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Birdwatcher, Birder or Twitcher, which are You?

Posted by aussiebirder on September 15, 2018

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, rainforests, Royal National park, Sydney, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: Birder, Birdwatching, Twitcher. 13 Comments

Aussiebirder birdwatches an Eastern Yellow Robin – truly ‘a bird in the hand’

It has been a couple of years since I visited this topic, and I continue to meet many people who ask me to explain the difference, it is timely that I reiterate, but with more information from more of a counselling and lifestyle perspective.

A group of tourists have an unexpected sighting, a family of Tawny Frogmouth

Most people in our community are only familiar with the term Birdwatcher and what that entails. A person who actively seeks out birds to view them and study them as a recreational pursuit. This title or description, to most people, could be used to generically include all who look at birds as a past-time both recreationally and ornithologically. However, to us who pursue birdwatching as a recreational pursuit and have done so for several years or more, birdwatching is but the first stage or introduction, where interest in birds and their presence begins to ignite a delight and desire within us for more…

Glen, acclaimed naturalist, birdwatching a male Regent Bowerbird

We start to include looking at birds as part of our nature/bush walks and family picnic experiences, this begins as the birds make their presence known or demonstrate some unusual behaviour and we start to have an awareness that the birds are there, and for the first time in our life we start looking for them and expecting them to be in particular places because we have seen them in the same places when passing. Picnic areas and car parks are some of the best places one can see and get close to Australian birds, as they have learned that humans have food.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at the Royal NP – they know how to get a free feed

However, it is better to feed them their own food if you can.

Hand feeding seed to wild Eastern Crimson Rosella

The Cafes can be good birdwatching places also…

Australian Raven drinking milk at Cafe in the Royal NP

Pied Currawong at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Cafe also drinking milk

For me personally, photographing nature and beautiful vistas was my prime delight for most of my early years, producing My Beautiful Series and the website by that name which many of you may have followed but was recently deconstructed. When my interest turned to birds more specifically, after a visit to Lord Howe Island years ago, in search of the Red-tailed Tropicbird, a whole new interest took my heart. I took less interest in landscape and nature photography and more in photographing birds. I was transitioning into the next stage and becoming a Birder.

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

A large percentage of Birdwatchers become Birders, a term which is mainly used by Birders themselves to describe their passion or differentiate themselves from others with greater or lesser enthusiasm in the recreational vocation. A Birder is a person who deliberately and passionately pursues birdwatching, particular bird species and bird habitats to actively engage with and view birds in their native habitat. The birder studies the birds and seeks to gain an active practical knowledge of bird species, their appearance, their call, their food, their habitat, their breeding, their migratory patterns and their peculiar characteristics. You could possibly use the term a recreational ornithologist.

For me personally, I call myself a Birder, along with my wife. The change to Birding meant a change in my camera lens from 18-250mm to 100-400mm. It also meant purchasing some books on where to find various birds including several different kinds of Bird Field Guides, taking interest in native bird conservation groups such as Birdlife Australia, joining a local bird observer club and checking on latest local sightings on eremaea birdlines or ebird websites. Many an avid birder, but not me, wear bush camouflage clothing, and purchase camouflaged binoculars, telescopes and camera lenses. Another sign is that the equipment used becomes more expensive some moving to high powered lenses including tripods and telescopes.

I started meeting other people, singles and couples, armed with binoculars and cameras with long lenses like mine. I would usually greet them and get right to the point by asking the question ” Are you a Birder?” or ” Are you into Birding?” The conversation would then include latest sightings and what was seen so far on the current walk. It could include name sharing of Birders we may share in common. You know your family know when all your gifts for whatever occasion have something to do with birds.

It was not till on our Honeymoon that my wife and I first seriously understood the term Twitcher, which is when one takes birding to the next level. When we shared with a lady how we met and found out later we were both Birders she gave us a copy of the movie The Big Year and said it was a must see for us. If you have not seen it is is as humorous as it is sad, starring the three funny men, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black but depicts a nonfictional story from a 2004 book called The Big Year. In a nutshell a Twitcher is a person who has an active addiction to Birdwatching and has become an obsessed Birder. These people seek out particular birds including rare bird species at any cost to themselves, their relationships and their health. They may devote a whole year to tick off a list and try and see the most birds in that year.

From the movie ‘The Big Year’ available on DVD – 3 Twitchers on their Big Year

The term originated in the 1950s in reference to a British birdwatcher Howard Medhurst who would get showing nervous shaky behaviour when he started thinking of and pursuing a rare bird. His mate would say he is ‘on the twitch’. He is thought to have started the idea of travelling long distances purely for the purpose of seeing a particular bird species. Read this interesting article on the origin of the term ‘twitcher‘. Some have said it comes from the term tick hunter as they would be trying to tick off their list of birds to be seen, These people have taken the joy of birdwatching to an extreme, where it can become a quite competitive task, rather than a delightful enjoyable experience. Watch the above mentioned movie to learn more.

The above mentioned person may need personal counselling to rectify their behaviour when it starts to place important life relationships and care for one’s self and others on a lower priority to their bird quests. Sadly, as the movie shows, as with any addition, the lies that are told, the moody behaviour with its accompanying anxiety, is ultimately destructive, and also to those in relationship with the Twitcher. It is said that the natural hunter instinct of man is enacted in the process.

It easy to get overly passionate about birding – the hunter instinct

I have to confess that there was an occasion where I almost crossed over, and this can so easily occur as we begin to become passionate about our new found hobby, if we do not check our behaviour at regular intervals, or have not been trained to do so. People living stressful lives, driven to achieve, with extreme goal orientation, are more prone to become Twitchers. I pulled back as I saw I was being consumed by my obsession to find new birds, and I listened to my wife tell me the changes that she was seeing in me that were not healthy for our relationship. I thank God I pulled back and saw what she saw, and established guidelines for my behaviour.

I pulled back from almost ‘crossing over’ – almost becoming a Twitcher

I have drawn up my own comparison here for you to consider. I pray this will be helpful, even if only for one Birder on the brink of crossing over for I speak from experience, but not just as an almost victim, but also as a self assessing family counsellor. Please note: My definition of Twitcher may not agree with all who call themselves Twitchers. My main purpose is to highlight healthy from unhealthy behaviour, as the term Twitcher encompasses many displaying addictive behaviour.

Birdwatcher	Birder	Twitcher
Thinks about birds occasionally and does not distract from normal life.	Thinks about birds daily, possibly talks about them, this may only occasionally distract and interfere with normal life, but rarely.	Thinks about birds most of the day and takes up most of their conversation, and may interfere and distract them from normal life on a regular basis.
Seeks birds occasionally when on an outing, not necessarily to reason for the event.	Seeks and pursues birds recreationally on a regular basis, birds being the prime purpose of the outing.	Seeks birds and pursues them as the prime focus of thir life, always thinking of the next encounter and how & where they will view them.
May or may not use or even be aware of an ebird app. This will have little impact on weekend plans unless the sighting is nearby and unusual.	May use an ebird app at least once a week or more to help plan a weekend birding adventure, and may travel several hours or more to location but minimise cost.	Will most definitely use an ebird app and other means to access live and recent sightings. This will help determine their next day. They may travel long distances at great cost.
Weekends away & recreational walks may include bird watching, Binoculars may be optional unless kept in the car. Only done outside work hours.	Weekends away and day trips prime focus on finding birds. Always brings binoculars and camera. Only outside work hours with very infrequent day off during the week.	Any time during the week when rare birds and rare sightings seen, may interrupt normal work week and family functions to pursue birds on a regular basis.
Stress level Low to Moderate – seeing birds adds an interesting dimension to the outing and assists in lowering stress levels. They share their delight with those with them.	Moderate stress level – birding a healthy distraction from busy & stressful life. Excitement or disappointment with pursuit of birds mostly lowers stress levels but can at times be stressful. They love sharing their delight and knowledge.	High stress level – driven with high expectation and personal achievement. Addiction is stressful causing anxiety lacking peace. Hence the ‘twitch’ in Twitcher. Can be very selfish, guarded, not wanting to share.

Birding is an enjoyable experience most of the time. It is good and healthy to be passionate about people we love and things we love to do, but only when we have control of our passion, not allowing it to take control of us. Addiction encourages and paves the way for demonically inspired behaviour, which is physically, emotionally, socially (relationally) and mentally destructive. When I look at Jesus I see a man who was passionate for the good of others (unselfish love), having a totally balanced character, always in control of his person. Jesus was man as God had intended him to be, growing in all 4 aspects of life – healthy mind(pure loving thoughts with emotional stability), body(stature or health), spirit (with God) and relationships(with man). He trusted God’s Holy Spirit to guide him through life.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

May your week be peaceful, satisfying, full of joy and enjoyable birding experiences.

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NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

One of my greatest photographic delights is shorebird reflections on the waters edge of lakes and lagoons. The Black-winged Stilt always wins the prize for me as one of the best reflectors, as you can see in above photo kissing its own reflection. They are shorebirds or waders as we call them, wading the shallow waters edge in search of aquatic insects and crustaceans. There long needle-like beak is ideal for piercing the wet mud.

My wife and I happened to be passing this lagoon north of Sydney and discovered these non-migratory waders feeding together in perfect harmony. Even the Magpie-lark (PeeWee) were getting into the act, considering they are passerines and not waders. Click on photo to enlarge it.

The Masked Lapwing (formally the Spur-winged Plover) was also grazing in a small flock, but not reflecting as well (‘not as reflectagenic’)

The lagoon showed the affects of drought, having receded significantly over the year due to our extreme summer heat and long drought, which is still unbroken. This meant we had to walk some distance out to the shoreline, making us more visible to our avian friends.

Pitt Town Lagoon

Some saw us coming and moved to safer quarters, producing lovely flight shots as they departed.

Black-fronted Dotteral

Grey Teal

Black-winged Stilts

One of the highlights of this visit was to find our two smallest waders together. The Black-fronted Dotterel and the Red-kneed Dotterel, dottering about the waters edge. These tiny birds are difficult to photograph from a distance using a short depth of field lens as they are so small and close to the ground surface when focusing. These birds are a species of small plover. There are some good reflection moments in some of these shots.

Black-fronted Dotterel

Another amazing reflection photo is this one, which I particularly liked.

Another highlight, just as we were leaving was to see this Golden-headed Cisticola female, just before it flew off from one set of dead reeds to another. This bird is usually found near fresh water lakes in reeds, and initially can be mistaken for an Australasian Reed Warbler. The male has the afro golden head it gets its name from.

Later in the week I needed to out out in the quite of the rainforest, away from the noise of humans and their machines, so I went to the ‘Nasho’ or ‘Royal’ (The Royal National Park as non locals know it). I walked to a place where a Noisy Pitter had been recently sited and found a film team with smoke machines filming an add for Omo washing detergent. What!! in a sensitive rainforest area of National Park!! Speaking with one of the crew, he did not know why they chose this spot either. As for wildlife, forget it, the noise and smoke effect, and small of diesel from van generators would drive any creature away. So I walked on out of earshot of this invasion…

the track

palms

Gymea Lily ready to bloom

an elcorn

As I walked the track I saw some of the usual birds, but was unable to do the deeper rainforest area due to the film crew presence.

Lewins Honeyeater

But the greatest delight was to walk right up to this male Superb Lyrebird foraging by the track. It is easy to tell when the lyrebirds have been recently on the track by their scratchings.

Then you listen for their calls, and work out where they are. This one was quiet and I could have easily scared him if I had not seen his beautiful tail protruding onto the track. Watch carefully as he downs a white grub he has dug up.

Finally, I thought I should check out those militant Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. I patched into their conversation some months ago you might remember. They were meeting again at Wattle Flat by the river, but had taken control of the main picnic table closest to the river. I wasn’t able to catch their conversation on this occasion as they were talking quietly, but it looked like they were planning to make a statement by taking control of the table, as they wanted it for themselves, after all it was a National Park to protect wildlife, and wild these guys are.

As it is Mothers Day tomorrow when we honour our mother and mothers worldwide, we see how dependent we are on their sacrificial love for us when we are so vulnerable in our early years. Mums are the ‘glue’ of the family, their love nurtures us in the most practical way, and seeks to give for the good of the family, often at great cost to herself. She works hard to keep the family together, and ensure that everyone has their needs met, and have been listened to. Her finger is on the pulse of her family.

“The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly;
whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in them.
May your father and your mother have joy;
may she who bore you rejoice.” – Proverbs 23:24,25 (NET)

Happy Mothers Day all you mums out there!

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NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

Splendid Fairy-wren couple

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

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

Male Splendid Fairy-wren in breeding plumage

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

Female Splendid Fairy-wren

Female Splendid Fairy-wren

Young Splendid Fairy-wrens

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

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

Superb Fairy-wren female

Superb Fairy-wren (female)

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

Superb Fairy-wren male

Superb Fairy-wren male in eclipse

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

Variegated fairy-wren (non breeding male)

Variegated fairy-wren male

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

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

Red-backed Fairy-wren male

Red-backed Fairy-wren

Red-backed Fairy-wren male

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

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

Have a wonderful week!

Sydney is Australia’s largest city, and is growing daily, sprawling westward, having already sprawled north and south. I have shared many of the birding delights from in and around our city, and this week from the fringes of the south (Royal National Park) to the north (Warriwood Wetlands). The great delight for the birder is finding the unexpected bird or birding experience in a frequented park or reserve. Above is the beautiful vista of Pitt Town Lagoon, near Windsor, with the Great Egret gracefully taking centre stage. It was here that my latest lifer was seen the Australian Spotted Crake. I have prayed recently that I might see my first Crake and Bittern, as these birds have so far eluded us, being as shy as they are. This lone Spotted Crake was grazing alongside a lone Red-kneed Dotterel, but they were unfortunately some distance away, and would duck for cover when they saw me approach. My Victorian blogging friend, David of Birds as Poetry blog has posted some clearer pics this week of the same species, as well as Baillon’s Crake.

No matter how poor the photos, until better ones are shot down the track, this is a birders record of having seen the bird in the wild. It is a small bird as you can see in comparison with the small red-kneed Dotterel.

The Red-kneed Dotterel was quite stunning in the sunlight also. Click photos to enlarge them.

As you saw from my first photo this beautiful Great Egret was gracing the lagoon.

This White-faced Heron has one of the whitest faces I have seen in this bird.

After a walk around Narrabeen Lagoon with friends and had an unusually birdless experience though we did see this Cattle Egret beginning to don breeding plumage.

We drove to nearby Warriewood Wetlands and there we saw this Australasian (Purple) Swamphen. Notice how these water foul flick their tail as they walk around. The Spotted Crake does this also but not as much. Other water foul such as Dusky Moorhen also flick their tail while moving about.

Australasian Swamphen

My friend who was sharing the day with us, mentioned how difficult it has been to actually see Bell Miners (Bellbirds) in the trees. This is a dilemma many birders and non-birders have. They can hear a cacophony of bellbirds calling in a forest, but can not see them. This is because they are a sub canopy dweller and are small and green, matching the leaves. Like the Whipbird, their call is amplified off the eucalypt leaves. Bell Miners, like other miners are a community bird (pack bird), and will gang up on other birds and chase them out of their forest. For the first time we were able to show him the elusive bird, because we knew how to look for them. This is the bell sound we heard this community make.

While we were shooting these photos at Warriewood Wetlands we had the added bonus of watching the Bell Miner removing the lerps from the eucalypt leaves. Lerps are the casings of the tiny psyllid insect that inhabits the back of the eucalypt leaf. The Bell Miner, in the same way as the Spotted Pardolote, using their tongue, skillfully remove the outer sugary casings from the insect without harming it. Here are some photos capturing the Bell Miners removing the Lerps from the leaves.

This young Grey Fantail saw us with our camera and was trying to get some attention by fanning its tail and making a racket.

The next day we had a really great big breakfast at the Audley Dance Hall cafe in the Royal National Park (where my book can be purchased) and had a morning walk where we captured. We went looking for the Azure Kingfisher but they flew off before we could catch them. We think we found their nest in the bank of the river. We did however briefly catch this Sacred Kingfisher.

In the Hacking River we find another Great Egret fishing…

This Sulfur-crested Cockatoo was enjoying the cone from the Norfolk Pine trees planed in the park. As were many others in the flock…

But the feature of our southern fringe birding experience on this seemingly birdless day was this Black-faced Monach, a winter migrant that has returned for the summer to the same place in the forest each year. This bird has distinctly beautiful call, not unlike the whistlers.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater continues to grace the park during the summer months. This bird is found here all year round.

This Olive-backed Oriole is another migrant that has returned to breed during the summer. It chooses to call from the very top of this dead branch. It looks uncomfortable but it continues to call from here.

Nearby another summer migrant is seen flying about in pairs, this Dollarbird, which gets its name from the white round marking on its wing which someone reckoned resembles a dollar. Common Miners have a similar white marking on their wings. You can see the markings below.

Finally, you may have been wondering how the baby Tawny Frogmouth is going which we also found in the Big Fig Flat which I highlighted on my Something Special on my Home Page. As you can see the baby has fledged and the nest is left empty, and what a flimsy simple nest it is…

Have a wonderful week as you prepare for Christmas, when we celebrate the coming of the most important person in history, Jesus Christ. What I do with this man will effect my life forever.

“keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” – Jude 1:21

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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.

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!

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.

Black-backed Magpie

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.

Superb Lyrebird male foraging

Last Sunday afternoon my wife and I went for a birding walk with a non-birder friend. We had previously done walks with her, but on this occasion it happened naturally that we introduced Catherine for the first time to birding as an enjoyable afternoon recreation walking part of the way on Lady Carrington Drive in the Royal National Park. She was a little concerned having been told of the Red-bellied Black Snake we saw with another friend a couple of weeks ago on the same track.

Reflections on the Hacking River

To start we took her to the place where I saw the Azure Kingfisher (featured in my last two posts) but due to the many people in the nearby area the timid bird was not to be found, but we did delight in the beautiful reflection on the river. She noted this Australasian Grebe floating on the river. My wife lent her binoculars as she saw close up this cute little bird. We had seen this bird many times before but for her it was a lifer, as were a pair of Purple Swamphen which she interestedly asked the name of (not pictured). Click on photos to enlarge them.

Having had no success with the Azure Kingfisher we started our walk, mentioning at certain points where particular birds are usually found, but on this occasion, as you would have already guessed, there was hardly a bird to be found. But we did hear the call of several birds including the Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Lewins Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill and White-throated Treecreeper. We mentioned that a highlight of this walk would be to see or hear a Superb Lyrebird. Just then we saw a large bird fly up into a tree near the track, but was well camouflaged under its canopy. At first we thought Bowerbird female, but we were not far wrong, when my wife identified a Green Catbird which is a member of the bowerbird family. It sat quietly in the tree while we checked it out. This was another lifer for our friend who was now becoming quite interested, for this was an uncommonly seen rainforest bird, normally quite timid and usually found in dense rainforest further down the track. The darkness of the forest canopy usually makes photography difficult, but God granted us the gift of this bird to tantalize our friend in the delights of birding.

The reality of Forest Gump’s ‘box of chocolates’ begins to become reality for our friend as birds never before seen are found by us. Catherine asks in amazement, while pointing into the thick tree canopy: “How do you find the bird in all that ?” She starts to ask the right questions of birder in the making. Our next lifer for her was this New Holland Honeyeater making a continuous chirping in a low lying bush.

As we walked further we could hear the sounds of a lyrebird in bush nearby the track, and our friend was blessed with her first sighting of a male Superb Lyrebird foraging, another gift, as you may not see this bird, you may only hear calling in the river valley below. We watched for some time as he foraged without being disturbed, as these males are quite timid normally. The first sighting of the bird through the bush is usually the beautiful tail, which is magnificent in the sunlight.

As we walked on we met a lovely mature couple sitting quietly on a rock by the road waiting for their lyrebird they call Bill, to appear. After answering a question for them, we left them, sitting and waiting for Bill to appear. One of the other features of our winter walk was the wildflowers that were out, the beautiful bright Boronia included, flowering quite early.

Spider Grevilea

Gymea Lily

Boronia

Gymea Lily

Boronia

We could hear the Yellow-faced Honeyeater constantly, but being small and high in the canopy we found it difficult to photograph, until one sat high up in the sunlight long enough for my wife to show Catherine and me to photograph. This tiny honeyeater is very common here during winter months, but another lifer for Catherine. Of course the Currawong, Magpie and Kookaburra are common birds that we saw also but were not lifers for Catherine.

Little did we expect on our walk back to find another lifer for Catherine, in fact a bird we had never seen in the park here before, a Crested Shrike-tit, another bird that may be seen more in winter months. This tiny bright bird, is usually discovered by the sound of bark being dislodged from tree branches as it searches beneath it for insects and grubs. That was how we found this one, in fact Catherine noted her attention was drawn to the noise of the bark dislodging. We saw him catch a worm and eat it.

I always have trouble getting good clear pics of this bird because of the darkness of the canopy, as they are usually high up under the canopy, and always on the move. These have been considerable lightened up, as you will be able to tell from lack of clarity. Of the three races of this bird the nominate race frontatus is found in eastern Australian mainland, throughout NSW, Victoria and coastal Queensland. The other two are found in SW and northern Western Australia and NT. This bird was a female Crested Shrike-tit as it had an olive green bib, as males have a black bib under their chin.

My wife always get excited seeing this bird, as it is so cute and colourful, and we seldom see it. It was starting to get cold as the winter sun was low in the sky and time to walk back. On our way we were twice blessed with another appearance of the male Superb Lyrebird, and again he did not mind us watching him forage for a while, this time much closer. This ended when he climbed up a tree on the edge of the river and flew across the river to the other side where he lived. Sadly there was not enough clearing for me to film the flight, which are quite extraordinary to watch. Here is some movie footage I caught in reasonable light.

This bird seldom flies long or high, appearing somewhat difficult for it, as it is a non migratory, territorial rainforest ground dweller. This means it is predictably possible to find this bird in the same area, How do you know a lyrebird is in the vicinity? By the scratchings on the side of the track, where they have been looking for insects and worms in the leaf litter. When we see these we know they are about. See here the beauty of God’s beautiful craftsmanship in the tail of this bird.

Male Superb Lyrebird foraging

Male Superb Lyrebird tail

So we made our way home, with us encouraging Catherine on the sightings of the many lifers she had encountered this afternoon. Birds she would probably have never seen or even known to look for, that were there all the time. I said she was ‘a birder in the making’ and joked that we would take her again because we saw such great birds with her. My final thought for this post came from a feature of this Angophora costata tree that Catherine noted and my wife photographed.

Catherine noted that a branch appeared to have separated and then grown towards and actually rejoined with the main trunk of the tree, quite peculiar and amazing to say the least. I thought it was just an optical illusion, but on close observation it truly is reconnected at the main trunk. Both branch and trunk have been strengthened by joining to one another, forming a union in two places. Relationships, especially close ones, strengthen our lives, giving loving support and encouragement. We value those we can trust through difficult times, who are not just fair weather friends. God is one such faithful friend who will never let you down.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.” – Proverbs 27:9

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

Check out the rest of my website and have a great week birding! There are now also more places where my book is sold.

Birding Highlights of the Week

Posted by aussiebirder on July 18, 2017

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Royal National park, Sydney, Uncategorized. Tagged: Azure Kingfisher, Red-browed Finch, Tawny Frogmouth.

Last weekend my wife and I had the delight of two of my four grandchildren staying with us during their school holidays, so we had a day at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. As I have shared on previous occasions our zoo is a leader in conservation of our endangered Regent Honeyeater, due to its breeding program, which successfully releases them back into the wild. This bird is an important contributor to the pollination of many Australian flowers. It was good that we could show them what one looked like, considering we have spent so much time looking for it without success in the wild. To hear them call to one another was another feature. Sadly the noise of children in the background spoiled my film clip. The skin around the eye is a pale pink flesh colour in the mature adult, this one is still maturing.

Regent Honeyeater

I also took them to see the resident Tawny Frogmouth couple, I featured on here the last two weeks, and lo and behold one of my grandsons spotted a third Tawny, which I had not noticed, sleeping in a tree fork nearby. A budding birder no doubt. You can see how difficult it is to spot them as they mimic the shape and colour of the surrounding tree.

As we walked through the park one of the boys spotted this beautiful Red-browed Finch, which are park residents, which I had only just said I had not seen much of recently. This little guy gave us a great reception.

These tiny birds, are essentially firetails, some referring to them as a Red-browed Firetail, since they meet the criteria of a finch with a bright red tail. They are found from the coast to the plains in the eastern states of Australia moving about in small to large flocks, foraging for small seed (such as grass) and insects. The juveniles lack the red brow.

Red-browed Finch

I also took the boys to the Royal National Park, to the very same spot at the bend in the river, where I saw the Azure Kingfisher last week, from whence the photos I featured in last week’s post were taken. As I drove there it was getting late and I kept thinking, what if it does not show… but to our delight and God’s kindness it was right on queue. Another couple from eBird Australia had already sighted it. However it had eluded them. My grandson soon spotted it flying and landing on a reed. You can see how small yet bright they are.

Azure Kingfisher on reed

The boys tracked its movements from then on, their youthful eyes were a great advantage. I was delighted that they said seeing this bird was a major feature of their weekend with us. Interesting enough, this usually extremely timid bird sat and watched two men in a canoe come close. This gave me some of my best shots.

The kingfisher flew to the other side of the river onto a tree stump, revealing a more frontal aspect.

Finally, it flew off and I managed to snatch these departing shots. This was the only bird we saw, as by now the sun was starting to set and the cold evening winter air was settling into the valley.

Azure Kingfisher

So these were some of the features we showed our grandsons on the weekend. It is one of our legacies as grandparents to our grandchildren to connect them to precious aspects of our environment, and encourage conservation, especially of our endangered and threatened species. Another endangered specie, having suffered habitat depletion and death by humans is the Platypus, which we also were privileged to see at the zoo.

This monotreme is known to be very shy of humans and is a nocturnal hunter like most Australian animals, however, it did a few laps of the pond for us.

My thought for the week is that in a similar way that the Regent Honeyeater and Platypus are both rare and difficult to see or find in our normal environment, does not mean that we just forget about them and the difficulties they encounter sharing this planet with overwhelming numbers of selfish by nature humans. Conservation is the only way of preservation for species such as these, but for many it is too late.

“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

Man was not put on earth to exploit it but to take care of it, and if we want to leave something good for our grandchildren that is what we must continue to do.

Have a wonderful week birding!

These beautiful warm winter days, with clear blue skies, have been excellent for birding in the Sydney area, so off I went to my favorite walk in the Royal National Park which is only a 20 minute drive for me. The National Parks shop at Audley is another place where you can purchase my book. Because the birds have been low in number, I decided to quietly stalk the river bank in search of the Sacred and Azure Kingfisher. This is easy to do when you are alone. Click on photos to enlarge them.

To my great delight a beautiful Azure Kingfisher flew from across the river directly into a tree I was standing behind. These birds are very human shy, and this was the first time I had ever been this close to one. It was surprised to find me standing so close, so it flew into an even better sunlit position. It was so beautiful, with the sun enhancing it’s iridescence. This bird is found from top to bottom of eastern Australia, including the west coast of Tasmania. The more rufous bellied race are found at the top end of the mainland in far north Queensland and NT. They mainly stay by fresh water creeks and rivers hunting yabbies and very small fish. They are a beautiful flash of orange and blue when they fly past. They are very fast fliers.

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The Azure Kingfisher did not like my attention so it flew across the river and rested on a rock. Finally, it dived into the river, beneath the water, caught a small fish and emerged all in a matter of a few seconds, and then landed back on the rock where it sat with fish in mouth for several minutes without moving. Kingfishers have binocular vision like eagles, and also have eyesight that corrects for light refraction in the water, allowing them to accurately target their prey. They do not have good eye movement within the socket and need to move their head more. Please forgive the poor images as the poor lighting and distance over river impair the image quality.

Cockatoo squadron meeting. with guards standing watch.

I was just starting my bush walk away from the river, and my attention was drawn to the raucous racket of over thirty Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. These birds are always noisy, all day long. But my attention was then drawn to this war room meeting of the flight commanders. They even had guards standing watch on each corner of the meeting room. I think I managed to work out what they were saying.

Soon after this there was more screeching and off most of them flew in a swarm of flapping wings. I don’t think their plan impressed the park rangers at the visitor centre enough to bring about what ever changes they mat have been considering.

As I walked I noticed the bush to relatively quite, the Golden Whistlers and many other birds go quiet during winter, and start calling again in Spring when they are courting and breeding. The birds are still there but you won’t see them as much because they are quietly moving around the tree canopy. The only honeyeaters I saw were the New Holland and the Yellow-faced, with an occasional glance at the Eastern Spinebill, which I have previously captured feeding from the native Banksia ericifolia flower heads.

Banksia Ericifolia

Spider Grevilea

Gymea Lily

Spider Grevilea

I could hear the call of the Lewins Honeyeater but did not see it. This is winter birding at its best. The beautiful winter flowers bloomed along with early wattle.

This beautiful eclypsing Variegated Fairy-wren caught my attention and was a delightful addition to a seemingly birdless walk. Again I heard the Lyrebird calling in the valley, and saw its scratchings, where it had passed recently, but did not see it on this occasion.

Tawny Frogmouth (female)

Tawny Frogmouth (male)

So I left after a good long walk, refreshed and thankful for the beautiful gift of the Azure Kingfisher. Afterwards, I drove to Oatley Park Reserve to check on the Tawny Frogmouth pair that I posted recently, and on this occasion the female looked right at me for some time, and the light was not too bad, as you can see above. Females of the east coast race strigoides differ from male having rufous shoulders and malar markings. They can be quite rufous coloured at times, as . Then later went back to sleep. The male remained sleeping the whole time, mimicking a tree branch, as they do so well. He has no rufous but long dark streaking on neck and chest also being paler grey than female.Notice one of the frames above, how difficult it can be to spot them in the dark canopy of a eucalypt tree, which their plumage resembles so remarkably. It can be also difficult to determine the sex of these without good lighting, which leaves me with the thought of how important light is to revealing the truth and true nature of a creature or object. The Bible declares that “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” – 1 John 1:5

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” – John 3:20,21

If we live in the light of God’s wisdom and Word we have nothing to fear or be embarrassed about both now and on the last day. Jesus is the Light of the World and came to earth to bring us back into the light of God’s truth to embrace Him as our true loving Heavenly Father.

Jesus spoke saying: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” – John 8:12

Check out the rest of my website and also my entries for the Art Exhibition Show next month at the Oatley West Public School Community Festival 25th – 27th August. This is a major event in our area each year, and I am thankful that I can display some of my photography of Oatley Park birds and reptiles as well as sell my book. Don’t forget my book “What Birds Teach Us” can be bought here online at the best price, which may soon rise in price due to its popularity. Have a great week birding!

If you know of a private book shop or book seller who would stock my book, please get them to email me from my Birdbook page.

The warmth of the winter sun is so welcome, and the brisk freshness of the mountain air, beneath a deep blue cloudless sky make winter birding a pure delight. We begin our afternoon walk in the Royal National Park as Rainbow Lorikeets prepare to nest during the winter months in preparation for spring fledging. They now claim their tree holes in preparation, though some are already underway.

Sulfur Crested Cockatoo make a raucous commotion as the small flock are sent into alarm due to a passing raptor. Notice how their sulphur crests (cones) flare up when they are alarmed, this is meant to deter their aggressors. They will soon be pairing to nest also. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Silfur-crested Cockatoo

We brought a friend along for the walk and she was quite confident that it was fine to walk into the tall grass because it was winter and the snakes were already in hibernation. However, she was surprised when I told her that the Red-bellied Black Snake, a common venomous reptile, did not necessarily do so. She seemed quite brave till she jumped with fright as she saw right next to her a large Red-bellied Black Snake basking in the winter sun beside the track. After a photo shoot we continued on, as they were getting concerned that the snake was taking interest in them. This snake, though venomous is not usually aggressive, unlike the Brown and Tiger Snakes. The second photo show some of the underlying red belly.

Red-bellied Black Snake

Red-bellied Black Snake, showing red belly

As I have mentioned previously, winter birding can be disappointing due to inclement conditions and simply fewer birds, due regional and international migration. One of the gifts we were granted on this occasion was this beautiful male Rose Robin. We could not find a female in the vicinity, but he was simply a winter delight, as these birds and others move north to escape the cold winter of Victoria, which is why we do not always see them. I sometimes call winter Robin Time.

Of course our Eastern Yellow Robin stays with us throughout the year, and is often the only Robin we will see, as it is a curious bird, and will often come quite close to check you out, as this one did.

We did not see any Lyrebirds on this occasion as many people were noisily walking and bike riding along the track, but we could hear them calling in the valley. I almost ran into an Eastern Whipbird as it was about to come out onto the track, the bird and I both got a surprise.

Eastern Whipbird

This Brown Gerygone was a gift winter bird we do not always get to photograph as it stays hidden among the lower brush, and is another immigrant spending winter with us. This a small insectivorous bird similar to a Thornbill.

One bird we saw many of during our walk was the beautiful Eastern Spinebill. This honeyeater was everywhere extracting nectar from the Bottlebrush and Banksia flowers in the bush by the track. These flower heads along with Mountain Devil, are the sustaining source of nectar during the winter months till spring flowers start to arrive in August.

The Scarlet Honeyeater was also present high in the eucalypt canopy, but eluded me of photographic evidence, and it was joined by the Yellow-faced Honeyeater in great number also at this time.

The Australian King Parrot sat quietly in a tree and went unnoticed till I heard the male call. It is not often that I get to capture the elusive and shy female, who often flies off immediately she is spotted. The male has the bright red head and chest. The female flight shot was another gift. It is the time of year when the red birds increase and stand out against the green backdrop.

Male King Parrot

Female King Parrot

Male King Parrot

Female King Parrot

Male King Parrot

Female King Parrot in flight

The chattering staccato call of the Lewins Honeyeater is heard continuously as we walk. They are also in large numbers at this time, though rather than feeding on nectar, they feed on the ripe figs at Fig Flat off the great fig tree at the beginning of our walk. Here are some shots of one eating this ripe fig piece by piece. Australia has over 100 varieties of native fig which provide food for many of our native birds. These figs ripen at various times throughout the year providing a constant food source. Most of our rainforest pigeons, bowerbirds, parrots and catbirds as well as honeyeaters enjoy a ripe fig when they are available.

Some of the flowers we saw apart from the early wattle were the Spider Grevillea and the huge stems of the Gymea Lilly about to open.

Spider Gevillea

Gymea Lilly

In the opening of the rainforest this interesting pandanus like fan palm makes a beautiful sight.

We returned from our walk and sat by the river as the sun slipped behind the mountain, and the cold air drifted into the valley. We watched this pair of Australasian Grebe reflect off the still water. After our prayer and thanksgiving time together we were granted a reappearance of the Rose Robin, but he left before I could retrieve my camera, besides the light was fading quickly.

The faithful Laughing Kookaburra are always present in the same areas of the park, just watching all the human activity and waiting for a food opportunities. As the sun slipped behind the mountain we made our way home.

Laughing Kookaburra

My thought for the week comes from this faithful pair of Tawny Frogmouth that spend each day sleeping in the same eucalypt tree, returning from their night food hunt. They sit snuggled together in a tree fork.

Tawny Frogmouth

Tawny Frogmouth sleeping

However, on one occasion the male noticed my presence and started to take on a form of camouflage and quite instinctively made himself look like a part of the tree by raising his head. It is interesting that he thought he might disappear from my sight while he took on this camouflage, but he was still visible, while I watched, having already spotted him.

Had I not already known where to find this bird I probably would not have noticed it. In fact I have previously walked past this tree many times before and never noticed it. It was a friend who told me the exact location. This reminds me how important it is to be wise to and aware of the tricks of the devil (our enemy) in our lives. If we walk around unaware and not alert, we can be taken by surprise and find ourselves regretting bad decisions and bad attitudes and bad behaviour. We need to take Solomon’s wise words to heart: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

^“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” – Ephesians 6:10

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the birds. Check out my website and book.

PLEASE NOTE:- All photographic material on this website is copyright protected and can only be used with written permission from the author of this blog. Email facility exists on our ABOUTUS page for this purpose.

It has been a couple of years since I visited this topic, and I continue to meet many people who ask me to explain the difference, it is timely that I reiterate, but with more information from more of a counselling and lifestyle perspective.

However, it is better to feed them their own food if you can.

The Cafes can be good birdwatching places also…

Birdwatcher

Birder

Twitcher

Thinks about birds occasionally and does not distract from normal life.

Thinks about birds daily, possibly talks about them, this may only occasionally distract and interfere with normal life, but rarely.

Thinks about birds most of the day and takes up most of their conversation, and may interfere and distract them from normal life on a regular basis.

Seeks birds occasionally when on an outing, not necessarily to reason for the event.

Seeks and pursues birds recreationally on a regular basis, birds being the prime purpose of the outing.

Seeks birds and pursues them as the prime focus of thir life, always thinking of the next encounter and how & where they will view them.

May or may not use or even be aware of an ebird app. This will have little impact on weekend plans unless the sighting is nearby and unusual.

May use an ebird app at least once a week or more to help plan a weekend birding adventure, and may travel several hours or more to location but minimise cost.

Will most definitely use an ebird app and other means to access live and recent sightings. This will help determine their next day. They may travel long distances at great cost.

Weekends away & recreational walks may include bird watching, Binoculars may be optional unless kept in the car. Only done outside work hours.

Weekends away and day trips prime focus on finding birds. Always brings binoculars and camera. Only outside work hours with very infrequent day off during the week.

Any time during the week when rare birds and rare sightings seen, may interrupt normal work week and family functions to pursue birds on a regular basis.

Stress level Low to Moderate – seeing birds adds an interesting dimension to the outing and assists in lowering stress levels. They share their delight with those with them.

Moderate stress level – birding a healthy distraction from busy & stressful life. Excitement or disappointment with pursuit of birds mostly lowers stress levels but can at times be stressful. They love sharing their delight and knowledge.

High stress level – driven with high expectation and personal achievement. Addiction is stressful causing anxiety lacking peace. Hence the ‘twitch’ in Twitcher. Can be very selfish, guarded, not wanting to share.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

May your week be peaceful, satisfying, full of joy and enjoyable birding experiences.

If this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out my birding website pages from my Homepage.

Also check out my book you can purchase here online with secure PayPal or at any of these places. Check out the promo below.

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My wife and I happened to be passing this lagoon north of Sydney and discovered these non-migratory waders feeding together in perfect harmony. Even the Magpie-lark (PeeWee) were getting into the act, considering they are passerines and not waders. Click on photo to enlarge it.

The Masked Lapwing (formally the Spur-winged Plover) was also grazing in a small flock, but not reflecting as well (‘not as reflectagenic’)

The lagoon showed the affects of drought, having receded significantly over the year due to our extreme summer heat and long drought, which is still unbroken. This meant we had to walk some distance out to the shoreline, making us more visible to our avian friends.

Some saw us coming and moved to safer quarters, producing lovely flight shots as they departed.

Another amazing reflection photo is this one, which I particularly liked.

As I walked the track I saw some of the usual birds, but was unable to do the deeper rainforest area due to the film crew presence.

But the greatest delight was to walk right up to this male Superb Lyrebird foraging by the track. It is easy to tell when the lyrebirds have been recently on the track by their scratchings.

Then you listen for their calls, and work out where they are. This one was quiet and I could have easily scared him if I had not seen his beautiful tail protruding onto the track. Watch carefully as he downs a white grub he has dug up.

“The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly; whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in them. May your father and your mother have joy; may she who bore you rejoice.” – Proverbs 23:24,25 (NET)

Happy Mothers Day all you mums out there!

If you are new to my website feel free to check our my other interesting pages from the menu on my Home Page.

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

Have a wonderful week!

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No matter how poor the photos, until better ones are shot down the track, this is a birders record of having seen the bird in the wild. It is a small bird as you can see in comparison with the small red-kneed Dotterel.

The Red-kneed Dotterel was quite stunning in the sunlight also. Click photos to enlarge them.

As you saw from my first photo this beautiful Great Egret was gracing the lagoon.

This White-faced Heron has one of the whitest faces I have seen in this bird.

After a walk around Narrabeen Lagoon with friends and had an unusually birdless experience though we did see this Cattle Egret beginning to don breeding plumage.

We drove to nearby Warriewood Wetlands and there we saw this Australasian (Purple) Swamphen. Notice how these water foul flick their tail as they walk around. The Spotted Crake does this also but not as much. Other water foul such as Dusky Moorhen also flick their tail while moving about.

This young Grey Fantail saw us with our camera and was trying to get some attention by fanning its tail and making a racket.

In the Hacking River we find another Great Egret fishing…

This Sulfur-crested Cockatoo was enjoying the cone from the Norfolk Pine trees planed in the park. As were many others in the flock…

But the feature of our southern fringe birding experience on this seemingly birdless day was this Black-faced Monach, a winter migrant that has returned for the summer to the same place in the forest each year. This bird has distinctly beautiful call, not unlike the whistlers.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater continues to grace the park during the summer months. This bird is found here all year round.

This Olive-backed Oriole is another migrant that has returned to breed during the summer. It chooses to call from the very top of this dead branch. It looks uncomfortable but it continues to call from here.

Nearby another summer migrant is seen flying about in pairs, this Dollarbird, which gets its name from the white round marking on its wing which someone reckoned resembles a dollar. Common Miners have a similar white marking on their wings. You can see the markings below.

Finally, you may have been wondering how the baby Tawny Frogmouth is going which we also found in the Big Fig Flat which I highlighted on my Something Special on my Home Page. As you can see the baby has fledged and the nest is left empty, and what a flimsy simple nest it is…

Have a wonderful week as you prepare for Christmas, when we celebrate the coming of the most important person in history, Jesus Christ. What I do with this man will effect my life forever.

“keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” – Jude 1:21

If you are new to my website check out the various pages on birding info and tips.

If you want a last minute Christmas gift that will go on giving you can order my beautiful bird book from this website through the security of PayPal

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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.

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

Have a great week Birding!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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“The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly;
whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in them.
May your father and your mother have joy;
may she who bore you rejoice.” – Proverbs 23:24,25 (NET)