Shearwater return one night to its holes after sunset, but we did not have a strong enough light to get good footage. There are many shearwater (muttonbird) holes around the cliff sides of the island, as is the case with many of the pacific islands. These birds nest in holes in the ground which they return to (the very same hole) every spring from Alaska, migrating back in winter. The other rarely seen large sea bird we saw in various stages of maturity (because it also breeds on the island during summer) is the Masked Booby.

Again as with the Tropicbird the young allowed us to get close without concern. The fluffy birds are the juvenile and the immature have the dark band around their neck. The Lesser Frigatebird, a recent visitor to the island, constantly checks out the the baby birds and the birds bringing food back to their babies. Thee birds are known to harass birds carrying food to make them to regurgitate their catch and steal it from them.

nesting Booby

Masked Booby various stages of maturity

Masked Booby breeding area near captain Cook monument

Masked Booby being checked out by the Lesser Frigatebird

juvenile masked booby

immature Masked Booby

juvenile masked booby

The Frigatebird is one of the largest sea birds and the lesser the smaller version of the Great Frigatebird. The male has a red baloon like feature on its chest which it blows up to attract the female. The female has a white chest lacking this apparel. These birds were seen cruising the coast constantly and often perching close to the Booby babies.

One last lone nester near the Masked Booby nesting site was this White-necked Petrel.

White-necked Petrel

White-necked Petrel in flight

As we explored the coast around the island we were so blessed with seeing these beautiful ocean birds fishing and just flying around for the fun of it. It was such a peaceful and enjoyable experience watching them playing above the rugged cliffs and rough ocean waves below. It just reminded us both of God’s beautiful peace and delight which the birds so beautifully personified for us.

Have a truly restful weekend and an interesting and inspiring week.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyright 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

Norfolk Island Green Parrot (Tasman Parakeet)

My wife and I took a much needed break from our hectic life to the quiet sub tropical paradise called Norfolk Island, a small island in the south pacific. An Australian territory about 1,400 km east of the mainland. To my surprise the island had remained in a time warp and was very much the same as it was when I visited in 1976, a real ‘laid back and friendly Aussie island lifestyle’. Norfolk Island is famous for its popular seaside tree, the Norfolk Pine which originated from this island, which originally was covered in this tree. This tree is now found throughout seaside areas on the east coast of the Australian mainland. In my next post I will share how this tree is important to the survival of a beautiful sea bird species.

The fronds of this pine unlike those in northern hemisphere point upward, as snow is not a problem here. The tree is depicted on the flag. To understand the political tension here and the three settlements you will need to read elsewhere. Captain James Cook originally claimed it for Britain in 1774 on his second voyage funded by the Duchess of Norfolk (in England), hence the honour of the island name. The first settlement of the uninhabited island was as a penal colony ( see ruins below) later closed leaving buildings intact due to its brutal tortures. Later the English sailors who mutineered the HMS Bounty from cruel Captain Bligh bred with the local Polynesians and settled an uninhabited Pitcairn Island nearby. Queen Victoria later granted them Norfolk to settle in response to their plea for more land. Later, free settlers from Australia and New Zealand came as the the third settlement. There since has been contention with the Pitcairn descendants and the Australian Government over sovereignty.

One of our objectives beside resting and swimming, was to explore the islands rainforest in the National Parks, in search of the rare species endemic to the island. Above is the rare and critically endangered Tasman Parakeet or Green Parrot (to the locals), which we were blessed to see after several days searching, and then on several occasions. The best and easiest place to hear and possibly see this bird is in the Norfolk Island Botanic Gardens, where there are many variety of native island rainforest fruit, fruiting while we were there.

The conservation program to save the remaining birds by relocating the young to nearby Phillip Island, a bird protected sanctuary island, has so far not been successful.

Phillip Island (Norfolk Is)

One of the keys to locating the bird is its peculiar call, which gives its position away. The loud kek, kek, kek ,kek can be heard quite a distance away.

The Parakeet is being threatened by loss of habitat, but more so by introduced black and Polynesian rats eating their eggs and young. A program of eradication has been in operation for some time. The other problem is the Crimson Rosella, introduced from Australia’s mainland by former prison officers, being released on their exit from the island. The Rosella outnumber the Parakeet and take their nesting holes.

Norfolk Island Green Parrot

The Tasman Parakeet is more accustomed to human presence than the Crimson Rosella, and tends to forage in the lower lying fruit tree branches, allowing one time to watch them, before they fly off. We watched one feeding on native fruit in the rainforest, so I apologise for the dark footage, as rainforests do not allow much light in through the canopy. We took many trips to the Botanic Gardens before we finally heard this bird and quickly advanced on its location.

The Norfolk Palms are currently fruiting in the mountains of the National Park and this will provide more food for the fruit eating parakeet.

The second endemic bird which is not so threatened as the parakeet is the Norfolk Island Sacred Kingfisher, which looks very similar to our local mainland species. We did not get many good shots of this bird due to the sun gleaming off its shiny plumage. Pictured below is our mainland Sacred Kingfisher alongside the NI sub species, but three of the birds are juveniles with brown plumage and mottled black chest. These birds were quite shy and flew off when they saw you paying them attention.

Sacred Kingfisher (mainland Aus.)

Norfolk Island Sacred Kingfisher

The third bird endemic to the island is the Norfolk Island is the tiny Norfolk Island Gerygone (Grey Warbler to the locals). Similar in appearance to our mainland species with the white eyebrow line, they have not suffered too much from human habitation, except for the black rat infestation, similar to the Tasman Parakeet.

This little bird makes a loud beautiful song which rings through the forest as they communicate to one another. It constantly moves, in a similar way to our mainland variety, and is difficult to photograph such a small bird in a dark forest.

The fourth endemic species was that of the Norfolk Island Pacific Robin. This robin is a subspecies of our mainland Scarlet Robin. The male has the distinctive black head with white forehead and bright red chest, and the female and juveniles brown with a very light orange chest, the juvenile having lighter chest colour and more brown plumage.

Pacific Robin male

Pacific Robin female

These were quite tame birds and very curious of humans, coming quite close to view us, especially tame in the deep forest of the National Park in Palm Glen near Mount Bates. This walk up and down steep ex volcanic mountainside was quite strenuous, and very healthy for us sedentary folk. Our legs knew it the next day. The Norfolk Island Tree Fern also endemic to the island are recorded as the tallest Tree Ferns in the world, growing up to 20 meters in height. So tall I can’t get them all in the picture.

The next endemic species which is also very curious of humans is the Norfolk Island Grey Fantail, similar to our mainland species. When we were deep in the forest at Palm Glen one of these birds flew continuously around me from branch to branch, it was so close I could not get focus. It was quite amusing to watch as I spun around with this bird. In the Botanic Gardens we found a pair of juveniles playing together having recently fledged and still having their fluffy front plumage. They landed right next to us without fear. There call is similar to our mainland species.

A rarer endemic to the island is the Norfolk Island Long or Slender-billed White-eye which has a longer and slightly downcurved beak compared with the mainland Australian Silvereye which is also on the island as an introduced bird. I will compare them on a later post. The white-eye has a dull green plumage with a yellow throat.

Our final endemic species for the island is the Norfolk Island Golden Whistler, which is quite different in appearance (especially the male) to the mainland and Lord Howe Island species. The male and female look alike with the male having a slightly golden chest plumage, and the female much less chest coloring. Their call is commonly heard throughout the forest.

Compare the above male with the mainland male below.

Golden Whistler (male)

Golden Whistler (male) whistling

You will notice I did not edit out me shushing my wife, she often talks while I am doing live footage, it is one of the challenges of bird photography.

Stay tuned for next weeks post as we explore the sea birds that live and breed on the island. Meanwhile today our family mourns the loss of our dear old dog Bella as she lay in my wife’s arms and fell asleep. It was a very sad and emotional day for us all.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” – John 11:25

Have peaceful and rested weekend.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyright 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

Birding Wonders of an Island Paradise

Posted by aussiebirder on March 5, 2018

Posted in: Birds, Birdwatching, Holidays, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, wildlife. Tagged: Norfolk Island Green Parrot.

Norfolk Island Green Parrot

I apologise for the lack of a post this week, as my wife and I have been exploring Norfolk Island in the south pacific ocean. Later in the week I will showcase some of its unique birds and also common birds. The rare and endangered Norfolk Island Green Parrot ( Tasman Parakeet) is pictured above, one of the rarest and most threatened birds in the world which we saw while there. Stay tuned for my next post later in the week.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Splendid Fairy-wren couple

This week we will showcase one of Australia’s most loved bird species, the Fairy-wren, often commonly known as the Blue Wren. This small and very agile, constantly moving bird is often seen in many gardens, parks and around family homes. They are insectivorous annuals and can often be found circumnavigating the same territory many times in a day. Above photo is of a male and female Splendid Fairy-wren together, the male is in breeding plumage.

Those who have purchased my book will have seen these birds on my book cover. There are nine species of Fairy-wren endemic to Australia, each having several sub-species (races). I have seen five species, and look forward to one day seeing the other four. Each specie is found in a particular part of Australia, some being found not only in the same state, but also sharing the same habitat living next to each other. The Splendid Fairy-wren is found mainly in the south-western Australia (Western Australia) and inland arid areas including the other mainland states excluding Tasmania.

Male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage

A feature of these birds is the beautiful plumage of the male when breeding, compared to the lifelong brown uninteresting plumage of the female. When the males return to non breeding plumage they can at a distance be mistaken for females, but close examination of tail colour, facial colour and wing tinting will differentiate them. One of the problems in differentiating is young males from females, as is the design of many birds while they are juvenile and immature, the males resemble the earthy colour of the female till they reach maturity.

Female Splendid Fairy-wren

Female Splendid Fairy-wren

Young Splendid Fairy-wrens

This is our loving Creator’s design to help hide and protect the young as well as the female while nesting, making them blend in with the dark brown tree bark surroundings, protecting them from bird eating predators, in particular, raptors. of the Fairy-wrens probably the most well known and widely seen is the Superb fairy-wren which is mainly endemic to eastern Australia and also Tasmania. As this is where most Australians live it is the specie that most are familiar with.

Those who follow my blog know that I frequently post this bird, being a commonly seen all year round bird of the Sydney area, seen in most parks, reserves and many home gardens. Many of my international followers tell me this is their favourite Australian bird, and is the one that birders from overseas ask me to show them when they visit our national parks.

Superb Fairy-wren female

Superb Fairy-wren (female)

Fairy-wrens are often difficult to see and photograph when in among the low lying bushes and ferns, and often you will hear their soft high pitched call well before you actually see them. It is true to say that if they did not call you probably, most of the time, would never know they were there, but for slight vegetation movement. Eclipse is the term given for the gradual plumage change of the male when he undergoes transformation to and from breeding plumage. He may no longer look like a blue wren for a few months, but resemble his female partners, till he changes back, about twice a year. Most only notice him in breeding plumage.

Superb Fairy-wren male

Superb Fairy-wren male in eclipse

The Variegated fairy-wren is a more rarely seen specie often found with the Superb, being the most widely spread throughout Australia’s mainland, being in all states including desert regions. It is quite brilliant in the sunlight with its rich colours, and I have found it to be the most difficult to photograph.

Variegated fairy-wren (non breeding male)

Variegated fairy-wren male

The Red-winged Fairy-wren on the other hand, though looking similar to the variegated is the rarest Fairy-wren being found only in the very south-west tip of Western Australia. We saw it in the Margaret River area.

Finally, our most recent lifer as my blog followers would know from our recent bird experience in the Lamington Mountain National Park the Red-backed Fairy-wren. This bird is difficult to photograph due to its black face and body, but can easily be picked out at a distance due to the contrasting bright red back. This bird is found across far northern Australian mainland and down the east coast to NSW border.

Red-backed Fairy-wren male

Red-backed Fairy-wren

Red-backed Fairy-wren male

The Fairy-wrens are very small and very agile, constantly on the move, and when the male is in breeding plumage, you will often see the female leading a clutch of 3 to 4 chicks all staying close and following for safety. The male leads the way, and often becomes a distraction for possible predators, while the female leads the brood away to safety. The female builds the nest and the male helps the female feed the young. They form a small social group of fairy-wren helping each other out, the males sometimes in ways we may not ethically approve.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.“– Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Have a wonderful week!

In my last post we explored the leap of faith in small passerines, and as this summer has been so intense with heat and drought conditions it lends itself to compare Faith and Fear, the two motivating forces that influence our every action daily.

Drying my wings

The above Little Black Cormorant at Sydney Park rests knowing that before him is both a good water and food source which it can trust, and so stay and last out the summer heat, while many both migratory and resident species have moved further south or into the mountains for cooler weather. Not a lot of breeding has taken place in our local park this year, though we did see some here. The rest of faith is a principle countering the restlessness of fear.

Little Black Cormorant resting together

Early on a Saturday morning, my wife and I discovered a peaceful community of waterbirds and passerines who were braving the extreme heat and trusting that their needs would be met here. The peaceful community was noticeable at once as the White-faced Heron flew in to join the mixed species in what appeared to be a run on a school of fish.

White-faced Heron in flight

White-faced Heron landing near its partner

White-faced Heron landing

Investigating the fishing frenzie

Sydney Park is an amazing facility being reclaimed land from Sydney’s original brick works, and which the council transformed into a water park reserve which is fed by recycled storm water for the ponds of a man made nature reserve. This is very popular with city dwellers who walk their dogs here, as well as themselves. See how these birds rest together as they share in the spoils.

fishing together

One factor which this place displayed more than some other sites around the city was that birds were breeding and this Dusky Moorhen family were keeping watch on what appeared to be one chick, normally their clutch would consist of several.

You can hear the juvenile call with that all too common chirp for food shared among many young species of bird. These birds look much healthier than the ones at Oatley Park I posted a couple of weeks ago. Those ponds are closed for maintenance at present.

In the reeds we were hoping to spot the Spotless Crake which had been reported here recently but it did not show. We had seen and posted the Buff-banded Rail seen here some weeks ago. Our gift of the day was this juvenile Australian Reed-Warbler, sitting alone but visible in the reeds, making the same hungry chirp as the juvenile Moorhen, likewise trusting that the parent will soon return with food.

The parent was busy, not making its usual clamorous call, but quietly hunting for food, and this mantis was in the process of being softened up for feeding the youngster. This bird is very shy of humans and often difficult to photograph, keeping itself hidden down in the reeds, though it allowed me to film from afar without taking flight.

Aust. Reed-Warbler with insect

Juvenile Aust. Reed-Warbler

I managed to get some lovely shots of the Reed-Warbker resting, which is a rarety.

Australian Reed-Warbler

Australian Reed-Warbler juvenile

Other shore birds searching peacefully among the reed grass were this pair of Australasian Swamphen (previously Purple Swamphen).

Aust. Swamphen

This Spotted Turtledove rested by the shore of the lake.

The Pacific Black Duck were well represented but I did not see any young, though one of these may have been early spring babies.

Pacific Black Duck

As usual in the centre of a freshwater pond one Australasian Grebe, this one non-breeding. These birds are frequently seen alone when not breeding, only coming together to have their young.

Australasian Grebe (non-breeding)

The other passerines in the surrounding trees included a female Figbird, a Red Wattlebird, a young Willy Wagtail and of course this Noisy Minor, also dispatching a freshly caught insect.

Red Wattlebird

Willy Wagtail

Female Figbird

Noisy Minor

The illustrate how to identify male and female Magpie-larks (Peewee) I captured a pair at the park. Notice the direction of the facial black stripe.

Male Magpie-lark

Female Magpie-lark

Lastly, the true sign of a restful bushland and garden is the presence of the Superb Fairy-wren. These birds have suffered from the heat and though annual residents usually, many families have left their usual hunting grounds in parks surrounding the city, but this one is breeding well here in Sydney Park with several males spotted. Notice the eclipsing male, possibly starting to loose its breeding plumage. Fear of loss has possibly sent many bird species to other habitats, but these rest trusting that their needs will be met, as they see out the extreme summer months.

It was good to see nests of Australasian Darter and Pied Cormorant in the usual breeding trees, however numbers were drastically reduced, possibly due to the extreme heat of the passing summer and prevailing drought conditions.

The commonly seen waterbirds that are more often seen grazing on grassy areas by water are the Australian Swamphen and the Masked Lapwing.

It has always humoured me when I hear the sound of the Masked Lapwing call in Australian movies, as a representative of Australia’s birds. I think what about Kookaburra, Currawong or Magpie? However, in many movies it is this bird call that is used.

So this what the little family looked like as they moved about on this small bush together. You can distinguish the males from the females by the tail colour and beak and lores.

The resident waders were in various stages of activity. Some slept, some preened, but most were foraging. Over the water a large flock of swallow were constantly circling.

The Chestnut Teal are in large number on the lake as usual.

The Red-necked Avocet, a friend to the Stilt, is also a bird seen in flock here.

It was interesting to see this collision of the Avocet and Stilt foraging, it shows how serious food foraging is.

The tiny Black-fronted Dotterel was also on the shore foraging.

Of course the best place to view birds without disturbing them is the ‘Bird Hide’. However, this hide is some distance from the water, but it does give a good overall view of the lake, but you need a powerful lens to get good captures.

Lastly, this Noisy Miner was attracted to my car rear vision mirrors, moving from one to the other he tries to find and make contact with the bird he is looking at. Finally, not being able to solve the conundrum he eventually leaves.

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Before our walk we had birthday cake and coffee under the trees near the Conservation Hut, where my step daughter sighted this White-browed Scrubwren, of which only one photo was taken as she sighted a female Superb Lyrebird almost immediately after.

AS we walked down to the Valley of the Waters we came across this Eastern Crimson Rosella feeding on forest fruit, a common sight in the mountains.

This New Holland Honeyeater was also seen along the track.

Saturday night we had a lovely meal and stayed at the Three Sisters Motel. Early in the morning as the sun rose we all headed down to Echo Point to see the view.

As we walked back around the cliff face we saw many Grey Fantails flashing about catching insects on the fly, but found them difficult to photograph due to poor light and positioning.

This Eastern Crimson Rosella was also feeding in the same tree with them.

In our search for the male Lyrebird at our usual spot, we were disappointed, possibly too many tourists were present. We did see this Yellow-faced Honeyeater before we left. Flocks of this bird were continually flying through the valley. This is a commonly seen winter and summer bird.

Have a wonderful week!

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One of the few birds we did see was this immature Grey Butcherbird which sat on the side wire and allowed us to get very close, as it had not yet developed fear of our presence.

Probably the most heard bird in the forest the whole time we were there was Lewins Honeyeater, a classic rainforest honeyeater for the east coast of Australia. Its

The White-throated Treecreeper is another bird often difficult to spot as it climbes the tree trunk on the dark side under the canopy. This is a female (see the orange spot on face). It makes it call as it climbs the tree in search of insects.

The last birds we heard and saw was the Satin Bowerbird male and female high in the tall tree canopy, but it was difficult to photograph them, only a female was clearly visible.

After lunch I wanted to show Jesse the huge Lace Monitor goannas that haunt the picnic ground down on Shelly Beach (part of the national park), but they were not present. This is what we had seen the day before.

This family of monitors was checking out the picnic of a family of humans who were watching with feet up on chairs as they checked for any food scraps. These goannas are notorious for robbing picnic tables while no one is watching.

The Little Wattlebird is common find in the coastal forest, we saw this one in the back yard of my daughters new home.

We stayed at a boutique resort by the river, where we saw many waterbirds. We also saw this Brown Honeyeater enjoying nectar from the beautiful Bird of Paradise flower by the pool. You can see here how the curved beak assists in getting deep into the flower base to retrieve nectar.

Every so often there would be a sudden flurry and cry of the flock as they flew all over the sky. I thought ‘look up, must be raptor in sight’, and sure enough this Brahminy Kite was doing the rounds, but was against the sun and a fair way up so my shots are bot pristine.

The comical Australian Pelican was doing its preening from the top of the lamp post, which is a common site here at Port. Lo and behold, should your car be parked beneath such a post, you would not believe what these birds could do to your car when they defecate.

While all this drama is taking place, this lone White-faced Heron fishes quietly along the shores. We saw it in the same area each day.

Each day after everyone had finished using the swimming pool this pair of Australian Wood Duck came flying in and felt quite at home swimming in the pool and camping beside it for the night. The male has the dark brown head.

The last birds we saw as we drove to the airport to fly home after a wonderful weekend away, was this small flock of Straw-necked Ibis working this grassy paddock.

One of the features of the Port coastline is the many small rock islands and formations along the many beaches, and this large rock seemed to host hundreds of gulls and terns. What makes one rock more homely than another? Maybe its the company of others…

These rocks receive a constant buffeting from the ocean, which caused me to ponder the following as I watched the waves crash…

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NLT)

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Have a wonderful week exploring this amazing planet of ours. Check out my website for more birding information and helpful hints.

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One of the features of the inland cities is that they were build on the large rivers that flow from the inland to the coast. The River Gums are a beautiful tree one sees by the Murrumbidgee river as well as along Lake Albert. A great haven for birds.

A surprise find was this ‘Yellow Rosella’ a subspecies of the Crimson Rosella, which is usually found further southwest.

This Eastern Rosella turned up briefly to check me out before flying off.

One bird common to most of the mainland is the Magpie-lark (PeeWee, Mud-lark) found usually in pairs. See if you can remember from my previous posts which is the male and female? I will tell you at the end which is which.

A not so popular migratory nomadic introduced bird is the Common Starling, which I could tell by their squeaky call. This dead tree by the lake has always had these birds present when I have visited. I think they breed in it.

This Crested Pigeon is a beautiful specimen and posed for me so well so I had to include it, having one of the best crests I have seen in a while.

One little guy I have always enjoyed seeing here by the lake which we do not see down our way is the Dusky Woodswallow, as he was hunting and devouring a worm.

This pair of Australian Pelican took the show with their beautiful photogenic synchronous pose.

“The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” – Proverbs 10:22

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:17

Have a wonderful celebration of thanksgiving for Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.

“He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God through Him.”

Which puts us in a wonderful relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus:

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” – Ephesians 3:12 (Quotes from NIV)

Check out the rest of my website from my homepage.

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The Silver Gull is a permanent beach resident here, and an immature gull (note the brown dappled plumage) watched the strange Godwit creatures walk past, while its parent flew past.

Have an extraordinary wonderful weekend!

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An interesting find was this single juvenile Tropicbird which nobody noticed while filming the bridge, in an alcove of a pine visible near the famous convict built bridge (click on the name to find out the history of its name) Bloody Bridge.

Here it sits undisturbed by the many who pass by.

This beautiful Tern is ghost-like in appearance and is found flying constantly around the Norfolk Pines making its own familiar sound. It is often found in pairs flying in beautiful synchronous flight.

As we stood on the sea cliffs we saw the White Terns, Red-tailed Tropicbird and White-capped (Black) Noddy fishing together.

We observed a continuous toing and froing of the White Tern parents constantly bringing small fish to their young waiting in the nearby Norfolk Pine branches.

One last lone nester near the Masked Booby nesting site was this White-necked Petrel.

Have a truly restful weekend and an interesting and inspiring week.

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The conservation program to save the remaining birds by relocating the young to nearby Phillip Island, a bird protected sanctuary island, has so far not been successful.

One of the keys to locating the bird is its peculiar call, which gives its position away. The loud kek, kek, kek ,kek can be heard quite a distance away.