aussiebirder

The Wonders of Walka Waterworks Reserve – Part 2

Posted by aussiebirder on October 13, 2017

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, shorebirds, Uncategorized, water birds. Tagged: Striped Honeyeater. 6 Comments

Striped Honeyeater

Continuing from my last post we continue to explore the birds at Walka Waterworks. This is a very special time for east coast Australian birders, as many species only found inland (over the Great Dividing Range) are crossing over to the coast in search of water and food, due to drought conditions inland. Once such sighting is this Striped Honeyeater, which is not common to our coastal areas.

Striped Honeyeater

The White-plumed Honeyeater is another inland bird we saw at Walka. This tiny honeyeater is found in large number in the dryer inland regions, but occasionally near the coast.

The usual Yellow-faced Honeyeater was also present but not in the large numbers seen in the Royal NP.

It is true true that many Australians do not realise that we have many of the worlds honeyeaters, and that birds such as the Red Wattlebird and even the pesky Noisy Miner are native Australian honeyeaters, despite their aggressive tendencies. Many Aussies still don’t know that the wattle on the red wattlebird is the red external features on the side of each cheek.

Another popular honeyeater found here and all along the coast is the Lewins Honeyeater with its classic yellow spot on its cheeks.

We were surprised to find this lone White-necked heron looking quite handsome in the afternoon sun.

White-necked Heron

White-necked Heron in flight

We must not neglect to mention the White-faced Heron, usually seen at low tide on river mud flats, but sometimes on inland lake shores.

Many of my blog followers appreciated seeing the elusive Scarlet Honeyeater up close, so I will just refresh with a couple more shots.

The male and female Figbird were seen together during the day. The bright red eye ring is a feature of the south eastern race, the Far North Queensland race has a much lighter almost pink eye ring. You can see how different the female is to the male, and how it can be confused with an Olive baked Oriole or immature Rufous Whistler from a distance.

The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is another bird seen in larger numbers now, and is known for its lovely song.

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

The beautiful Eastern Rosella flew into the Grevillea tree also while we filmed the Scarlet Honeyeaters, but these birds were quite shy and did not like us photographing them.

Eastern Rosella

Some of you may be wondering what do some of the many colourful beautiful Grevillea and Bottlebrush flowers look like which attract our nectar eating birds. Here are some including Golden, Moonlight, Robin Gorden, Coconut Ice, Spider and many other kinds of Grevillea, all glorious in colour and shape, during spring and summer, providing food for the new generation being birthed in nests nearby. Most of the flowers are red, white or gold in colour. Research has shown that Moonlight Grevillea is one of the best native plants to grow to attract birds due to its high desirable nectar content.

: Bottlebrush

: Grevillea

: Golden Grevillea

: Moonlight Grevillea

With all this activity going on the Australian Raven looks on wondering what all the fuss is about, but the Little Corella are quite unperturbed as they eat grass seed from the mowed lawns , they are not into Grevillea.

Australian Raven

Little Corella

Other smaller seed eating birds are these Red-browed Finch also enjoying grass seed on the lawns.

Red-browed Finch

You may remember that the attraction to this place originally was the water birds, especially the Great Crested Grebe we saw breeding here last year. But we saw only one bird at this stage, though this time last year there were many breeding here. It was disappointing, to see just the usual Great Cormorants sitting in the sun.

Great Cormorants

As we rode on the train around the lake we saw a huge flock of what we initially thought were Australasian Grebe, but curiously enough we have never seen such a flock of this bird, usually only small flocks when breeding, but these were a tight knit flock. On closer examination at home of these photos we found a mixture of Australasian and Hoary-headed Grebe, hence the explanation for the difference in flocking. This picture could make you think these Grebe were babies of this Australian Black Swan, which also breeds here.

Hoary-headed Grebe with Black Swan

Hoary-headed Grebe with one Australasian Grebe

If you look carefully you can see the difference in the head featuring the stringy dark appearance. The Australasian Grebe is the bird in the middle of the two Hoary-headed. This was a surprising find.

Of course all this is under the watchful eyes of this pair of Kookaburra, possibly preparing for a family of their own. It is always a treat to get a photo of them together.

Our feature bird here is this beautiful, but difficult to photographe Brown Gerygone. These birds are always a challenge to get a clear shot of because they move around so much, and tend to move in the thick of the tree.

It would not be complete without an appearance of the famous Eastern Yellow Robin, found in almost every forest and looking for mates, as this one was calling incessantly but getting no response.

Yes, the Superb Fairy-wren was heard and seen moving about in the tall grass and bushes throughout the reserve, we must have seen over 20 families. Which concludes a marvelous day of birding on our family gathering. An abundance of blessing…

Superb Fairy-wren male in breeding plumage

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

^“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full [abundantly].” – John 10:10

Having Jesus our lives gives us access to so much more in life, so much more appreciation of all things, and a delight in the abundance of gifts he delights to bestow on my wife and I as we explore a more abundant life. Yes, it just makes you want to love him more and want to live more fully of his love. The thief is the Devil and his spirit beings that seek to ruin our lives if we let them tempt us, but a full and abundant life comes from living in the joy and delight of acceptance and love from God.

Have a great week!

Walka Waterworks Reserve is a beautiful family picnic area set north of Maitland, Newcastle. Historically it is the original steam pumping station for the water supply to Newcastle from the Hunter River. We had a family picnic there hoping to see water birds, such as the Great Crested Grebe , you may remember we posted over a year ago, but the passerines were the feature of the day.

Scarlet Honeyeaters everywhere at eye level, not high in eucalypts as they normally are, but feeding from the many species of Grevilea flowering around the reserve, situated around large man-made lake. Notice in this footage how the male tweets after each nectar feed. There are males everywhere but no females.

The Australasian Figbird male was seen and heard calling in the same eucalyts the honeyeaters were combing.

Of course where ever you go the male Superb Fairy-wren is not far away, and its sounds can be heard in the tall grass and reeds nearby the track.

Hey, but we finally spotted a female Superb. How strange to only see males. Possibly the females are on the nest, as this is what is the norm for spring.

The lovely song of this juvenile Rufous Whistler caught our attention and drew us to a tree where we watched it move about alone for some time before it flew away. It is quite different from the mature bird and somewhat resembles the female Figbird.

But one of the features of our weekend was the discovery of a lifer, this Rufous Songlark in full song. He kept us busy for some time as he moved from tree to tree, very easy to follow by his call.

The humble Welcome Swallow even gave me some good shots as it rested on the roof of a shelter.

Welcome Swallow

The White-browed Scrubwren is always easy to identify by his noisy angry calls.

The beautiful bright Yellow Thornbill always is a glowing delight, as it makes its way with its classic call through the tree looking for small insects.

Not far away, but on the lawn is the Yellow-rumped Thornbill. This one took a fancy to this bird feather, which I think it was considering incorporating in its nest, but had some trouble deciding. You can see how it gets its name.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill showing yellow rump

But a feature of our day occurred just as we were leaving the reserve, when I heard the sound of a Babbler. The classic sound drew my attention up a tree where the unexpected find of one lone Grey-crowned Babbler was moving about, illuminated as the sun was low in the west.

Grey-crowned Babbler

Next week I will show you more birds from this amazing reserve. The conclusion is that if you plant nectar rich plants such as Grevilea and Bottle Brush you will attract the honeyeaters and other bird species.

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” – Luke 12:24

Have a great week birding! Check out my website if you are new to my posts.

The current drought conditions and unusually warm Spring weather has caused many species from over the ranges to move toward the coast, bringing unexpected sightings of several species of passerines. While I have not been out much , many other birders around Sydney are having surprising finds. This White-necked Heron was a surprise to my wife and I at Oatley Park Reserve.

White-faced Heron

Many of the winter migrants are in the air and flying back to Australia and New Zealand. Of the birds that did not migrate, the Great Egret and Little Egret are good examples.

The White-faced Heron is the most common wader we see in the Heron family, and is predictably found in the same areas of wetlands..

White-faced Heron

The Sacred Kingfisher is another bird that is found all year round, as this one was in Oatley park.

Sacred Kingfisher

The lizards are once again basking in the sun Water Dragons, Skinks and the occasional Red-bellied Black Snake has been sighted.

The Little Pied Cormorant hunts alone as usual, the cormorants are non migratory, and nest in the Sydney parks.

Other water birds that breed locally are The Australasian Grebe, The Royal Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Avocet and Masked Lapwing to name a few.

Royal Spoonbill

Royal Spoonbill with breeding plumage

Royal Spoonbill

Australasian Grebe

Black-winged Stilt immature

The Eastern Crimson Rosella is a beautiful bird which is often misplaced because of its various calls sounding like chimes, even sometimes like Bell Miners (Bellbirds). This one played hard to get but I did manage these shots and some recorded track of its call.

Spring means we start hearing the continuous call of the Australian Reed Warbler (known previously as the Clamorous Reed Warbler). It is always a challenge to get a good picture of this bird that lives inside the reeds and flies very fast when it sees you.

The Superb Fairy-wren is always around all year round and breeds throughout the year. The male will eclipse possibly twice a year as it moves in and out of breeding plumage.

With all the ripening figs on the many fig varieties in Australia, many of our birds feed from these including the Figbird, which make quite a racket when feeding on ripe figs, they seem to get high on them.

My last bird for this week is this beautiful Yellow Thornbill, which because of its orange chin may be from the Inland race which is not normally seen here on the coast. This may be due to the inland drought causing them, like many other species in search of water and food to fly over the ranges to the coast.

So we wait for our returning Summer birds, and hopefully we will get to see some of these displaced species not normally seen in our coastal areas. I leave this post with the thought that like the birds which hunger and thirst after food and water, taking them into new and interesting vistas, so it can be for each of us when we explore the depths of God’s love for us in Jesus. It is only when we are this hungry and thirsty for change for the best that we will explore God’s offer of abundant life in Jesus.

“…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:4

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Have a wonderful week birding!

Lord Howe Island from Malabar

It has been a busy week working full time back in my scientist role in Immuno-Haematology, so my wife and I have not been out birding as much, which is unusual for us. Lord Howe Island is one of our favorite birding places so I thought to highlight some of the birds from there, and highly recommend you visit there one day.

Lord Howe Island from the plane

One unique bird only found on this island is the Lord Howe Island Woodhen, which almost became extinct because European settlers found it so easy to kill for food, as it was flightless. Notice these birds are banded on their legs. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Unbanded birds, such as the one below, are young ones born in the last two years which have eluded the banding program, but will eventually be banded to mark their progress. The woodhen is classified in the rail family.

They are generally very quiet birds, making their own unique sound, foraging in the undergrowth for insects and small figs which have fallen to the ground.

Lord Howe Island is famous for its huge banyan trees (Ficus macrophylla columnaris) which send out roots from its branches which grow into trunks of the trees. A single tree may spread itself over acres of land. These provide fruit for many birds. It is related to our Moreton Bay fig, the largest Australian fig tree.

Ficus macrophylla columnaris

Another common bird seen foraging here is the Buff-banded Rail, here was a magic moment seeing this young rail learning to forage with its mother. This species was sighted by us in Sydney Park in my last post.

The rails are quite tame and can be seen all over the island grazing.

One of the feature birds that many come to the island to see are found in the Norfolk Pines along the coast of Lagoon Beach, the beautiful White Tern. This bird lays its egg on the branch of the pine tree, without a nest being constructed. Amazingly the eggs balances there until hatched, but is an open target for marauding Currawongs, which these birds continually are on the lookout for.

My wife had the delight of actually feeding a young White Tern chick from her hand, which was being cared for by an islander, as it had lost its parent. Here you can see the parents caring for their single chick, as well as this special photo I caught of a parent with three small fish in its beak to feed to it baby, carrying them in a similar way to the Puffins.

White Terns with newbordn chick

White Tern

White Tern chich several weeks old.

White Tern

White Tern carying three fish to its baby.

However, the most sought after bird that birders like myself and my wife, come here to see is aussiebirder’s logo (avatar) bird, the Red-tailed Tropicbird. As many of you know this is the bird that drew me into birding, away from nature photography, with its amazing flight gymnastics and the ability to fly backwards when courting its mate. They can be seen flying effortlessly and endlessly over the cliffs on the northern side of the island on Malabar hill, where you can here the chicks squeaking below.

Their red tail plumes assist their flight acrobatics, and their black feet contrast to their pure white feathers. This is one of the few places you will see these birds, Lady Elliot Island is another. They inhabit the rugged sea cliffs of the islands off the north east coast of NSW and Queensland.

Red-tailed Tropicbird

The beautiful Emerald Dove is also common here.

As is the very vocal and cheerful Lord Howe Island race of the Golden Whistler (race contempta), recently reclassified and differentiated from pectoris found on NSW east coast. This bird can be heard all over the island during Spring and Summer.

Another bird only seen here is the Lord Howe Island White-Eye, which is a cousin to our Silvereye. Note how tiny they are compared to the leaves. One can be seen eating a ripe fig.

Lord Howe Island White-Eye

Lord Howe Island is blessed as a breeding ground for many seabirds and waders, and this is another plus for visiting this beautiful island. One such bird which breeds on the island is the Masked Booby. Here on Mutton Bird Point they have their many nests. If you look carefully you may see one or two of their young chicks.

The Black Noddy and Common (Brown) Noddy, have a large nesting area on the north side of the island in the pine trees. They become quite agitated if you get too close. We had a guided tour by one of the islands most celebrated ornithologists Ian Hutton. Similar to the White Tern, they must guard their eggs and young from marauding Currawong and raptors, such as Masked Owls which are now thriving there.

Black and Brown Noddy

Common (Brown) Noddy in flight

Black Noddys scrambling

Black Noddy nesting

Black Noddy guarding nest

Common or Brown Noddy

Black Noddy

One of my favorite birds which we saw nesting there on the beach near the airstrip was the Sooty Tern. I love the way this bird hovers close by out of curiosity. here are some of the parents witheir spotted juveniles on the beach among the blue grass.

You will see many signs around the island similar to these. Though there are not many cars and trucks. Most tourists use bicycles or walk.

Yes Lord Howe Island is a major nesting area for several species of Shearwater or Muttonbirds as some call them, they say they taste like mutton. The Flesh-footed Shearwater is the most common, and can be seen landing at dusk and waddling into its underground nests. If you are in their nesting area say near Ned’s Beach you need to be careful they do not land on you at night.

Flesh-footed Shearwater running to nest at night

This Sacred Kingfisher is seen near the airstrip.

Many species of wader and shorebirds can be seen here two of which we saw many were the Ruddy Turnstone, Pacific Golden Plover and the Bar-tailed Godwit.

Ruddy Turnstone at low tide

Pacific Golden Plover

White-faced Heron

Bar-tailed Godwit

Black-winged Petrel

Bar-tailed Godwit in flight

Lastly, this fungi is a classic inhabitant of the moist Banyan forests of Lord Howe Island . Fungi spores thrive with moisture and lack of direct sunlight. It was thought that these fungal spores were spread by gusts of wind, but more recent research shows that the mushrooms and fungi actually produce their own wind source to disperse their spores and reproduce elsewhere. How amazing is that!

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” – Job 12:13

Enjoy your week ahead!

Check out my page on Info Tips for birding in Australia, it also has links to useful resources and links.

If you think you need some spiritual encouragement for a more peaceful and enjoyable life, check out my Birder Sanctuary page.

If you are looking for help in improving life skills and want simple answers for counselling yourself in making good life decisions, or want to encourage your child to do the same, check out my book “What Birds Teach Us” . It is selling well in many book and gift shops because it is so unique, using our birds to teach important life skills in a non confronting manner. You will love the photos and what you will learn. Purchase your copy here online securely through PayPal, at a much cheaper rate as many have done already.

If you are going through a tough time in life at present and suffering from it, check out my Suffering page which was recently dedicated to a blogging birder friend in Florida.

Pacific Black Duck with spring ducklings

Sydney is an amazing city for bird life. Not only is it surrounded by several national parks it has several wetland lakes and pond areas right in its heart. One being the Sydney Park Wetlands which was a jointly funded project of Sydney City Council and the Federal Government to convert a large area of land which once hosted a huge brickworks, of which only remains the historical relic of the original chimney stacks and brick kilns.

Chimney stacks stark against the well established park forests

The large acreage of the clay extraction area, later becoming a rubbish tip. It is amazing to see the beautiful transformation into large grassed recreational areas, small forests of trees, flowing water features, water controlled wetland and reeded areas, gardens, bridges and walking tracks. This unique project to recycle rainwater, clean it and use it in the man made ponds and creek structures from where it is released back into the environment is an experiment which may be expanded in the future to even more sustainable projects on a larger scale.

Pacific Black Duck with spring ducklings

Many water birds and waders have made Sydney Park their home, and breeding areas are fenced off for their protection, as many hundreds of people frequent this place sharing it as they walk their dogs and introduce their children to many bird species. Wahen my wife and I recently visited the park our first bird encountered was this beautiful Olive -backed Oriole, recently returned from migration, giving me unusual free photographic access as he watched.

On the large northern lake several species of waterbirds swam or strutted the waters edge.

Hardhead male

Little Black Cormorant

White-faced Heron

Australian White Ibis

White-faced Heron

Of course there were many Eurasian Coot, Pacific Black Duck , some Chestnut Teal, Purple Swamphen and Dusky Moorhen which are not pictured here. Breading pairs of Australasian Grebe were present with full breeding plumage.

Flitting and swirving about over the water of course was the usual Welcome Swallows as they pluck insects from the air on the fly. However, I caught them resting on their flight break.

However, the greatest attraction drawer was the single swan gosling of the two proud Australian Black Swan parents, carefully and lovingly guarded it from the other sometimes aggressive waterbirds such as the Eurasian Coot, which has become like the Noisy Miner of our lakes. Notice how the parents surround the baby near the coots. There normally have a clutch of about 5 to 10 chicks, so maybe they have lost some already from predators etc. This little guy will experience several plumage changes as it matures before it finally becomes adult black, which makes it easy to determine the approximate age of the young swan.

The Swan Family

Protecting the baby from the Coots

Swan juvenile

Other features of the park were this tortoise sunning itself and the eucalypt flowers of spring. This Brown Wanderer butterfly was an additional capture.

Our greatest find here was the result of a search for a very elusive and rarely seen wetland shore bird which was sited here recently Latham’s Snipe, which would have been a lifer for me. However, as I kept looking into the reeds and grassed wetlands I finally did see a bird dart undercover, so my wife and I patiently waited for about 20 minutes and we finally saw a bird similar to Latham’s Snipe but more colourful, a Buff-banded Rail. It was a challenge to track its movement among the grasses and reeds, but I did get some reasonable shots.

So there it is for now, as we await the return in the coming weeks of our migratory waders from the northern hemisphere. We are also seeing reports of the return of the passerine migrants, including the cuckoos who will be breeding here soon. This week our hearts and prayers go out to our dear suffering blogger friends in Florida, that the Lord will have spared you from much of the damage and danger of the recent hurricane.

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.” – Psalm 86:5-7

Have a great week and enjoy the birds!

Last Sunday afternoon on the third day of Spring my wife and I had a lovely walk into the Royal National Park, Audley to see and hear the sounds of Spring. Spring wildflowers had bloomed earlier than usual, and many were even finishing flowering. The real sound of Spring for me in an Australian forest, in particular the Royal NP, is the call of the male Golden Whistler, seeking out a female to court and mate with. Click photo to enlarge it.

All winter we would see both male and female but rarely hear a sound from them. But what a delight to hear several males calling along the track as they did last summer. Here is a sample of what I heard, and what is the call seeking the female. When I resounded its call back to the bird it came close to check it out to give me these pictures. We heard at least three singing their hearts out along the track, each in its own territory.

Other signs of Spring were the interesting wild flowers as well as the Cabbage Tree Palm flowers. Cabbage Tree Palms are a feature of the coastal rainforests.

Cabbage Tree Palm flowering

Gymea Lily

As we sat in the a clearing in the rainforest we were blessed by the appearance of a single Top-knot Pigeon, a most unusual looking bird, on lookout at the top of a tall eucalypt. Suddenly he flew off to join a flock of about thirty others silently flying off deeper into the forest in search of native fruits.

The sound and appearance of the Yellow-faced Honeyeater, our most vocal Winter bird was still heard calling, but not as much, and now not so many birds.

My wife sighted this White-throated Treecreeper climbing a tree. The orange spot on its cheek identifies it as a female. It may be the same bird I saw a few weeks ago. These birds make a classic repetitive call as they ascend a tree. They can hang upside down without any difficulty as they pry under the bark for insects and worms.

We neither saw nor heard any Lyrebirds on our walk as many people had been walking the track during the day, but we did see the now resident and recently breeding Crested Shrike-tit, which I recently also featured from the same area. This bird comes packed with a very strong beak for a small bird. It is often difficult to see high in the eucalypts, but easily gives away its position by the sound of falling bark and foraging which is usually quite audible. It was difficult due to the height of the bird to get ideal shots.

One photo which I did not realise I had captured till at home was this very juvenile Crested Shrike-tit having a moment with its parent. It was a one off gem of a shot, as the juveniles are seldom photographed, as much as the immatures. The juveniles have no black or white markings but are chicken yellow.

We did not see much else, but this female Superb Fairy-wren posed for me, so I could not resist a few portrates.

At this time our prayers and thoughts are with our dear blogging friends in Florida as they prepare for the wild fury a hurricane. We hope they are able to evacuate safely, and that their damage is very minimal. My closing thought comes from this angophora branch, how amazing that it grows with this bend in it. We might ask why or how?

Like many things in life we ask why or how but there may be no answers known. Men and women try to postulate answers, out of the pride of the heart many would be scientists postulate that ‘science’ knows all, but not all that is called ‘science’ is science’ as the definition of science is the observation and study of our universe. It deals with facts which can be observed and tested and then attested to be true, not philosophical postulations that proud men who call themselves scientists make to convince the unsuspecting trusting common person believe their philosophical ideas are scientific fact. Many things remain unanswered and unexplained, and may remain so forever, simply because there was no one there at the time in history to observe or record their experiences. Many scientists have turned to God in the last 40 years, simply from the conviction their own studies have brought, of the Intelligent Design and the very evident Created Order which any intelligent being can not ignore. Check out my school teaching video for more on this issue, if you have not done so yet.

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” – Romans 1:21,22,25

Have a great week Birding!

Regent Honeyeater

Last weekend I spent my time entirely showcasing my book at the local Art Show, so I had no time out birding. You may be surprised to find many rare and interesting bird species in your local zoo as I have found. This now endangered Regent Honeyeater is actually bred to be released by Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney to help repopulate this endangered specie. I feature some unusual birds that you may see there. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Another bird showing brilliant colour in the sunshine is the Dollarbird which is a winter migrant which will return again to Sydney within the next few months. This one stays here captured for the winter. Its beautiful colours are not usually appreciated when it is perched high in a tree.

The bird show at the zoo gives beautiful close ups of several beautiful birds including raptors such as our largest eagle The Wedge-tailed Eagle.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is another bird which is not seen in southern NSW but puts on a lovely show at the zoo, we see the Glossy Black here with its massive beak which also has a red tail, but the red-tailed by name is further north in Queensland.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Some birds are difficult to find in the wild such as Little or Fairy Penguins, which are currently being decimated in population in the seas of southern Australia by the increasing numbers of New Zealand Fur Seals. There are still small populations along the east coast.

Little Penguin

The most common bird seen at the zoo is actually not in cages but flies free in large numbers swooping on tables for scraps of food, and this is the Common Myna we call the Indian Myna, a myna bird which has become a major problem, as an introduced pest.

I usually go directly to the Australian bird section to check out the Regent Honeyeaters I featured previously, and the Rainforest section where I see the beautiful Regent Bowerbird alpha male.

I usually hear and see the male Superb Lyrebird but I only saw a young female on this occasion.

There are many different parrot species and this pair of Scaly-breasted Lorakeets are a good example.

These Chestnut-breasted Mannikins are a beautiful feature of the aviary.

This pair of Wandering Whistling Duck are another not so frequently seen birds.

Certainly the Green Pigmy-Goose is not seen in our southern states but can be viewed at the zoo, and whate a beautiful bird it is.

Green Pygmy-Goose

Australia is blessed with many varieties of rainforest pigeons as there is much native fruit from many varieties of fig and other fruit baring tree species. Two that look similar and are seldom seen other than in a rainforest are the Rose Crowned Fruit-Dove and the Superb Fruit-Dove, which normally keep well away from humans.

The Top-knot Pigeon is another rainforest fruit eating pigeon found in small flocks feeding high in the canopy of fig and other native fruit trees. It has an unually small head and unusual head dress.

Topknot Pigeon

This Banded Lapwing remained motionless as I observed it, possibly making it a lesser target for a predator as movement brings attention to the would be attacker.

Lastly, this lovely Variegated Fairy-wren was also present as a captive of the zoo, as it was in the process of eclipsing into breeding plumage.

Change is an important aspect of our growth, yet often for many a fearful expectation when confronted with it. Most of us like things to stay the way they are, which can lead to complacency, which is one of the largest threats to a vital and passionate life. Change brings character development and opportunity to adapt and improve our life skills. Like the Fairy-wren eclipsing from breeding to non breeding plumage sometimes twice a year, we need to embrace change courageously and make it a positive aspect to our life by meeting it as an opportunity to attract greater opportunity, as it does for the Fairy-wren by attracting the female gender when he adorns his breeding plumage.

Have a wonderful week!

Strange as it may sound we had a busy weekend , without our usual birding walk. Canberra Saturday and Sydney city Sunday, with only brief moments where we saw birds to observe and photograph. It was a roadside stop in a suburb of Canberra that we saw Straw-necked Ibis quietly grazing in a nearby paddock. This was an unexpected bonus find, considering this was not the purpose of our stop. The juvenile teenager was grazing with the parents in a small flock.

Parent and juvenile

Straw-necked Ibis

On our return journey, with only a few minutes to spare we dropped in at Canberra’s Jerrabomberra Wetlands on Dairy Road for a quick look and were delighted to find a male and female Australasian Shoveler, shoveling beneath the water, by disturbing the soil and filtering the water for the small micro marine organisms they feed on. Continually the pair bottomed up as they worked the lake. In the footage below the female swims up to male and soon after the male chases away a Pacific Black Duck he felt was intruding. Click on photos to enlarge.

Superb Fairy-Wren are always found near the bird hides and I managed to get these beautiful shots of both male and female in the afternoon winter sunlight. There was a young non-breeding male pictured below also.

On Sunday during a walk through the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens, me camera-less, our friend Chrissie caught the following footage on her mobile phone of this pair of Rainbow Lorikeets washing and having a ball of a time in one of the fountains in the gardens. Notice how they enjoy the experience together, as these birds like other parrots and cockatoos pair for life.

That is all I have for you this week my birder blogger friends. We continue to pray for God’s comfort and support for our blogging friend Tiny of TinyLessonsBlog as she negotiates the grief of the recent losses of both her husband and father within two weeks of each other.

If your interested and have 22 minutes to spare you can view my science video on Intelligent Design, which presents a teaching alternative to the purpose and function of life as we know it. Have a great week!

^“You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:21-26

Lake Wollumboola

Last weekend my wife and I travelled south to the Jervis Bay area. On our way we stopped off at the very important wader site, Lake Wollumboola near Culburra Beach. Winter means no migratory waders present, just small flocks of Pelican, various Cormorants, Crested Tern and Caspian Tern. The waders will begin returning late next month. You may remember in a previous post seeing this lake flooding during wild seas. (Click on photos to enlarge them.)

Caspian Tern

Crested tern

Caspian Tern

Little Pied Cormorant

This next frame tickled me a little as to what these two birds were discussing…

Caspian Tern

The highlight of our stop here was the tiny Red-capped Plover pair which breed here each year. This is one of our most common shore birds, but is not seen so much in our Sydney area. The male has the red cap and the female only slightly red tinted.

It was lovely to capture pictures of the two together, they will be breeding soon…

Red-capped Plover (male and female) best

My wife captured this sand scene of various sized and shaped tracks by the lake.

These photos show an immensly angry Masked Lapwing, and you can see why it use to be called the Spur-winged Plover…

We drove further south to the Booderee National Park, which though in New South Wales is actually a territory of the ACT because of the naval base at Jervis Bay. Sooo I was quite put out having to pay $11 to go in, considering I had a NSW Parks Pass, but it was worth it, as this is a beautiful park. It is owned and maintained by the local indigenous community who lease it back to the Australian Government. The symbol for the park is the White-bellied Sea-Eagle which we saw while there. Booderee means “Bay of Plenty” or “Plenty of Fish” but it is also “Plenty of Birds”…

On the coast near the historical lighthouse ruins, as we looked across the bay to the new lighthouse a large majestic White-bellied Sea-Eagle flew and circuited in front of us. Soon after a one year old immature White-Bellied Sea Eagle came across from the opposite direction returning to its parent.

Working Lighthouse

Lighthouse ruins, with a devastating history.

An additional highlight was the fly by of this Peregrine Falcon, seldom seen from above, as we were blessed to observe.

In addition to the extensive coastal brush habitat and great ocean views, where passing whales can be seen…

Extensive heathland, similar to Barren Grounds NP exisits here, being a second important habitat for both the Eastern Bristlebird and the Eastern Ground Parrot. Both endangered species. Of course we saw neither on our visit, only on a sign.

The facilities for picnicking and walking through the Booderee Botanic Gardens are excellent, and can be recommended as a really well kept and serviced park. I am in the process of including this as a new book sales site. We were warmly met at the Visitor Centre by Morgan and Sonya, wardens of the park. You have to be careful not to accidentally drive into the local indigenous community area and the naval base. The reason I called the title Birderee is that the place is teeming with small passerine birds, including honeyeaters such as the Yellow-faced, New Holland and the Eastern Spinebill.

Another great blessing was the frequent siting of the White-naped Honeyeater, which we do not see in our area.

The rainforest walk through the Botanic Gardens is very worthwhile. Satin Bowerbirds are numerous and making their uniquely spooky sounds, but were very elusive to photograph, more so than any place I have been. This was the only decent shot I could get, considering there were so many of them.

In this brief footage you will hear them calling and get a very brief view of the bird at the very end of the clip.

Other birds seen include this tiny Brown Thornbill and this unexpected lone Noisy Friarbird. Of course Currawongs, Magpies and Kookaburras were also present as always but not pictured here.

Noisy Friarbird

Brown Thornbill

A great feature of the rainforest walk was the siting of this Bassian Thrush in good light. The great thing about this well camouflaged bird is that it stands perfectly still when it sees you, thinking it will blend into the surrounding environment and make it invisible, which on many occasionas it does. This is the reason many people never see this elusive rainforest bird. It feeds on insects and grubs in the leaf litter of the rainforest floor and seldom flies. It is territorial and is usually found in the same area. Look at the second photo and see how well it blends in with its surrounds, especially well in a dark rainforest.

Another rainforest bird that eluded us even after much waiting and watching was this Eastern Whipbird. I did manage to get this photo of his head.

Spring was certainly in bloom there with wattles, Gymea Lilies and Grevilea in full bloom, among many other native nectar flowers in the Botanic Gardens.

This Eastern Grey Kangaroo was quietly grazing in the picnic ground.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Other birds include the Red Wattlebird, Eastern Crimson Rosella and the Eastern Yellow Robin.

We highly recommend a visit to this well kept park with its several coastal habitats and many birds. I leave you with this thought, as you view the photo below. The extensive thick scrubby heathland, which looks quite uninteresting to the ordinary observer, yet underneath lives the beautiful and very rare and endangered Eastern Ground Parrot.

Many rare and precious species are lost each year because of ignorant land clearing. If you destroy the habitat you destroy the birds and animals that live there and depend on the ecosystem for their life. The state government is currently, with its new laws, going to give permission for the clearing of forest areas, once protected. Birdlife Australia is trying to get as many protests as possible to speak up for our birds and native wildlife, while we still have a chance to save it.

“Premier Berejiklian is fully aware her new land-clearing laws will deal a deadly blow to many of our precious endangered species. Scientists and ecologists have explained time and again the tragic consequences of clearing land in an already over-cleared landscape. More than 30,000 of you have called, emailed, rallied, marched, signed petitions and written detailed submissions against the drastic weakening of our nature protection laws.
And yet the government is STILL pressing ahead, bowing to National Party pressure and ignoring 7000 submissions to allow these weak laws to come into effect before the details that underpin them are in place, and before they are understood by the people who’ll be using them.”

Quoted from a Newsletter I received from the Stand Up For Nature Alliance

Suggested text for the Premier’s online message form.

Dear Premier Berejiklian,

I am gravely concerned about the impacts your new land-clearing laws will have on bushland, wildlife and trees across NSW.

On August 25, your government will allow rampant destruction of nature, just like we’ve seen in Queensland since land-clearing laws there were wound back.

I call on you urgently to delay the legislation taking effect until the mapping, private land conservation package, and regulations are finalised and publicly available.

Further, I request that you strengthen protections for nature in the regime to ensure threatened ecosystems and koala habitat are off limits to clearing.

There can be no greater gift to future generations than a healthy environment. I seek your urgent support and action.

Yours truly,

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” – Genesis 2:15

Don’t forget, if you live in the Sydney area, to visit the Oatley West Public School Art Show and Community Festival 26th & 27th August, where my bird prints and bird book will be on sale.

aussiebirder’s art show exhibits 2016

Have a great week end. You may have wondered why my post was so late. Friday may become my posting day as time has become more precious due to my new work.

Another windy winters day in the Royal National Park, not expecting to see many birds, but I go knowing sometimes one can be surprised at what is found. The Eastern Crimson Rosella above is just caught catching the afternoon sunlight as it feeds. There are now several sub species of what are called Crimson Rosella, though some beg to be called such, but the eastern race elegans (pictured above) is the nominate and most admired for its brilliant colours. They have a variation of whistle like calls, one sounding almost like a Bell Miner (‘Bellbird’).

Here are some of the waterbirds on and by the quiet and still Hacking River. Click on photo to enlarge it.

Little Pied Cormorant

Australasian Grebe with breeding plumage

Australasian Grebe one with breeding plumage and one without

Australasian Grebe without breeding plumage

Male and Female Australian Wood Duck

Chestnut Teal male in full colour

Walking along the track I could hear the frequent sounds of the Yellow-faced and Lewins Honeyeaters as well as the Eastern Spinebill.

Lewins Honeyeater feeding from flowering Grass Tree spikes

The main source of food for the honeyeaters is insects during winter months with nectar mainly coming from the Banksia erikiflora, also Gymea Lily, Mountain Devil and Grass Tree flower heads. Other early spring wild flowers including eucalypt blossom are starting to show, some I have featured in recent posts.

Mountain Devil in full flower

Grass Tree spikes flowering

Gymea Liliy flower heads

Banksia ericifolia

After the heavy and much needed rain a day ago some of the tree hollows had water in them, and it was interesting to watch these Yellow-faced Honeyeater and eastern Spinebill come in and out of this tree hole.

Being winter the sounds of the Golden Whistler male are not heard at all. This track, as I explained to a passing birder couple, is usually alive with many Golden Whistlers calling during spring and summer, when breeding. However, I did manage to see one male, confirming that they are there in the trees – but silent.

As I walked I heard the familiar sound of the White-throated Treecreeper making its way up a tree. It is often very difficult to actually see the bird ascending the tree even when you are right near the loud sound. The orange spot on the cheek means it is a female. I spend over half an hour tracing this bird from tree to tree, my neck was quite sore afterwards, but my effort paid off. The trouble is they tend to ascend the non sunlit side and often do not give good photos, so I am always waiting for that short moment where they cross into the sun.

It is not to be confused with the sound of the lewins Honeyeater or Eastern Spinebill. As you will hear the Treecreeper has a slower, regular more spaced call.

The main highlight of this walk was when I stopped and turned after hearing strange sound in a banksia tree, right near the rainforest, of all places. There standing on an old banksia head, looking right at me was this beautiful juvenile Brown Goshawk. Wow! what a surprise! and what a place to see it in?! It just sat there for ages while I filmed it. Now one of the most perplexing problems is to differentiate the juvenile Brown Goshawk from the almost identical but smaller Collared Sparrowhawk. After much deliberation I named it.

Brown Goshawk juvenile

I was eventually blessed with it taking flight as it started to fear my presence. This gave me a bit more evidence for my identification.

As I walked and talked with God along the track, I was taken by the beauty of light shining into the rainforest greenery. It gave such a beautiful luminescence to it all, and reminded me of the verse “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” and Jesus words “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” This reminded me of how much He illuminates my life, like these rainforest plants that spend most of their time in a dark environment.

To top my day off, as I sat and had my skim mocha and Anzac bickie outside in sun at the National Park cafe, a male ‘Black-backed’ Eastern Magpie in a split second, flew under my chin, took my large bickie, with great precision, left the serviette on the plate and proceeded to eat it on the lawn within view nearby. When I told Kate, in the cafe she was amazed but kindly replaced my bickie free of charge. It managed to eat half of it, and would not share it with its mate.

Have a great week, and remember the Oatley West Public School Art Show and Community Festival is coming up 25th to 27th August. You can view my entries online at their site or here.

Check out the rest of my website and my book if you have not done so yet. My book sales are expanding to new frontiers as people discover it’s unique beauty and helpful attributes. More places where you can buy it will be added soon.

The White-plumed Honeyeater is another inland bird we saw at Walka. This tiny honeyeater is found in large number in the dryer inland regions, but occasionally near the coast.

The usual Yellow-faced Honeyeater was also present but not in the large numbers seen in the Royal NP.

Another popular honeyeater found here and all along the coast is the Lewins Honeyeater with its classic yellow spot on its cheeks.

We were surprised to find this lone White-necked heron looking quite handsome in the afternoon sun.

We must not neglect to mention the White-faced Heron, usually seen at low tide on river mud flats, but sometimes on inland lake shores.

Many of my blog followers appreciated seeing the elusive Scarlet Honeyeater up close, so I will just refresh with a couple more shots.

The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is another bird seen in larger numbers now, and is known for its lovely song.

The beautiful Eastern Rosella flew into the Grevillea tree also while we filmed the Scarlet Honeyeaters, but these birds were quite shy and did not like us photographing them.

With all this activity going on the Australian Raven looks on wondering what all the fuss is about, but the Little Corella are quite unperturbed as they eat grass seed from the mowed lawns , they are not into Grevillea.

Other smaller seed eating birds are these Red-browed Finch also enjoying grass seed on the lawns.

If you look carefully you can see the difference in the head featuring the stringy dark appearance. The Australasian Grebe is the bird in the middle of the two Hoary-headed. This was a surprising find.

Of course all this is under the watchful eyes of this pair of Kookaburra, possibly preparing for a family of their own. It is always a treat to get a photo of them together.

Our feature bird here is this beautiful, but difficult to photographe Brown Gerygone. These birds are always a challenge to get a clear shot of because they move around so much, and tend to move in the thick of the tree.

It would not be complete without an appearance of the famous Eastern Yellow Robin, found in almost every forest and looking for mates, as this one was calling incessantly but getting no response.

Yes, the Superb Fairy-wren was heard and seen moving about in the tall grass and bushes throughout the reserve, we must have seen over 20 families. Which concludes a marvelous day of birding on our family gathering. An abundance of blessing…

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full [abundantly].” – John 10:10

Have a great week!

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The Australasian Figbird male was seen and heard calling in the same eucalyts the honeyeaters were combing.

Of course where ever you go the male Superb Fairy-wren is not far away, and its sounds can be heard in the tall grass and reeds nearby the track.

Hey, but we finally spotted a female Superb. How strange to only see males. Possibly the females are on the nest, as this is what is the norm for spring.

The lovely song of this juvenile Rufous Whistler caught our attention and drew us to a tree where we watched it move about alone for some time before it flew away. It is quite different from the mature bird and somewhat resembles the female Figbird.

But one of the features of our weekend was the discovery of a lifer, this Rufous Songlark in full song. He kept us busy for some time as he moved from tree to tree, very easy to follow by his call.

The humble Welcome Swallow even gave me some good shots as it rested on the roof of a shelter.

The White-browed Scrubwren is always easy to identify by his noisy angry calls.

The beautiful bright Yellow Thornbill always is a glowing delight, as it makes its way with its classic call through the tree looking for small insects.

Not far away, but on the lawn is the Yellow-rumped Thornbill. This one took a fancy to this bird feather, which I think it was considering incorporating in its nest, but had some trouble deciding. You can see how it gets its name.

But a feature of our day occurred just as we were leaving the reserve, when I heard the sound of a Babbler. The classic sound drew my attention up a tree where the unexpected find of one lone Grey-crowned Babbler was moving about, illuminated as the sun was low in the west.

Next week I will show you more birds from this amazing reserve. The conclusion is that if you plant nectar rich plants such as Grevilea and Bottle Brush you will attract the honeyeaters and other bird species.

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” – Luke 12:24

Have a great week birding! Check out my website if you are new to my posts.

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Many of the winter migrants are in the air and flying back to Australia and New Zealand. Of the birds that did not migrate, the Great Egret and Little Egret are good examples.

The White-faced Heron is the most common wader we see in the Heron family, and is predictably found in the same areas of wetlands..

The Sacred Kingfisher is another bird that is found all year round, as this one was in Oatley park.

The lizards are once again basking in the sun Water Dragons, Skinks and the occasional Red-bellied Black Snake has been sighted.

The Little Pied Cormorant hunts alone as usual, the cormorants are non migratory, and nest in the Sydney parks.

Other water birds that breed locally are The Australasian Grebe, The Royal Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Avocet and Masked Lapwing to name a few.

The Eastern Crimson Rosella is a beautiful bird which is often misplaced because of its various calls sounding like chimes, even sometimes like Bell Miners (Bellbirds). This one played hard to get but I did manage these shots and some recorded track of its call.

Spring means we start hearing the continuous call of the Australian Reed Warbler (known previously as the Clamorous Reed Warbler). It is always a challenge to get a good picture of this bird that lives inside the reeds and flies very fast when it sees you.

The Superb Fairy-wren is always around all year round and breeds throughout the year. The male will eclipse possibly twice a year as it moves in and out of breeding plumage.

With all the ripening figs on the many fig varieties in Australia, many of our birds feed from these including the Figbird, which make quite a racket when feeding on ripe figs, they seem to get high on them.

“…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:4

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Have a wonderful week birding!

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One unique bird only found on this island is the Lord Howe Island Woodhen, which almost became extinct because European settlers found it so easy to kill for food, as it was flightless. Notice these birds are banded on their legs. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Unbanded birds, such as the one below, are young ones born in the last two years which have eluded the banding program, but will eventually be banded to mark their progress. The woodhen is classified in the rail family.

They are generally very quiet birds, making their own unique sound, foraging in the undergrowth for insects and small figs which have fallen to the ground.

Another common bird seen foraging here is the Buff-banded Rail, here was a magic moment seeing this young rail learning to forage with its mother. This species was sighted by us in Sydney Park in my last post.

The rails are quite tame and can be seen all over the island grazing.

Their red tail plumes assist their flight acrobatics, and their black feet contrast to their pure white feathers. This is one of the few places you will see these birds, Lady Elliot Island is another. They inhabit the rugged sea cliffs of the islands off the north east coast of NSW and Queensland.

The beautiful Emerald Dove is also common here.

As is the very vocal and cheerful Lord Howe Island race of the Golden Whistler (race contempta), recently reclassified and differentiated from pectoris found on NSW east coast. This bird can be heard all over the island during Spring and Summer.

Another bird only seen here is the Lord Howe Island White-Eye, which is a cousin to our Silvereye. Note how tiny they are compared to the leaves. One can be seen eating a ripe fig.

One of my favorite birds which we saw nesting there on the beach near the airstrip was the Sooty Tern. I love the way this bird hovers close by out of curiosity. here are some of the parents witheir spotted juveniles on the beach among the blue grass.

You will see many signs around the island similar to these. Though there are not many cars and trucks. Most tourists use bicycles or walk.

This Sacred Kingfisher is seen near the airstrip.

Many species of wader and shorebirds can be seen here two of which we saw many were the Ruddy Turnstone, Pacific Golden Plover and the Bar-tailed Godwit.

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” – Job 12:13

Enjoy your week ahead!

Check out my page on Info Tips for birding in Australia, it also has links to useful resources and links.

If you think you need some spiritual encouragement for a more peaceful and enjoyable life, check out my Birder Sanctuary page.

If you are going through a tough time in life at present and suffering from it, check out my Suffering page which was recently dedicated to a blogging birder friend in Florida.

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On the large northern lake several species of waterbirds swam or strutted the waters edge.

Of course there were many Eurasian Coot, Pacific Black Duck , some Chestnut Teal, Purple Swamphen and Dusky Moorhen which are not pictured here. Breading pairs of Australasian Grebe were present with full breeding plumage.

Flitting and swirving about over the water of course was the usual Welcome Swallows as they pluck insects from the air on the fly. However, I caught them resting on their flight break.

Other features of the park were this tortoise sunning itself and the eucalypt flowers of spring. This Brown Wanderer butterfly was an additional capture.

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.” – Psalm 86:5-7

Have a great week and enjoy the birds!

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Other signs of Spring were the interesting wild flowers as well as the Cabbage Tree Palm flowers. Cabbage Tree Palms are a feature of the coastal rainforests.

The sound and appearance of the Yellow-faced Honeyeater, our most vocal Winter bird was still heard calling, but not as much, and now not so many birds.

^“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full [abundantly].” – John 10:10

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.” – Psalm 86:5-7