Welcome to our website for the study and appreciation of Australian birds and their interesting behaviours.
Finally, after 4 months my wife and I get to walk our favorite track again in the Royal National Park, known to locals as the Nasho. It was a beautiful warm day, and even after the week of heavy rain it had mostly dried up after the winds that followed. It was refreshing to hear the sound of Spring birds […]
Having finally come out of over 3 months lock-down here in Sydney, my wife and I decided to celebrate with a breakfast at our local National Park cafe, which we had missed for so long. Sadly, it was raining, as it had been several days now, but we sat outside under cover in the cool breeze enjoying the moment and […]
Australian Self-Published Author A treatise on the subject by W. A. Hewson First a note to my blog followers who normally receive posts on Australian birds. This is a one off post which was written during lock-down to answer the queries of those who have asked for tips on publishing their first book. The aim of this presentation is to assist those Aussies wanting to successfully publish and market their first self-published book. This essay is a response to the several requests I have received recently for hints on publishing one’s own book, having purchased and remarked on the quality of my own books, with the view of publishing their first book. It does not deal so much with the […]
We have finally arrived at our first day of transitioning out of lock-down here in Sydney, where many have already been out since midnight shopping and celebrating after our 106 days of confinement and restrictions, though many still apply, as we are not yet permitted to leave the Sydney region for our planned holiday. Meanwhile the birds have been unaffected […]
While we continue in lock-down and the 5 km radius rule, we recently realized it also included our favorite local park Oatley Park Reserve. On previous walks here in the past few weeks there was hardly anything worth reporting, however, on our walks last weekend we were surprised to find a hive of activity, as my post will uncover. To […]
This week as we continue to be prevented from birding, due to extended lock-down, I thought it opportune to feature a unique group of finches called Mannikins, of which Australia has three species. along with the Firetials are known as Old World finches. We have four species of Mannikins: the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (pictured above) found in far north and north […]
As we move through another week of lock-down I thought to share some interesting facts about our iconic Australian Black Swan which is the emblem of Western Australia (WA), the state it was first seen in by early European Dutch sailors in the 1600s while exploring the mysterious Great South Land as they sailed along the west coast, at the […]
As we continue in lock-down now into Spring, the birds continue to do what they do at this time of year, and that is nest and protect their nests. One notorious bird that inflicts injury and sometimes death to passers bye, while protecting it’s nest, is the Australian Magpie. While the bird attacks humans and even animals that pass within […]
We continue in lock-down with rising numbers of infections and deaths due to Delta, as the rebels continue to spread it. This week as promised, I present Part 2 of my showcase on the Royal National Park, Sydney, Australia. This is commonly known to us locals as the Nasho. In all, I have presented 77 birds, in addition to which […]
As we continue in lock-down and more restrictions because of the increasing numbers of infections with Delta, I have compiled Part 1 of a special slideshow of the Birds and Flowers of the Royal National Park, Sydney, Australia. You will remember in my last post I gave a movie clip version of some of the 80 + birds found in […]
As I sat quietly reflecting in our courtyard, absorbing the warm winter sun, enjoying my hot chocolate and Tim Tams, watching the bees harvest nectar from the Lavender flowers and smiling at the occasional Noisy Miner as it plunges into the birdbaths only a few feet away and shakes its butt as it trustingly watches me, I pondered on what […]
While lock-down continues into another week for us, and prospects to go more than 5 km from home are currently banned, we have had to curtail our birding pursuits for the time being. So this week we focus an extraordinary small bird the Comb-crested Jacana, which is also known as the Jesus Bird because it appears to walk on water. […]
As we continue in lock-down and restricted to a 5 km radius of movement from our home, birding is almost impossible, but for our backyard birds, which are always a treat, as they become more trusting of us being around them. As I was writing this post one of our adult Crested Pigeons came and looked into my study window […]
As we move through our second week of Covid contact isolation (which means no leaving home or making personal contact) and the extended Sydney lock-down, as Delta continues its rapid spread here in many places close to home, my wife and I have been enjoying our time together, as she continues to work from home and I continue writing my […]
As lock-down continues, and cases from the Delta strain continue to increase in Sydney, my wife and are now in quarantine isolation due a possible contact, and are not permitted to leave our home for two weeks. This means I had to be creative with this post and chose to feature our two unique Australian geese, which I have named […]
During the current lock-down we are entitled to a one hour walk each day. The problem is that people who normally do not grace our reserve came in large numbers in order to escape being inside all week, especially those with school children, as one more week of school holidays at home comes around the corner. This made it difficult […]
