Last weekend my wife and I traveled to Canberra to visit family and enjoy a 16 course degustation dinner at an exclusive restaurant, by a hatted chef. On our way we stopped for lunch at Kiki’s in the Grove. This beautifully located cafe/restaurant is situated on a hill overlooking an olive grove on the Federal Highway, at Collector on te way to Canberra. Unexpectedly (the unexpected is normal when I am around) I found a new market for my book and all of 10 travelling copies were immediately consigned, as this shop has a large throughput due to its location and wonderful food and coffee, and best of all the owners loved my book. We were both delighted with this blessing, which would later be followed bu another.
While in Canberra we took a walk briefly through their Botanic Gardens, which we had visited some years ago. It was very busy as the locals were making the most of the Spring sunshine. On arrival, before alighting our car, we were greeted by a pair of chorusing Australian Magpie (‘eastern black-backed’ race tibicen), as they communicated to nearby clans. The Australian Magpie is unique in it has two separate sets of muscle in the syrinx allowing it to produce two separate sounds at the same time one to two octaves apart, which gives it the chorus effect. When a family of Magpies do this together as a chorus it can be threatening to other Magpies and birds as they mark their territory against impending intruders. The Magpie is not a bird to take lightly, it is not only very intelligent but very powerful, fast and with a beak that can inflict deep wounds.
As we toured the various types of gardens we noticed this male Satin Bowerbird moving about in the trees around us, watching our movements. I knew that there must be a bower nearby, so I tested my theory by pursuing it with my camera, and each time it would move.
After a few minutes I was able to roughly triangulate where I thought the bower would be located, of course it would be hidden out of sight beneath a bush.
Sadly it was a very poorly kept bower, quite pathetic to say the least, which would explain why the many females touring around were not entertained there. We could hear him practicing his repertoire inside the bush. Not long after we saw several females moving about, as there were several bowers in the gardens.
As we walked through the rainforest section we were greeted by the noisy incessant chatter of a family of White-browed Scrubwren, a tiny bird that spends most its time foraging under small bushes as it chatters along. This family had several young ones, all chattering to one another as they foraged quickly.
Another rainforest bird the Eastern Yellow Robin was sitting quietly alone in the dark shade of some thick trees. I was hoping for a flight shot, but not today.
As I watched the Robin I looked in the distance through a hole in the trees to detect a male Australian King Parrot feeding overexposed in the brilliant sunlight.
A White-throated Treecreeper was climbing nearby. Then I noticed they were a pair.
This Eastern Water Dragon caught the attention of a group of visitors.
But this heavily banded male Superb Fairy-wren took the cake. Have you ever seen so many bands on such a tiny delicate bird ? How on earth did they get them on it, surely it must be uncomforable.
Which leaves us with this series on the Eastern Spinebill, a small honeyeater.
The next morning I heard the loud raucous call of several Channel-billed Cuckoo being pursued relentlessly by my own local Noisy Miner coalition being headed up of course by ‘Noisy’ himself. They had been called in by the nesting Pied Currawong to mob these sneaking birds, as they attempted to do a switch on their eggs. Almost every morning this process takes place, with the alpha male Magpie often included. Here’s what I got, sadly it was a bright diffused cloudy sky, so much work had to be done to master the photos from the silhouette. It may be an adult and immature, the smaller certainly did not look like a juvenile.
One of the three, possibly the father Cuckoo confronted the angry Miner who was left to stand guard, as the others had left. If they try to leave the tree they were driven into, the Miner wil give a mobbing alarm and in seconds the other coalition members and resident Currawongs and possibly Magpies will be there like rockets to drive them out of their territory.
Recent research into bird behaviour, where birds learn the alarm and mobbing calls of other birds, to enlist their assistance to remove a common enemy, shows that many species that normally dwell in a given geographical area or territory, actually work together, as we do in our local towns and communities. I have noticed that even at the bird baths there order and respect for each local bird species that use it, is being maintained in recent months. We see daily on news reports the unsung heroes of people who step in to help people being attacked or robbed. They respond with no thought of the danger they could face, as these offenders are often armed and desperate. This is very inspiring to us and to our children, as love places itself selflessly between the victim and the perpetrator, with no other reason than to help a fellow human in their moment of distress.
“He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.” – Psalm 18:18
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Have a wonderful week and stay safe. If this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out the rest of my birding website from my Home Page.
There is still a week for you to purchase the unique and beautifulbirdbook “What Birds Teach Us”, the perfect inexpensive Christmas gift, that will continue to give to its reader.
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
‘So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
My wife and I have come to value the days we have together now that she works part time. We enjoy our birding dates more frequently. Last week we had two within a couple of days which allowed us to catch up with our riverside friends in our local Royal National Park (by the Hacking River) and also the waders at Dolls and Taren Point (by the Georges River). Above are the two kinds of Kingfisher we found alone along the Hacking River, and both birds were seen within minutes of each other, fishing the river.
Firstly we checked on the juvenile Sulphur-crested Cockatoo that I showcased last post, but the parent had left the baby alone, and was on the grass by the river with the many other Cockies and Little Corellas pulling up grass and grass roots, as they do at particular times with their sharp hooked beak. Little Corella pair for life and are one of the most playful birds I have seen.
My wife saw an Australasian Swamphen building its nest on top of a lily bed on the actual river itself. The bird was away gathering material when I photographed her nest.
Swamphen nest on lily pads
Australasian Swamphen
Of course the Australian Wood Duck family were sharing the same area on the grass by the river, and the father attacked me and a Cockie when it seemed we were breaching its exclusion zone.
protective father wood duck
peacefully grazing by the river
wood duck babies
family peacefully resting by the river
On the dried part of the river bank I noticed an immature Masked Lapwing trying to assess the food value of a stone, as its father looked on, wondering what it was doing. You will notice that the wattle on the immature bird has not fully developed as yet.
adult Masked Lapwing
Immature Masked Lapwing
Just then I saw out of the corner of my bad eye a tiny bright blue blob on a dead branch projecting out of the river. My wife checked it out with her binos and I put it in my sights, it was the very elusive and human shy, Azure Kingfisher which works the river along with the many other species of waterbirds. It would dive super fast into the water returning to the same spot with a tiny fish.
It is an extremely fast flying bird and being so small is difficult to catch in flight.
Within a few minutes I sighted the larger cousin, the Sacred Kingfisher also fishing the river nearby. Notice the vertical elevating and dropping tail sequence which is a feature of many male birds when they wish to assert their territory and ward off intruders. Kookaburras (a Kingfisher by family) do the same.
fresh catch
tail down
tail up
tail down
tail up
As we followed the track along the river I was able to show my wife the Sacred Kingfisher nest that was high in a eucalypt tree which I found on a previous walk. It was a former arboreal termite nest which Kingfishers and Kookaburras use for their own nest, after punching holes in it with their large strong beaks, by flying at it repeatedly till they form a hole large enough for them to enter. I had wanted to show my wife and had hoped that we would see them coming and going from it, but not today. What we did see was a Kingfisher in a nearby tree sitting alone and calling.
arboreal termite nest
Sacred Kingfisher calling
As we walk further we heard nearby the loud call of the Eastern Whipbird male and female. Those who have purchased my book “What Bird Teach Us” will know how to detect both male and female calls, and their significance.
We continually peered into the dark forest undergrowth to catch a flash of this extremely elusive and fast low flying bird. As a novice birder years ago it was the most frustrating and difficult bird to actually photograph. I would spend hours right next to this bird but could not get a visible look, as it foraged underneath thick bushes, flicking up leaf litter in a similar way to other rainforest birds. The problem is that I am standing in the light, quite visible to him, and he in the dark can see me and leave without me knowing. In the first shot he is calling. Be aware when viewing the following photos that they have been lightened considerably and shot through a very small hole in the bush, so the quality suffered, but with this bird on most occasions, these captures are not too bad.
Walking further, my wife sighted this Short-beaked Echidna (known to many as the Spiny Anteater) right beside the track. This shy monotreme seldom seen, was busy poking his nose into ant nests. This is the second time we have seen this little guy here. You can see why it can be difficult to spot.
Having checked out our riverside friends by the rainforest, a couple of days later we made our way to our favorite observation beach at low tide on the Georges River to visit our wader friends who were busily foraging. The adult Bar-tailed Godwit, now adorning their lighter non-breeding plumage were more conspicuous against the juveniles, who had joined them now the family was reunited after the recent return of their parents.
Non Breading plumage (foreground)
avoiding the larger crabs
a younger Godwit
size comparison
Godwits on the move
Light Blue Soldier Crabs
a swarm of crabs in military array
searching for smaller crabs
We were delighted to also see on the same beach this immature White-faced Heron alone and quite tame, possibly the offspring of the adult pair I saw last time I was on this beach.
We did not see the lone Eastern Curlew which frequents the beach, as many people were present, and the Curlew is extremely fearful of people, taking flight on even the furthermost approach. So we drove around the river to the Taren Point Shorebird Reserve where we sighted our shy Curlew friend poking its head and long beak deep into the wet sand, also seeking small crabs and worms. This the largest of our migratory waders and is in decline.
As we walked further around the river to the man made bird nesting island a fair way off from the shore, we noticed two broods of baby Silver Gull, at different stages of development. These photos have been heavily cropped. There was also a gull sitting on her nest, quietly anticipating her new family.
Mother & Father with chicks 2
viewing across Botany Bay
Silver Gull on nest
Mother and chicks 1
Lastly, we noticed this family of Welcome Swallow (endemic to Australia) feeding its youngsters. These birds get their name because no matter wherever you go in Australia, these birds will always be there to welcome you with their presence, as they forage on the fly. They are often the first bird you will see, and sometimes the only bird, since they eat flying insects, which are numerous everywhere, they do not require particular habitats as other birds do and can adapt to most conditions, providing they can access fresh water. They are often seen skimming into water to wash, drink and refresh in one rapid action. You will notice the juveniles lack the colouring of the adult on the right. A very pleasant walk together in the cool breeze on a hot afternoon.
Have a wonderful week my birding friends, and to those new to my blog and website, please feel free to explore it from the Menu or Home Page. You may find interesting birding tips and information that may help you enjoy life, gleaned from how birds do life.
Look no further for the unique and beautiful Christmas gift for your special loved one, that will continue to give…
Welcome Swallow adult with two youngsters
Insects are a major food source for almost all bird species, and if birds ceased to exist, us humans would find life unbearable, due to the massive volumes they consume of what we term pests, some of which cause disease and death. Birds such as the Swallows, Swifts and Needle-tails basically spend their lives eating insects on the fly and seldom landing, which enables them to live almost anywhere they desire, though they prefer warmer moderate climates. Their focused commitment to their diet is inspiring as much as it is a blessing for us all. We can learn to be focused on what we are good at doing and be a blessing to others as well as ourselves, rather than spread ourselves out thinly trying many different ways and aspects of life, which give little return emotionally, relationally or physically.
It is wise to consider the 80/20 principle which states many of us spend 80% of our time on 20% of activities that are not productive, which results in frustration and discouragement, when we could be spending 80% of our time and energy on the 20% that produces the highest results and satisfaction. An inspired and passionate person with little talent can succeed and do well because their energy and heart are poured into their focused goal, whereas, many more talented people give up and become discouraged because they fail to focus on what they have rather than on what they don’t.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
‘So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
Last Tuesday I took a long quiet walk alone in my favorite rainforest area to recount the many blessings of the past year and seek guidance for the next year of my life. It was quiet and peaceful with just the sounds of birds, falling and streaming water and wind in the trees. Thankfully most people were at work or had not yet arrived so I had the track mostly to myself. On alighting from my car I found a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo nest with one new Cocky being fed by its parent, by regurgitating food and shaking it down the youngsters throat. This was a great inspiration to me at the beginning of my meditative walk, reminding me of my legacy to leave wisdom food for the younger following generation through my books and talks. What made it even more meaningful was that the border around the whole was almost in the shape of a heart.
At first the parent raised its cone to indicate its concern, but later relaxed when it realised I meant it no harm. Watch the feeding technique as the food is regurgitated and transferred to the beak of the baby.
Another lovely reminder was the sighting two families of Australian Wood Duck, my showcase of the perfect bird family, where both parents faithfully care for the family, remaining true to each other. One brood was fairly recent and one several months old. Note how they look mainly like the mother bird at this stage as they are immature. The Wood Duck is a grazing duck found beside rivers and ponds more so than on them, though the water makes a safe retreat from danger. Unlike other ducks, builds its nests high in eucalypt trees, hence its name.
Commencing the walk it was encouraging to hear the creeks flowing and water falling down the cliff faces, as well as the sound of the White-throated Treecreeper telling me she is ascending a nearby tree. She looks to be young. The problem is getting a clear photo in a dark rainforest, especially when the bird prefers to climb on the dark side of the tree. It uses its beak to pry off bark and poke into holes in tree bark for insects and grubs.
The sound of several male Golden Whistler were heard in different nesting territories along the track, making sure their distance was respected from neighboring cousins. The males would also be communicating with the females if they were off the nest, though he would most likely be feeding both her and the babies at this stage, as we can see he is busy gathering food.
This bird is featured in my book “What Bird Teach Us” available here online, as joyful, because of its continuous song, which changes during the day several times as it goes through its various tasks.
I came to an open picnic spot near the river and noticed movement in a rainforest fruit tree and to my delight a young Brown Cuckoo-dove was feeding alone as I watched. It tried to hide from me, but continued to feed.
Deeper into the rainforest I found this female Superb Lyrebird foraging by the track, quite unperturbed by my presence. Unfortunately lack of sunlight has created some noise and discolouration in these shots, as they have been light corrected. In the first few seconds you will see her grab a nice juicy worm for breakfast.
The elusive Scarlet Honeyeater continuously called but were moving high in the canopy of the tallest eucalypts and were undetectable. However, this young Grey Fantail was fanning his tail for me.
Grey Fantail in flight with food
before fanning tail
fanning tail
tail catching the light
Returning to my car I noticed this female Satin Bowerbird taking an interest in it. It may have been looking into the side rear vision mirror, as many birds have done in the past, viewing their own reflection, which results in them either attacking it or trying to relate to it. She eventually sees me and flees in their classic low flying style under the tree in front of my car where I detect a beautiful male ready at his bower awaiting her arrival.
looking up at mirror
notices me watching
looks at me determining action
escapes to bower
As it is Spring the male Satin Bowerbirds are in full courting and mating swing as females visit their bowers looking for a suitable mate. This is explained more in my book (mentioned above) and second book (to be published in new year) in greater detail. There are many bowers in this park for the many females to check them out. I was very blessed before leaving to actually view for the second time in my life the very rare privilege of the male dancing before the female as she stands in the bower.
It was a rather pathetic bower, and only had a few blue objects to decorate it, however, she had timed her arrival perfectly as he had build his bower in a perfect position to allow sunlight to come down right before the bower where he is standing which illuminates his beautiful satin plumage and impresses the female. Here is a short sequence of his dance, shot with much difficulty through a small hole in the thick bush) notice the female standing and observing his dance while standing in the bower.
On leaving I considered how blessed I am to be living here in this beautiful part of the world, and how each time I come to a park like this I am blessed to see new things, for which I am so grateful and delighted. I know that my Father God delights in delighting those who love him and appreciate his goodness, sharing the experience with them as a loving father does.
Enjoy your weekend and your freedom to ‘bird’ once again, for those out of lock-down and stay safe as the virus continues to lurk about like our enemy. Our state authorities trace it and continue to detect it in areas of our city’s sewerage. It continues to be found there even though reported cases are now zero.
If this is your first visit to my blog and website, check out my birding tips and information from my Homepage, and my book, which is the ideal Christmas gift. You can not buy it for a better price than here online.
The good news is that my next book “Flight of a Fledgling” has been negotiated for publishing in the first part of 2021, all being well. As book sales increase for the 2nd Edition of the first book we are praying for the necessary funds to be available before the close of this year.
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
‘So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
As we enter November, the last month of Spring, most of our Winter migrants have returned to their exact previous locations for their Summer stopover. Most of the passerine migrants spend our Winter in Far North Queensland, New Guinea, Indonesia and parts of South East Asia. One such bird I spotted calling in our local Oatley Park Reserve, to which it returns each year is the Dollarbird. A beautiful insectivorous bird that commonly sits on the top of dead trees or exposed areas. This one bird had no visible partner and was continually calling, possibly looking for a mate, who was not present as yet. I managed to catch some flight shots. The name comes from a the white marking on the wings which some bright sparl thought it looked like a dollar. The Indian or Common Myna wing markings look more like a dollar than this bird.
While in the park it was good to see the Chestnut Teal family was doing well and had produced another Spring clutch, though they made it difficult for me to photograph them.
The Pied Currawong is also nesting in the park, and is making sure its nest is near sufficient nests and nestlings of other small birds so it can feed its young. As you will know from my 2nd Edition, this bird is known to be the great opportunist, being one of our very cunning territorial Aussie birds. Now looking at his wings you could almost call him a Dollarbird also. The Currawong is a very unique Corvid cousin, omnivorous bird with many very interesting calls, and is often tricked by another migrant, the Channel-billed Cuckoo, the world’s largest Cuckoo, who replaces its eggs for its own, as I showed last year.
Here is a male and female Eastern Koel, I sighted recently in the Royal National Park, which is another returning migrant Cuckoo that uses Currawongs as a surrogate to raise its young. The female bares the Cuckoo stripes and the male is black with a red eye and is sometimes mistaken from a distance as a Satin Bowerbird.
Female and male Eastern Koel
Female Koel spreading wings
So many people have asked me to identify this horrible noise that wakes them up very early on Summer mornings and of course it is the male and female Koels communicating. Can you imagine what it is like having a tree next to your bedroom with these in it ?!
Before sunrise and throughout the day the male location call.
Then there is the other migrant, the Channel-billed Cuckoo, the largest of all, which is also in our neighborhoods at present being constantly chased by most of our local territorial birds, as they know what these birds get up to.
Channel-billed Cuckoo in flight
Another horrible noise to wake up to…
My wife and I woke early yesterday morning to go on a birding date to the Nasho (Royal NP) to see what new birds have flown in for the Summer months, with the hope of a nice breakie at the Nasho cafe to celebrate the 3rd, as we do each month to mark our wedding anniversary date. The track was still wet from recent good rains and at first we heard the sound of what sounded like a squeaking children’s swing in action, at least that was how my wife described it, and it was none other than the male Australian King Parrot, who landed alone nearby. He sounded and looked like he had recently matured and was calling for a partner, as these birds mate for life and are seldom seen alone.
One of his cousins, the Eastern Crimson Rosella appeared to be training a more immature bird and teaching it to drink.
People often mistaken the call of this bird for a Bellbird or Bell Miner.
It was early, and thankfully we were alone from noisy walkers, bike riders and joggers, with the melodic call firstly of the Grey Shrike-thrush nearby, though he was shy and did not want his photo taken.
As we walked along the track I could see this strange object sitting in the middle of the track. As we walked curiously with caution toward it we realised it was an unusual find, a immature Wonga Pigeon. This is a specific rainforest pigeon which is seldom seen and is endemic to our eastern rainforests. As I previously shared we have a variety of native Pigeons and Doves endemic to our rainforests which feed on the fruits from the forest such as fig and palm.
In the distance we could hear the haunting call of the Wonga, which we often hear early in the morning at the Nasho, but never see the bird. The Grey Shrike-thrust can be heard calling in the background.
As usual the male Golden Whistler were in full song and busily finding tasty grubs to feed on.
We were pleased to find the beautiful native Mountain Devil flowering again in the forest after 4 years of drought, and is a great supporting flower during winter for honeyeaters, especially the Eastern Spinebill.
Mountain Devil flower
Mountain Devil bush
Soon I heard the sound of the Scarlet Honeyeater, a very elusive, tiny and eucalypt canopy feeding bird. It was a challenge to actually get it against a cloudy sky as it called to its female mate.
The last photo gives you an idea how small this bird is, and why it is challenging to capture its photo as it mostly feeds on the canopy of very high trees and is constantly moving, only stopping to communicate briefly. We use to confuse its call with the Willy Wagtail and sometimes the Grey Fantail, but we are better at it now.
Another classic rainforest call that gets us on the run to search up the tree trunks is that of the White-throated Treecreeper, which we heard nearby and actually located for a minute. Though this bird is not easy to photograph when it climbs the dark side of the tree, as it does. In the sun it is quite splendid. He was removing bark in search of grubs and underlying insects as he walked up the tree calling.
But our best returning migrant find for the day was the Black-faced Monach which returns each Summer to the park. Sadly this bird hates getting its picture taken and will do everything to hide its face, thinking it makes hi invisible. So it hid in the dark under a tree canopy, so forgive the extreme enhancement.
I usually only detect this elusive bird by hearing its unique call.
Lastly, one rainforest bird we usually always see and hear is the male and female Satin Bowerbird, and we found this juvenile bird being harassed by Noisy Miners as it sat scared alone in a tree, and kept escaping from our camera. Immature birds resemble the female mother and the males will not start to show their mature satin plumage for up to six years.
By that time they should have learnt their mimicry repertoire and dance and have learnt to build a fashionable bower and decorate it. We found a mature male nearby, also trying to elude us, as the males are the most shy.
My wife felt quite refreshed and happy after our birding date, especially as we enjoyed breakie, though it was quite noisy as they were laying topsoil and turf to the riverside paddock.
I do hope you have a wonderful week, especially those out and about after extended lock-downs.
If you are new to my blog and website, why not become a Follower and get an email of my weekly posts and learn about our interesting Australian birds and their unique behaviours.
The good news is that we are getting closer to negotiating for the publishing of my next book, but there is much more work to be done, even though the book is basically completed.
If you have not done so already why not view my latest YouTube video at:
Buy the Beautiful Bird Book – “What Birds Teach Us” – the perfect Christmas Gift !
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Each bird has its own unique call or in many cases calls. We identify the bird before we actually see it by its call, which then leads us to its location. Birders develop acute hearing due to their very mindful hobby, and it gives them the rewards they seek. Because many birds mimic other birds, especially the Lyrebird, we can sometimes be mistaken if we do not listen for the subtle nuances, this comes from listening carefully and noting the differences. Do you know what bird or birds this is?
You would be looking for this bird, possibly for several of them.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Now what do you think it is ?
Here is a tricky one, what do you think this is ?
Noisy Miner
And again, we reveal the truth.
The tell tail sound of the Lyrebirds own call and interspersed beat it uses to dance with gives the sound away briefly. Yes we can definitely hear the call of both the Cockatoo and Miner but it is not them giving it, it is a copycat version, and a very good one at that since Lyrebird’s hearing and mimicry so outclasses all other birds in that it can make the sound appear like several birds calling at the same time and also alter the volume to sound like they are coming or going. All this with only three syrinx muscles instead of the usual four for Australian songbirds. Wow! What about you Mr Lyrebird, your an enigma !
This is a lesson to us all that we may meet people who talk the talk but may not necessarily be walking the walk, and I confess there have been times in my own life where this has been true. We can think that when we meet people and they seem so nice and polite, appearing on the outset to be good, honest kind people living in happy loving family relationships. but this may actually be a front or copy of the person they are making themselves out to be at the time, and in actual fact there true nature and species remains hidden from us behind closed doors.
The Covid has been a relationship test for many families, and with it the increase in domestic violence and family abuse has been noted in our country, and is currently a major problem, and a stain on our civilized society. If we think this is the case for anyone, or any family we know at this time it is in their family’s interest and well being to help them get help, as often pride and shame prevent this until it is too late and injury, broken marriage or even death results as has recently been the case in our own country.
White Ribbon Australia: Prevent Violence Against Women is part of a global attempt to reduce the problem, not to punish men, but to help them get the help and counselling they need, as many of these problems stem from copying their own dysfunctional family of origin examples, which are being exacerbated by the inability to cope with their own current stress and loss of self esteem. My new book hopefully will help in a non confronting way to assist young adults in becoming aware of why they are and act the way they do, and what they can do to change this. If you know anyone who needs help: 1800RESPECT. 1800 737 732
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (NIV)
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
‘So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
Spring has come after good rains that have helped wash away the 4 year drought. Daily temperatures are already climbing unseasonably, causing concern for the approaching bushfire season. The good news is that the forests are alive again with the sweet song of birds courting and nesting. Some calling in the hope of locating possible mates for the season while others preparing to nest, call to one another as they frolic in the sub canopy in the courting process. This locating call of the Golden Whistler was heard all through the forest as about six pairs were heard along the track in our local National Park during our early morning weekend walk. Some were still seeking a mate and putting out location calls, seeking love on the forest dating internet.
As it was early and still very cold as the sun had not yet broken into the forest, it was also poor light for capturing the already difficult to photograph Golden Whistler male and females on this occasion, though those who follow my blog have seen them on many occasions. You can see both male and female in this post.
The great gift granted us on this walk was to see one of the two birds we have been wanting to see all Winter, which appear this time of year, the other we have not seen at all. The bright male Scarlet Honeyeater appeared for a few seconds and fled on sighting us. This timid bird is usually difficult to catch a glimpse of because he spends most his time high in the dark upper canopy of the tall forest eucalypts. As you can see above, he stands out against the green background, as tiny as he is. The more timid female eluded is completely, as the more colourful male took our immediate attention. My wife at first thought she could hear their sweet high pitched call and she was correct because soon after we saw him for a brief moment. The red colour helps them hide among the red native flowers when they forage low on native Bottlebrush and Grevillea. Numbers appear to be down from last year, possibly the fires.
Male King Parrot
Male King Parrot
Female King Parrot in nesting hole
Curious male KP
Male guards the nesting hole while the female nests
Male enters the nest out of concern
Female KP
Male KP
Male KP
Interesting female pose 1
Interesting female pose 2
Interesting female pose 3
Male King Parrots in flight
Female King Parrot
As you can see above, the Australian King Parrot is actively nesting. This is one of our most colourful birds, again the red stands out against the green, and the male is almost all red apart from his wings and tail. These birds have a similar call sound or chime to that of the Eastern Crimson Rosella (pictured below), another beautiful local bird. Here the male and female which pair for life are resting together.
Male and female King Parrot
Male and female King Parrot
Many mistaken the call of these birds with that of the chime of the Bell Miner (Bellbird). As I have shared previously, if you only hear one bird chiming and not too loud, it will most likely be the Rosella or King Parrot. Birds of the Parrot and Cockatoo families use holes in trees for nesting, which our local eucalypts provide in abundance.
As the sun shone into the valley and illuminated the tall palms we approached the the place of our last sighting of the Topknot Pigeon, and lo and behold, the flock were continuing to feed on the ripe palm fruits, we felt truly blessed to see them again and in such good light.
Topknot Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
Check out the hair do
flying to ripe palm fruits
Topknot in flight
Check out the tail spread as it prepares to land
flying off
We just got a glimpse of this tiny Red-browed Finch.
We got excited for a few moments when we heard the call of several Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo in the trees on the hill above us, but could not see them, but for a few occasionally flying off. We thought they had all left, but for the continuous call of what appeared to be a young male having been left sitting alone in a tree. After much looking through branches we located it, but was in the bright sunlight which over exposed its beautiful tail.
We heard the constant song of a Superb Lyrebird for quite some time as we waited expectantly for it to emerge from the embankment below, but it saw us and went quiet, missing a visual opportunity. This what it sounded like.
There were many other birds we were unable to get good photos of, either due to the lack of light or too their fast flight from us, remembering that the bird brain sees, hears and responds much faster than ours. Because most shots are manually focused due to the bird size and surrounding vegetation, it is a challenge on every occasion to get one good photo, especially with my failing eyesight due to the hereditary eye condition of my left eye. It is both blessing and miracle on many occasions that I get a good photo at all, for which I am truly thankful. I feel very blessed for every day that God’s kindness sustains my sight.
Just to hear the multiplicity of bird song was a shear delight, as the forest which for months was fairly quiet, came alive once more. The call of life, new relationships, renewed relationships and prospective new life was electrifying the air. As we joyfully made our way back to our car we passed under the Big Fig which is known for feeding many of the Satin Bowerbird families in the forest. Sure enough as I explained to a family sitting under the tree about the Bowerbirds, the buzzing sound occurred, and we were able to show them both female (pictured below)as well as the elusive male (pictured above), as several birds foraged for remaining figs, which are the main diet of these birds. Notice the satin blue plumage in the sunlight of what appears black in the shade.
Notice also the female plumage how she blends so well into the tree, another protective provision by Intelligent Design. The both sexes of her babies will look just like her for up to four years and males will gain their full satin colour at about six years. By then the males should have learnt how to build a bower, and furnish it, as well as have his courting ritual (dance and song) down pat. My recent book release “What Birds Teach Us” explains both in photo and text the Bowerbird courting ritual. The bower should look something like this, though usually it is less exposed and under thick foliage, which may allow the sunlight in on his bower at a particular time of day as below. The one below is in a rainforest under a very tall tree canopy:
Male Satin Bowerbird with his bower
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If you explore my Home Page and Menu at top of page, you will find more helpful birding information, especially if you are considering it as a recreational hobby or pastime.
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Have a wonderful week, and stay safe. Our thoughts and prayers go to all our blog followers who are in lock-down and suffering loss and deprivation because of the current global crisis.
The beauty of the Bowerbird male is only realised when the sunlight shines into it’s plumage, otherwise it could be mistaken for a Raven or a male Koel, but for its eye and beak colour. The light gives beauty and value to the bird, especially when it performs its courting ritual before the prospective female while standing in its carefully decorated bower of blue objects, which he believes enhance his appearance. The light must shine on him to reveal his true glory and desirability as he dances before the bower.
For the Bowerbird it can differentiate mistaken identity from a distance when the sun shines off it. Light brings clarity and truth to everything it touches, exposing what otherwise remains hidden whether it be good or bad. So people who shine or are illuminated in both truth and integrity of being, Jesus says:
“Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” – Luke 11:36 (NIV)
“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ” – John 1:9-12 (NLT)
“This is the message we heard from Jesus[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” – 1 John 1:5 (NLT)
“Thelightshines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – 1 John 1:5
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
After sharing our the progress of our resident Crested Pigeon family, who are currently taking daily excursions as they fly off each morning with a parent to learn how to forage, it was an interesting and timely discovery on our walk in the National Park last week to come upon the resident flock of Topknot Pigeons. While this most extraordinary looking bird is not a pigeon with a crest, it has a very unusual hairdo or head plumage, which actually looks like braiding or dreadlock hair, which some bright spark in the past thought looked like a knot, so it got its common name Topknot.
Unfortunately, several overseas websites, which I will not name, from which many draw their information from when they are too busy to properly research for themselves, or are unaware of the true Topknot Pigeon, also give the Crested Pigeon the name Topknot, which is incorrect. This has come about because people who have little knowledge of our birds, have continued to wrongly identify the bird, and so the error becomes acceptable over time because it was read on the internet. I don’t know how many times my wife and I have corrected our own Aussie friends and visitors, to their surprise, over wrongly naming the Crested Pigeon as a Topknot, as the Crest is just not a knot. I deal with a similar issue, using the Tawny Frogmouth, how many miss identify it as an Owl, in the Second Edition of my recent book release What Birds Teach Us.
This is a frugivorous pigeon, which feeds on the variety of native fruits of our rainforests, mainly figs. They are strictly a flock bird and extremely fearful of humans, and will lift as a flock at the slightest provocation. They are often seen feeding beneath the upper canopy on the very tall rainforest trees, which makes them a challenge to photograph, except when the sun illuminates them. Winter is a good time to catch them in the light, as they warm in the winter sun, as they are doing above.
Australia has two species of pigeon with head crests, the Crested Pigeon, which I shared in my previous post and is commonly found all over Australia on both coast and inland desert, and the desert dwelling Spinifex Pigeon, which gets its name from the grasses it hides and nests in, which grow in the desert areas.The Spinifex Pigeon has three distinct subspecies of which I feature below the white-bellied subspecies found in the far north west of the continent. These were photographed years ago in the Bungle Bungle NP. Here is a comparison of our two crested pigeons.
Spinifex Pigeons (White-bellied) race plumifera
Crested Pigeon at Uluru
Note the size of the crest on this bird as it drinks at a spring in the desert. A variety of Finches can also be seen drinking. You will notice how the crest on this bird’s head looks like the top of the Spinifex grass it lives in, yet another provision of Intelligent Design, aiding their ability to hide.
I had to get a bird out of the sun on a fruiting native palm to see its full colour. Notice most of the fruit has already been eaten. Most of the passerine rainforest birds are basically fruvivorous. These include Fruit-doves, Doves, Pigeons and Bowerbirds (which include Catbirds). Sadly my flight shots were not good, but you can get an idea from this one.
After recent heavy rain again, which in the last two months has taken our huge Sydney dam from 40% full (and water restrictions) to now overflowing, all the creeks and waterfalls could be heard noisily making their way down to the Hacking River, which had also recently flooded over the road into the park. The sound of early spring were in the air as wild flowers bloomed and birds began pairing off and pursuing courtship rituals.
Bee on native flowers
Dillwynia glaberrima
Hakea salicifolia
The New Holland Honeyeater, Lewins Honeyeater and Eastern Spinebill are enjoying the new blooms of the flowering eucalypt in our early Spring, as also is the White-cheeked Honeyeater for a short time.
A pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike glided over me several times to check me out. There glide was similar to that of a Dusky Woodswallow, at first I thought, but they were larger, and when they landed it was obvious what they were.
The tops of high dead trees are excellent surveillance points for many birds, particularly raptors, which love a 360° view, and with their extremely keen eyesight can see small rodents quite well from up there. This is the best viewing tree in the reserve and always one of the first spots for birders to check, as there is always something in it. This Australian Raven was calling from the top of this tree but no one responded. He eventually gave up calling and went to ground level and just stood for some time. The Australian Raven is our most intelligent bird, on par with our Magpie, often displaying very innovative ways of finding food. Notice the beard-like protuberance under its chin, called hackles.
Like many birds coming into the early Spring, many are already in search of mates, which may be what the Raven is looking for and also this lovely female Golden Whistler who was continually calling to a male nearby. She tried hiding from me, but to no avail.
Watch as she puts out her location call for a response.
Another female further on had an insect which it appeared to wondering what to do with.
Of course there is always a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo not far away making a raucous racket, but not this lone individual. Notice the roughed up plumage surrounding its large beak. Cockatoos have movable feathers around their beak. When they are relaxed and feeling friendly, possibly trying to attract a mate, they may do this, as covering ones beak is a non threatening friendly stance, as against aggressively bearing it and opening and closing the beak angrily at your opponent. Cockies are known to be aggressive to one another, especially young males trying to prove themselves. This is another bird features in my book for this reason. Notice the feathers gradually retract in each photo as it becomes uncomfortable with my presence.
Here is an example of an aggressive stance by a Cockie defending its nest.
If this is your first visit to my blog and website, take a few minutes to explore my Home Page. You will find helpful birding tips and information on making birding a healthy recreational pursuit.
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In a similar way to the Cockatoo we just observed, body language: facial expressions and how we hold ourselves, shout loudly to the astute and trained observer, without a spoken word. Body language often discloses far more than what the person speaking wants to voluntarily disclose. Pride, shame and fear of rejection can cause people to feel awkward, anxious and insecure causing them to mask their true feelings. For example, when you are talking with someone, and they suddenly portray the defensive stance, by folding their arms and looking serious and sullen, possibly starting to stare or look away not making eye contact. They may prefer not to continue the conversation, or attempt to aggressively justify the behaviour being discussed. Respectful and skillful questioning may bring to the surface the underlying issue, the source of their insecurity, which is usually a false belief about themselves or what they think others think about them, which they have been secretly struggling to deal with. False fears and false beliefs about self, if allowed to persist and grow, are a formula for depressive disorders due to the unrelenting emotional stress, which eventually results in burn out. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is helpful to replace the lie with the truth, they need to believe about themselves and others. We can help people to health, often by sharing our own experiences, but the most important thing for us all is to find true peace and contentment in self, knowing that we are accepted and loved dearly, and never have to prove ourselves to anyone, as each of us is a unique creation, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) by a loving Father God.
“Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he caresforyou.” – 1 Peter 5:7
Have a wonderful week, and stay safe, especially to our dear friends in forced lock down, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).
‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’
As you have probably heard there is a second outbreak of the Covid in Sydney, which has put us all on high alert. Last Sunday my wife and I needed to get out and walk, so we went early to the Royal National Park, to hopefully escape the usual crowd, but it is now near a new virus hot-spot and locals were already there in large numbers, with some Victorian number plates sighted as well. So we decided to find a trail which no one was on to explore an area where someone had mentioned Southern Emu-wrens were sighted, a bird we have never seen, on the Mount Bass Fire Trail. Sadly, due to a technical problem, I lost many of my photos and was unable to retrieve them all, so what I have here are the ones I could retrieve from our birding date. This Eastern Crimson Rosella, is one of the many bird species from the Parrot family in Australia, the land of the Parrot. It is frequently seen and heard around the forests of Sydney.
Last week I asked some passing walkers what birds they have seen. The reply came: “I heard A Bellbird !” and I will respond saying “I don’t think so, not here in this park. But if you only heard one bird, it was probably not a Bell Miner (known as Bellbird) as they are a community bird, and they call to each other, so there are usually many. What you heard was most likely an Eastern Crimson Rosella. Listen for yourself to the chime of the Eastern Rosella calling to its mate, it can easily be mistaken. The Rainbow Lorikeet is calling noisily, as they do, in the background.
Now, before I get started on this birding date trail I want to explain that for the next few weeks I will be featuring the common local birds one can find around and in Sydney, where we live. We have many species, at throughout the year, and most local species remain all year round, and are very territorial, which means that when visiting birders ask me to take them out birding, and they name their list, I can usually find the bird they want with a reasonable probability.
Such as the Laughing Kookaburra which can be predictably found in the same location, sitting quietly watching as you pass by. We have these birds in our street, and they do occasionally visit our home and mark their territory, but choose to stay away rather then face abuse from the Noisy Miner coalition. These gentle patient birds are usually human friendly, and will come very close, especially if they see meat on your BBQ, or watch you digging in the soil. You can often get a shock when they fly suddenly down in front of you and grab a work you did not see. They have excellent binocular vision, being the largest bird in the Kingfisher family. Listen to their territorial call, it is very difficult to film them calling, as they tend to stop if they see you watching, so this is shot from a distance excuse the movement due to hand held full lens extension. This is Australia’s morning alarm clock, calling its inhabitants to rise and shine at sunrise.
This series of local birds was inspired by a request made by a blogger friend and blog follower, Takami from T Ibara Photo who showed special appreciation in my Pacific Black Duck photo, asking if I could show more of the common local birds where I live, as these often get left out, as we have so many interesting bird species.
Red Wattlebird
Now back to trail. The first birds we heard calling and making a loud raucous metallic cough-like like sound were the Red and Little Wattlebirds, calling and feeding. The Red Wattlebird is our largest honeyeater in Sydney and is very aggressive and controlling, where as the Little (or non wattlebird as I call it) as it has no visible wattle, is not as common and mainly seen here now in Winter. Both species feed on nectar, blossoms, fruit, lerps and insects. Listen to calls and judge for yourself.
Red Wattlebird in flight
Red Wattlebird in flight
Little Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
You will usually hear in the background the excitedly call of the Rainbow Lorikeet, in both above sound files. They are our most common small Parrot family bird and the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo our most common large. Both birds are found nesting in the same trees and sometimes competing for nesting holes, as I have shared previously, it is all about the Sydney Red Gum (Angophora costata) tree. Both these birds pair for life. The cone or crest of the Cockie is raised when the bird is alarmed or excited to communicate to their flock, acting somewhat like an emotional gauge. It also aids as a deterrent to any threatening situation. Both species feed on seeds, fruit, flowers, lerps and some insects, and both are featured in my book.
Rainbows drinking from tree
With raised cone
pair in flight
I love watching the Lorikeets feeding on our Bottlebrush tree each day. The excited chatter and call is continuous as the pair call to each other. So there may be many pairs feeding but they know the call of their mate. If a group alarm is sounded they are gone in a second, like airborne torpedoes they can fly with amazing accuracy past your head by an inch and through the tiniest space. I love watching the pair at the birdbath. I always get the best comments of appreciation from posting this colourful bird.
Probably the most common bird in largest numbers found around Sydney, and newly featured in the recently released 2nd Edition of “What Birds Teach Us”, is the Noisy Miner, one of the world’s most aggressive and brave birds, and Australia’s most aggressive native honeyeater. This bird has no fear when either alone or in coalition, to attack raptors, cats, dogs, humans and even kill smaller birds. This bird is a good example of a bully. It takes possession quite literally of an area of trees, and terrorizes any bird that they do not approve of, driving them from the area. They are very noisy as they put out calls to the coalition to come, and use their constant call as another form of harassment, like being in a house with the alarm going off, it is unbearable, especially to the ultra sensitive hearing of the bird.
The coalition of 6 visit my birdbath daily for their ablutions, at about 1:00 pm every day. The leader of the pack, pictured below, is now so use to me that he will often come and sit on the chair back next to me and just look at me for a few seconds. They know I fill their water for them, as all my backyard birds do. They will wait in nearby trees and on power lines, till I refill the bath, and then converge on it, madly ducking and splashing and all the time making a noisy racket, which sounds like: ” Hey, get out its my turn !”
Noisy Miner making noise
Of course they soon disperse to the tree when the alpha male Magpie comes, he is king pin and nobody argues with his very strong beak, and his powerful bite, for this territory is shared by Noisy Miners, Rainbow Lorikeets, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Currawong, Australian Raven and Australian Eastern Black-Backed Magpie, which all drink and bathe here.
Australian Magpie bathing
This is the little guy I call My Little Mate who makes my heart rejoice every time I hear him call through the day his beautiful song. I reckon he laughs a better laugh and a happier one than the Kookaburra.
He is like a pet to me, and you may remember last year how he brought his two fledglings to show me (see above). This is a younger photo of him. I never feed him, he just drinks and visits each day, sometimes several times. His call can be heard all through the day, and he varies it, so it is not monotonous.
Grey Butcherbird calling
Here are his children later on calling in the morning like their dad from the TV areal next door.
What about the lonely Pied Currawong. These are very deceptive and covert birds, known for their opportunistic behaviour, for which they have been a new inclusion in my 2nd Edition. They do have many beautiful and interesting calls, often the first call before sunrise. They silently sleek about and their bright yellow eye is constantly on the lookout for an opportunistic moment to score. In my book they teach the universal life principle of “A man reaps from what he sows.” or “What comes around goes around.” He is related to the Corvid family, and is uniquely Australian.
My Backyard Currawong usually only visits my birdbaths when no one else is around, bird or human. He is a bird of stealth and secrecy and quite shy.
Pied Currawong
Speaking of Corvids, the last bird I see near home, but rarely visits my baths is the Australian Raven, our most intelligent bird. A family flock moved into our neighborhood last year during the fires and at the beginning of the Covid. Now we have a large flock of them, but they keep well away from us and the Miners.
Our Australian Raven is quite a different bird to the crows of the Northern Hemisphere. Note its hackles beneath its chin, a distinct feature. This very intelligent bird, also has a tight social and complex structure similar to the also very intelligent Australian Magpie.
A bird I often see flying over head almost every day is the Australian White Ibis which has become in recent years a pest to Sydney gaining the name of the bin chicken. This is because it has learnt to remove garbage from bins and make a mess. Ornithologists have been studying this change of behaviour for some years now, as this recent increase in numbers within the city of Sydney has become a interesting problem. In one town nearby in the palm trees of the nature strip dividing one of the busiest roads, these birds are seen sitting on nests, perched precariously hanging from these palms while noisy traffic surges beneath. When roosting and nesting. like many flock birds, they find safety in numbers.
This bird is meant to be on mud flats and grassy fields prodding the earth with its long beak for insects and crustaceans.This is another new inclusion to my book, replacing the Glossy Ibis which is not an Australian bird but a migrant found worldwide.
Well, I have deviated from my birding date somewhat and ending up in my backyard, where we have shared some of the most common birds we see every day in the Suburbs of Sydney. I will come back to our walk again next week. One bird that has become a very real problem, even worse than our own native Noisy Miner, is the introduced Indian Myna or Common Myna. Efforts to cull this fast breeding bird have failed, and it is taking over and pushing out many of our native species. It was reported on the front of the newspaper as “The myna bird has become a major problem.” Thankfully my little coalition of 6 keep them away and they thrive further down the street. These birds have infiltrated many parts of the world with amazing success.
Indian Myna (Common Myna)
I managed to share the common or local birds that visit my back yard, as I digressed from my birding date, which I will return to next week where I will feature more local birds that are not found in my back yard. I would be interested if other bloggers would share their local backyard birds as a one off, in a blog, as some of my blogger friends have already done.
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I guess the best message we can gain from this weeks post is that it is too easy to take the things we experience daily for granted. We are constantly exhorted in the Bible to give thanks in every situation, and rejoice in all situations whether seemingly good or bad, because they are all sent to mature our character and make us into endurable people who live more by faith rather than sight. The outcome is we worry less and trust and rest and know peace more. We can only achieve this level of peace and sense of safety if we have faith in a trusted and tested source. As Jesus tried to show his followers long ago, and stands today, it is not so much how much faith one has , but the object we place our faith in that matters. This takes the pressure off of us to produce the peace, and rests it with God, who has the power to do it. (see Matthew 17:20). It is not science (though I am a scientist), nor mankind or luck, which are known from experience to be always unpredictable and constantly changing, but it is the unchangeable omniscient omnipotent loving Father God, with whom my wife and I find peace and rest in at this historically unprecedented turbulent and anxious time of uncertainty. I can understand now how the apostle Paul was able to say through the many and life threatening experiences he had:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” – Philippians 4:12 (NIV)
Have a wonderful week my dear friends and stay safe !
