Royal National park

Rainforest Reclusion – Hard To See Birds

Posted by aussiebirder on January 13, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , . 18 Comments

Green Catbird

One of the features of a recent walk with my wife in our local Royal National Park (The Nasho) was that many of the birds we saw tended to be rather shy species which most walkers and cyclists would never see, even birdwatchers may have difficulty.  Even if it was only several birds it was enough to delight us both, since a feature of birding is that you are always surprized each time you go out, as you never know what you will get, epitomized in Forrest Gump’s mum’s box of chocolate analogy.  As we walked on this beautiful Summers day after a week of rain and cold winds, quite uncharacteristic of the time of year, we heard the classic catbird sound and looked up to get this unusually good footage in sunlight, of this most difficult rainforest bird.

We could see two of three Green Catbirds (an extremely shy and difficult bird to see amid the dark green canopy), loudly fleeing the opportunistic attack of a Pied Currawong which was pursuing the youngster in the family, leaving this one on watch. Eventually the Currawong left without a meal.

The Pied Currawong stealthily steals birds from many surrounding nests to feed its young, possibly taking at least 20 to 40 nestlings. It actually positions its nest after surveying the nesting population in a territory. As I have shown in previous posts they fight other Currawongs furiously for prime territories. The Second Edition of my current book features this bird as Opportunistic. That sneaky bright yellow eye will secretly peer at you waiting for the right opportunity to act.

Pied Currawong resting with prey in mouth

As we walked on I could hear the call of a Sacred Kingfisher next to its arboreal white ant nest, which they use, along with Kookaburras to nest in. They can be difficult to spot when they are sitting in the shade along the river’s edge. We would not have noticed it high in the tree had it not been yapping with its advertising call.

As we passed the palm forest we are always hopeful for the return of the rarely seen and most difficult to photograph beautiful Rufous Fantail, but again not found there today.  But we did hear the melodic call of the Black-faced Monarch warning its mate which flew away.  This shy, elusive rainforest bird which is here during Summer months, normally keeps out of sight. It freely preened as it did not notice us some distance away.  Today we got some good views, rather than grainy shots hidden beneath dark canopies.

From the side of the track we saw a flash of red as a very small bird disappeared in among the grass, which we saw after much observation to be a Red-browed Finch feeding on grass seed. This flighty little bird remained for a short while as the flock fled.

Red-browed Finch feeding
Red-browed Finch

Of course the Golden Whistler male came and made himself known. Usually he is shy and keeps away and the female curiously comes for a look, but she may be with her young or in the nest. As the male hunts down the odd insect for his nearby nestlings. He is easy to find when he calls during Spring and Summer, but very quiet and elusive during the non nesting Winter months.

As we reached the end of our walk for the day we turned to walk back and there hanging off a tree was a young Lace Monitor sunning itself. This huge reptile is seldom seen, and always scurries away when spotted. He saw we were there but did not move at all.

Here’s a close up of his face…

On our walk back we saw another fast elusive small bird, the Brown Gerygone, a couple of juveniles which had not long left the nest, so they tended to rest, allowing us to a photo moment,  more than their extremely active parents.

Of course the loud call of the White-throated Treecreeper is always a treat. The fun is in trying to locate the bird climbing the tree. It is so well camouflaged against the brown bark that most people hear the call of it ascending the tree, but never know where to look to find it. It is another mindful skill one gains over time. After reaching the top of the tree foraging for insects and grubs it flies to the foot of the next nearby tree and repeats the process.

 

As we walked on we saw this bird fly off under a bush several yards up ahead. I sensed from its profile it was the seldom sighted Wonga Pigeon, which puts out its loud monotonous call throughout the rainforest for hours at time. I managed to get this flash shot (I try to avoid flash photography with birds).

As many of you know, my wife often sends up a prayer during our walk asking our God if he has anything special to show us, which we are often rewarded with an unexpected bird sighting, and yes we did, we actually saw for the first time in over a year, one Rufous Fantail, which caused several passers bye to stop and enquire as they saw and heard our excited activity.  We tried desperately to catch a glimpse and photograph this fast moving elusive bird when it came out of the bush into sunlight. This is all we got of any value:

For this we were truly grateful to our gracious Father, for we had not seen this bird all winter and believe many hundreds of these birds were lost while nesting down south during the horrific bushfires last year and early this year.

Thankfully we have sighted two families since, residing here now, away from the burnt bush down south. Though we have not been able to get them in the light to photograph. So we rejoice that at least these have survived to breed.

Have a most enjoyable week despite the circumstances we all share at this time, some more affected than others. As we move into a new year it seems like the beginning of the last all over again, but for the absence of extreme heat and bushfires.

However,  one aspect to bear in mind is that ‘happiness’ depends on what is happening in current circumstances, where as joy is a much deeper more consistent attitude of one’s soul, which  exists regardless of the circumstances. This is an aspect dealt with more fully in my next book “Flight of a Fledgling”, and again is something we can learn from birds. We now know from recent research that many songbirds as well as communicating with their song, also sing for the pure joy of it as it gives them a feel good release as endorphins are released in their brains, in a similar way when we laugh, encourage people, do spontaneous acts of kindness and also when we sing.

A male Golden Whistler joyously whistling

As mentioned on previous occasions, when we consistently choose to maintain a positive encouraging attitude of gratitude, we develop (hardwire into our personality) a joyous spirit or persona. This healthy state of mind and emotion actually improves overall health and longevity. To name a few, it improves our immune system, sleep, lowers stress, lowers blood pressure, releases feel good endorphins in the brain, endears us as a friend, makes us more creative and productive, enables us to better endure pain and misfortune, can maintain a more youthful appearance and make us feel more energetic. Smiling and laughter are part of this persona which also include the above benefits. The attitudes that work in reverse and are most unhealthy include unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness and unresolved anger. The greatest help that has been found to encourage a joyous state of being, is to have a firm and settled hope for the future through faith relationship  with God our Creator Father. The efforts of modernism, secular humanism and political correctness to remove God from our vocabulary and life has only served to heighten the confusion, fear, anxiety and uncertainty many are currently experiencing.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine [brings healing], but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) –  from King Solomon one of the world’s wisest and most successful of men.

“And forgive us our debts, [in the same way as we have forgiven others] as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  – Matthew 6:12 – the reality and profundity of Jesus words is often missed when this prayer is repeated by rote. In other words a person will not feel or experience forgiveness from God through Jesus sacrifice on their behalf, if they refuse to forgive. Jesus explains in a parable that unforgiveness creates a prison of self torture. (see Matthew 18:34)

“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” – Job 19:25-27 – a most remarkable man in history who tragically lost everything, and suffered great loss, even his health was afflicted,  but maintained his hope and faith and love, and later had everything restored to him in greater abundance than previously.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrew 11:1

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

A New Year Brings New Hopes and Experiences – Birding 2021

Posted by aussiebirder on January 6, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, Waders, water birds, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , . 17 Comments

As time unrelentingly drives us into 2021 we all hope for a better year, but for many it is already appearing to look a lot like the last, as new spikes and clusters occur and restrictions are again enforced.  The lone Royal Spoonbill stands high on a dead tree overlooking Lake Albert in Wagga Wagga pondering the New Year on its first day, as the wind blows through its breeding plumage.

The Australian Pelican joined the Spoonbill possibly curious as to what it was seeing up there, and then a pair came to also see, finally one left for the water, having failed to catch the Spoonbills vision.

What unknown events and experiences lie before each of us in this new age of uncertainty and rapidly changing circumstances, only time will tell ? Our year started with the morning chorus of the Australian eastern Magpie calling to another magpie from a nearby clan. This little guy is still immature and about 2 years old. Listen to the changes in vocal content communicated between the birds as these highly intelligent birds converse.

An older and younger Magpie greet us on New Years Morning

Later my wife’s niece showed us a walk along the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga where we saw beautiful old River Gums and a very large flock of Long-billed Corella grazing on the grassy horse paddocks nearby. These birds have become more frequent in eastern Australia in recent years and vary from the Little Corella (which we have at home) in that they have a longer beak, bright red lores and a red neck line marking. Similar to others of the Parrot family they pair for life.

Long-billed Corella
Pairs of Long bills
River Gum

This one caused me to consider on this first day as he scratched his head pensively while looking at me.

Young Nikki, my wife’s niece, has been confined to a wheel chair for several years and she said she would love to see a Sacred Kingfisher by the river. I sent up a silent prayer for one to appear, as we could hear one calling but could not see it, and one appeared to me on a branch just then on a nearby tree in the horse paddock, which was an instant delight to us all, as she viewed it through my wife’s binocs.

The local council had developed lovely walks and wetlands access to a portion of the river where we saw this small brood of juvenile Australasian Grebe with parent displaying breeding plumage.

My wife sighted a black snake swimming rapidly in the water nearby, but I was not able to capture a shot of it as it approached the grassy bank. Later returning to the lake we saw a pair of Galah, a bird commonly found in large flocks out west, another member of the Parrot family that pairs for life.

But the bird I wanted to see again was the Dusky Woodswallow which was nesting last time we visited and now has a couple of juvenile offspring which the parent guarded relentlessly, attacking approaching birds and even myself at times.

Dusky Woodswallow adult
Dusky Woodswallow adult
juvenile Dusky Woodswallow
juvenile Dusky Woodswallow
juvenile Dusky Woodswallows
juvenile Dusky Woodswallow

It was good also to review the PeeWee  (Magpie-lark) family as we saw the mother with her hungry child. Notice the face markings, as these determine both sex and maturity.

Mother with hungry child
immature PeeWee waiting
mother and child PeeWee

Another bird we love seeing here are the Red-rumped Parrot pairs, and yes they were here by the river feeding on grass seed and resting in the shade with their young. The female is green with a green rump and the male has a beautiful iridescent turquoise head with a red rump. I was delighted to see a juvenile sitting with its mother in the shade, as well as an unusual view of an immature male sitting near a Little Friarbird in the shade..

adult wards me off from her youngster
mother and child
Male adult
Immature male resting with Little Friarbird
the parrot pair
Male Red-rumped Parrot
Female Red-rumped Parrot
Male returns to be with his wife

The tiny White-plumed Honeyeater, another bird we see inland here had a youngster also she was feeding.

gathering food
White-plumed Honeyeater with food
resting/rubbing ones head
mother feeding youngster
immature White-plumed Honeyeater

We saw a lone Little Friarbird, which is another honeyeater also quietly foraging.

Lastly the other bird we love to see here which is only found inland south, the Yellow Rosella which is strangely classified as the Yellow Crimson Rosella.

A wonderful New Years Day birding gift to start the year, for which we were truly thankful. There were of course other birds, but it just all gets to big to include them.

Have a lovely first week of 2021 as best you can considering the current circumstances. 

If this is your first visit to my blog, you will find lots more interesting info on birding and bird behaviour in my web site pages and at my Home Page.

I will let you know more about my new book as we move through the publishing process in the month ahead.

One of the topics covered in my new book is about flying with purpose and the importance of using our time wisely by having good achievable life goals for each year. The adult Dusky Woodswallow below is flying with purpose to protect its offspring from intruders and possible predators. It is wise for me to have a sense of purpose and direction for this year, even though some areas are closed to me, such as school talks due to the continuing Covid. I seek the Lord’s guidance, since the manufacturer knows whats best for the product he has made, and it is wise to follow his instructions for a enjoyable and fulfilling life. Below are some words from one of the world’s wisest and wealthiest kings, Solomon, to take us into the new year: 

 

“In their hearts humans plan their course,  but the Lord establishes their steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him,   and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes;  fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” – Proverbs 3: 5-8 (NIV)

Sadly, James the Just, brother to Jesus, wrote these words to people who had lost focus on their primary life goal and become selfish, self focused and distracted:

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” – James 4:2-3

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

 

Looking Toward the Future with 2020 Vision – What Have We Learnt ?

Posted by aussiebirder on December 24, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, Waders, water birds, wetlands, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , . 15 Comments

Thank you my dear friends for following my blog throughout turbulent 2020. This will my last word for the year. Interesting enough I went for a walk today to exercise, as Sydney is dealing currently with another Covid outbreak. After the rain and almost winter-like weather of the past few days it was very quiet in my local bush park, with very few birds and people. So I figured this last one will be simple and short. We are all very thankful that our government is very proactive and responsible to the health and well being of us all, and grateful that we have made it thus far in what is the most extraordinary year in our lifetime.

Australian Christmas Bush flowers

My Christmas card above features the Scarlet Honeyeater male, a bird that appears before Christmas, coinciding with the flowering of our native Christmas Bush, as well as, the call of the Eastern Koel in the early morning.

These among many other signs tells us that we approach the time for us all to kick back , relax and celebrate both the birth of Jesus and the coming new year, as we put the passing one behind. For many this will be a time of grief, suffering and sorrow. We pray for the comfort and recovery of the hundreds of thousands experiencing this in this moment. Every one of us has lost something or someone this year, we are all grieving at different levels. No one escaped loss, just as if it were a world war, and it is not over yet. As I walked along the quieter than usual bush track I stopped to watch and hear something very special and unique. A Grey Butcherbird conversing with a pair of Australian Magpies. In my recent studies and research I have learned that many of Australia’s intelligent birds  can communicate between species, as they learn their languages by listening and observing intently. I apologise for the loud Cicada background, yet another sign of Australia’s bush Summer. I recorded this:

What one needs to be aware of it that the Butcherbird is quite capable of copying and speaking with the Magpie, as is the Magpie to the Butcherbird. The call of the Butcherbird in the above recording is not one of his usual Butcherbird calls, he is actually speaking in Magpie. For example, listen to this immature Butcherbird practicing, and recalling mimicry it has learnt from other birds.

This exercise between birds is not only good for improving relationships, but is very useful in times of emergency when either of the birds need assistance to locate and mob a common predator or warn to take flight. This brought me to think, what have we learnt this year? Great challenges are opportunity for greater learning.

Eleven lyrebirds around a small farm dam with smoke in the air.

Eleven lyrebirds can be seen in the image as a bushfire near Wollombi approached (Supplied: PJ Wallis for ABC News 30th Jan 2020)

Bushfire, drought, flood and Covid were all great challenges in 2020 from which many positive lessons were gleaned, to help us navigate the future. They rallied the community back to the mate-ship  of the Aussie battler, that made Australia great back in our early post convict days when ex convict married ex convict and toughed it out in the bush to carve out a home and a family, because they could not afford to go back to Britain. My ancestors also married as ex convicts and established a town in NSW. For those interested rediscover the old the TV series “Against the Wind” to get an idea of the difficulties. These new settlers (all mostly ex convicts) learned to trust and assist each other through the difficult times of establishing a living from nothing, from which arose the Aussie mate-ship, which carried us into the world wars and helped make our nation famous for the ANZACS and the friendly warm helpful reputation we once received from other nations.

The Superb Lyrebird knew what to do to save itself from the firestorm, gathering their mates they fled to the dam. Many species managed to survive using amazing survival skills, learnt and possibly passed down from somewhere in the past.

The Australian Wood Duck has always survived well because both parents have their priorities always before them, keeping them faithful in both relationship with each other and care of the family. Many have rediscovered the importance of family and family relationships, and had to modify the importance of the peripheral things of life, such as job, possessions, sports and money, which for many had taken the place of THE most important – family relationships. The Covid made us all aware of our own fragile humanity, and that we are all vulnerable and all need each other to survive. We are not a rock or an island as Simon and Garfunkel once erroneously suggested. For our northern friends this song is set ‘in a deep and dark December’.

Thankfully we already had the technology to create such meeting places as Zoom to tide us over the Covid lock downs, and create new and more efficient ways to work from home, and have more family and home time. We began to carve out a new kind of normal.  A list of new words arose which became common place in daily conversation, and a new awakened responsibility for one’s own health and the health of those in their daily life. The Australian White Ibis in my book “What Birds Teach Us” is an example of support, security and strength in community.

I wish you all a very enjoyable Christmas and a healthy, blessed  and prosperous New Year. May it be better and may we all grow more resilient and mindfully learn to experience peace and contentment in what ever circumstance we find ourselves in so that we can be comfort and strength for others. Regardless of what popular opinion has become in recent years, and the removal of Christ from Christmas, he remains: The Reason for the Season. It still amazes me that one so loving and kind, who has brought so much good into our world and our culture,  can be feared and despised by so many, even fear from declaring his name with respect, fear that even drives people to kill and injure people who love him and live the life of love he encourages, which continues to be the case in many countries in our world today.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

Down in the Dark Damp Depths – Rainforest Birds

Posted by aussiebirder on December 16, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 19 Comments

White-browed and Yellow-throated Scrubwren

Last week I needed a walk so I went into the darker part of the rainforest beneath the thick tall tree canopy of the Royal National Park, or Nasho to us.  I was hoping to complete my walk before the the cloudy windy weather set in, but it came earlier than predicted, and suddenly dark the forest became. I did not see many birds on this occasion, and the photos I have featured here have all been light enhanced, so evidence of image noise will be apparent. With rainforest photos it is often unavoidable, especially when the sun is hiding. The one delightful find was to see several active White-browed Scrubwrens jumping, flitting and chattering loudly around about me, as if I was invisible. The icing on the cake was to find among them a different species we seldom see, the Yellow-throated Scrubwren (both pictured above). One little guy had an insect and was wanting to take it to its nest but would not move till I turned away, so as to keep the nest location secret.

Many of Australia’s rainforest birds spend their time foraging among the dense damp leaf litter on the dark forest floor. I would not have seen the Yellow-throated Scrubwren, and easily mistaken it for is cousin, had I not due to poor light, just taken images willy-nilly, as it was not till after post production at home that I detected the difference.

One of the features of the rainforest are the Bird’s Nest Fern, epiphytes found high up in the ancient tall straight rainforest trees, which some birds, have been known to nest in.

One of the most commonly seen birds in rainforests, the Eastern Yellow Robin will always make its presence known along the track, due to its curious nature, and the hope that as you walk you will turn up and disturb insects on the ground. I saw this guy for several minutes, but he sat in darkness, so most of my photos are of very poor quality. This Robin feeds primarily from the ground, diving on insects and worms, then returning with them to the same branch. This guy watched me from a distance, which was unusual.

 

This is how we usually like to see it, up close and personal. Notice its curious look…

Many of the tall rainforest trees here produce native fruits which provide food which is why most of the canopy dwelling birds, such as Top-knot Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Green Catbird and Satin Bowerbird are fruit eaters.

Topknot Pigeon
Male Satin Bowerbird
Female Satin Bowerbird
Green Catbird with fruit

They follow the fruiting trees feeding high out of sight above the canopy, and are seldom seen, just the sounds of falling fruit is heard. While these birds fly frequently, most of the forest floor foragers seldom need to fly. These include the Eastern Whipbird, Bassian Thrush, Australian Logrunner and Superb Lyrebird, all of which are found in the area I was walking. Here are photos from previous walk sightings here. Note the beautiful camouflage plumage of the Bassian Thrush and Logrunner. Both these birds stand perfectly still when they sense being observed, and so blend in well with their surroundings.  Data from research on rainforests has stated that the foraging of Lyrebirds and other forest floor dwellers contributes to prevention of bushfires in forests they inhabit.

Bassian Thrush
Logrunner
Female Superb Lyrebird
Male Superb Lyrebird
Male Eastern Whipbird

The Wonga Pigeon is an exception to the other fruit eating pigeons in that it tends to forage on the forest floor similar to the other floor foragers, eating insects and fallen fruit. If you listened to my Avian Aria last week, this bird was the very first bird calling.

There are other birds that feed above rain forest canopy which include the Sulphur-crested and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, but do not live in the forest, which is why they are not included. The featured birds above are the most common residents I see on my walks. The only way they can be noticed is usually by their call. If they remain silent you could walk through the forest and easily miss them as they are all good at camouflage and remaining still when observed. One unique bird which is heard loudly calling here, as it ascends the tree, and inhabits both lower and upper canopy areas, is the White-throated Treecreeper. Most untrained observers can never detect it, as it blends into the bark of the dark tree, and usually climbs on the dark side of the tree. This is a female, noted because of the orange ear marking.

Of the lower canopy feeders the Lewins Honeyeater (also a fruit and nectar eater) is the most common, along with the Scrubwrens (featured earlier) and the Brown Gerygone (featured last post).

 

For those who listened to my Avian Aria last post and tried guessing the bird calls click here for the answers.

I congratulate Sue from My Wild Australia blog for getting closest to the answer, well done Sue ! Check out Sue’s blog where she has recently been featuring beautiful and interesting birds and places in Tasmania.

Have a wonderful week and remember the perfect gift for your loved ones, to encourage them in birdwatching is only a few clicks away.

The encouraging news is that my next book is now with the publisher and on course for an early 2021 release. 

A Big Thank You to the many loyal blog followers who have already purchased the book, and shared how they have enjoyed it. You can also read some of their reviews at the foot of the purchase page.

As mentioned above, one of the challenges of birding in rainforests is poor light, and the way birds either hide on the forest floor beneath bushes and palms or high up in and above the canopy, both very dark places for observation, even more so on an overcast day. Birds tend to move about more and call frequently when the weather is crisp, warm and sunny, with no more than a slight breeze. This enables the birds to see the colour of blossom and source their food more easily, communicating their whereabouts as they go. Birds tend to be much quieter and less detectable in very hot, windy or rainy weather. This is why we see less bird activity in the middle of the day during Summer months. Singing and moving about burns energy which creates heat, so many birds rest in shade and are quieter in the heat of the day, as was featured in my recent post.  It is wise to conserve one’s energy and work with the current conditions or circumstances rather than angrily react against them, because they do not fulfill our immediate expectations.

Wedge-tailed Eagle soaring on the thermals.

Peace and contentment come from being able to appreciate and adjust to changing circumstances, just as the birds do and demonstrate so well. Character growth comes with challenges in life. A CEO of a very large successful company had a sign above his head, which said: “There is no such thing as problems or failures, only challenges and opportunities.” This immediately resets our attitude, re framing our mindset and placing us on a positive path to accept and work with the difficult aspects of our lives, presenting opportunities to learn and invent new ways and skills to adapt and achieve our goals.

“ I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  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.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippins 4:11-13 (NIV)

“Do not be angry and frustrated.  Do not fret. That only leads to trouble.” – Psalms 37:8 (NET)

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

Celebratory Bird Outing – A Mindful Moment of Reflection

Posted by aussiebirder on December 9, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , . 15 Comments

Superb Lyrebird immature male

To mark the achievement of finally reaching the goal to publish my next book, which is now with the publisher for publishing early next year, I went for a mindful reflective walk to celebrate and give thanks for the Lord’s faithfulness for bringing it to pass amazingly in such a short time from the sales of the previous book, as he had assured me would occur. No better place than our local Nasho (The Royal NP). One of the topics covered in my new book is the healthy advantages of enjoying frequent Mindful Moments in our lives. So I decided to showcase a little of the rainforest vegetation and birds that afford me opportunity to embrace mindful moments, refreshing and revitalizing my spirit. If you have not already done so why not read my info on the scientific facts on the Benefits of Birding.

Before I entered the rainforest I was encouraged to see the Mountain Devil flowering again in the park after the drought, as it appeared to be absent the last few years. This is a significant mountain flower for long beaked honeyeaters during the winter months.

Sadly it was overcast and extremely glary with diffused light which affected all my high tree shots, requiring much post production. As I walked I heard the relentless call of an immature Sacred Kingfisher sitting beside the nest, which is inside a arboreal termite nest. I had been checking several nests on the way, and all in similar locations. Kookaburras and Kingfishers all use these nests for their own nests, poking entrance holes with their strong beaks.

calling upward
calling for food
resting
the nest

This what it sounded like:

Suddenly I was startled by a flash of bright red as a Eastern Crimson Rosella flew past and landed nearby. I had heard its chime earlier and now it had landed to see what I was up to.

Nearby a shy male Australian King Parrot rested, watching me out of the corner of his eye.

As I walked I heard a not so common bird calling and moving rapidly through the trees in a pair. At first I could not work out what it was, but as I listened I later realised it was a Brown Gerygone, one of the most difficult birds to get a decent photo of. It has a call much like its name sounding like: “geryg- onee”, but like many of our birds it has many variations of a theme.

Here is its call:

As I looked up higher I was delighted to see a  Satin Flycatcher resting.

Then I heard the calls of the Lewins Honeyeater nearby, as they tend to come near to check me out and then give there loud staccato call.

Lewins Honeyeater
Lewins Honeyeater

In the midst of all this activity a father and juvenile fledgling Golden Whistler were moving about undercover inside the darkness of some thick trees. I managed to detect them as they occasionally came into dappled light. Whistlers would have recently fledged their young, and this was the youngest I have seen of this bird still in its brown and white plumage. Junior was squeaking for food, and the father seemed to be escaping its calls as it relentlessly followed.

Father Golden Whistler
juvenile Golden Whistler
juvenile Golden Whistler

The Golden Whistler has many different tunes which he sings at various seasons and times of day, depending on what he is doing and who is with him, here is a small combo I heard from this bird:

Of course a Grey Fantail was not too far away and came to check me out as they do, right up close.

As I walked to one of my favorite spots I saw a fallen branch over the track. It had broken off the eucalypt tree during the recent strong winds, and to my intrigue I detected a large pile of honeycomb which had fallen with the beehive, which the bees appeared to be continuing to service. Dead bees laid there as well.

The sound of the busy little White-browed Scrubwren came to my attention from the nearby embankment as it foraged in a small hole observing me with interest. I love watching these little guys move about. It is possible that this little covered hole in the bank was a nest.

As I walked on I saw this very interesting sight. A palm growing out of the top of another tree. The tree may have been struck by lightning and the centre fallen out, but this had become a fertile place for this palm to thrive. It is not a an epiphyte like other rainforest plants such as Elkhorns and Staghorns, but normally grows on terra firma. It should become quite interesting and attractive in the next few years.

As I walked deeper into the forest I heard the sound of soil falling from the rock ledge above me. To my surprise it was a young male Superb Lyrebird, probably in its first year. I noticed the very bright rufous neck, and later the forming lyricals in very early stages. He was not afraid of me, which tells me he is young also, as males in particular are shy of humans. He cautiously walked along the ridge watching me follow him.

As I walked back to my car I heard a male Lyrebird performing (dancing to his own beat). This is the classic sound they make as they move back and forth opening and closing their wings when they display for a female they wish to mate with. I thought he is probably just practicing his routine, as the mating period is over now. I just manged to get a glimpse of him down by the river in the thick dark cover of a native fig. I shot some movie with much trouble as I could hardly see anything under the darkness.

The male tail

When I enhanced the movie I found that it was rare footage of a male performing for a female who seemed disinterested as she foraged. He has missed the boat as the breeding season ended early spring.

Finally, as I was about to leave I noticed the water lilies flowering again as they do each year on the Hacking River. Such a beautiful carpet of yellow flowers all open together.

Thank you for coming with me on this walk. Enjoy the week and get out in the fresh air among the trees and birds and experience your own Mindful Moment:

EXPRESS your gratitude and appreciation for the beauty and peace of the forest, allowing each of your senses to separately engage with the moment;

CARE-LESS meaning leave behind your cares and worries and let them fall to the ground around you as you enjoy your mindful moment. Thoughts of what others thinks, or what is currently on your mind worrying you – this is a time to not let these things intrude;

DE-STRESS by allowing your senses to earth you and allow this moment to relax you, lower your blood pressure, release feel good endorphins, and make you think of good things, being thankful for what you are experiencing without making any judgments, just allow yourself the gift of enjoyment;

REFRESH  yourself as you consider how beautiful and amazing it all is. As you leave the place with a renewed vitality and peace. Give thanks for all you are and all you have to the One who gives life itself to everything. Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,” – Psalm 107:8 (NIV)

The good news is that my next book “Flight of a Fledgling” is with the publisher and being prepared for publication early 2021. I know many have been sportively  encouraging this book along as it is packed with not only interesting facts about our birds, many from recent research, but life skills at a greater depth than the previous books, with a target reading age of 16 to adult focusing on the late teen and young adult leaving the nest, but with help for all ages.

Below is a sound file of Ashley’s Aussie Avian Aria. Silly as it sounds, it is a compilation of me making music with the birds. Listen to it and see how many different species of birds you can hear, and how many you can name. Next week I will give you answers. It is a bit tricky, but have ago and see what you come up with and write your answer somewhere or include it in your comment. You may be surprised !

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

Birding Dates with Riverside Friends

Posted by aussiebirder on November 19, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, Waders, water birds, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 22 Comments

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.

Male Eastern Whipbird

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…

Error
This video doesn’t exist

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

Peace and Quiet of a Rainforest Walk – Having a Happy Birday.

Posted by aussiebirder on November 14, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, water birds, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , . 16 Comments

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.

Male Satin Bowerbird

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

Winter Migrants Returned – We Are Good to Go for Summer

Posted by aussiebirder on November 5, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, water birds, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 19 Comments

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkRXWRR_uUA

 

Buy the Beautiful Bird Book – “What Birds Teach Us” – the perfect Christmas Gift !

Click on the poster below to find out more.

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

 

Spring Brings New Things – Birding Date with Table Service

Posted by aussiebirder on October 4, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, water birds, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 11 Comments

Rainbow Lorikeet in flight

Having enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather on a birding date with my wife, I decided to have a break from continuing with Part two of our journey out west and share our latest birding date very early Friday morning in the Nasho (The Royal National Park). Early, to avoid the crowds that would come now that school holidays are underway, and early to hopefully see Lyrebirds and other people shy birds, that bikers, joggers and loudly talking  walkers often drive back into the bush on their approach. To our delight we were some of the first to arrive. It was a cool 11°C in the crisp valley air as we made our way along the trail, which initially was faily quiet but for the noisy Rainbow Lorikeets feeding on the eucalypt blossom.

As we continued the sound of the Whipbird nearby as the male and female were communicating, but they both remained illusive as per usual. Several groups of Golden Whistler were in song along the trail, each singing a different tune. We only managed to catch one male just after he caught some food. He held on to it and waited for us to go before leaving for (what most likely is) the nest, since her did not eat it immediately.

The native wild flowers were in bloom as many varieties lit up the trail. This variety of Red Spider Grevillea had an Eastern Spinebill feeding from it. These nectar rich flowers feed our many Honeyeaters, as they grow in our very nutrient poor Australian soils, this is a miracle in itself.

The very large Gymea Lily flower which has been developing for months is finally in full flower throughout the park.

Here are some of the other unique and beautiful wildflowers currently in flower in our park.

As expected this early in the morning we came upon this female Superb Lyrebird foraging for worms and insects. This rainforest bird spends most of its life scratching through leaf litter and moist soil for its food, and only flies out of necessity to avoid danger or cross the  river. The female is easily identified by its rufous throat and very plain tail plumage.

Female Superb Lyrebird.

As usual the Eastern Yellow Robin followed us for a bit of the way, from tree to tree. This bird feeds from the ground also, and would currently be nesting and out looking for food.

Suddenly the lens is pointed skyward as we both excitedly hear the call of the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo and saw this pair fly over head.

As we walked on the buzzing sound was heard in a nearby tree, the classic call of the Satin Flycatcher which I only managed these two shots.

As we walked deeper into the rainforest we heard the classic sound, we had never heard here in our own Nasho, but had heard in others, the sound of a pair of Green Catbird calling to one another. This usually occurs at night, but here as loud as anything we heard and finally with much effort finally sighted this very elusive bird which is very shy and very difficult to see in a dark canopy. The Catbird is actually a member of the Bowerbird family and has many attributes like the Bowerbird. Listen to what we heard:

These were the only decent enough photos one of the birds would permit us before leaving.

You can appreciate why this bird is so difficult to locate in a dark rainforest, and this photo has been light enhanced.

We commenced our return along the track on our way back to dine at the park Cafe which now for the first time on many months (pre-Covid) now with the return of table service, for their beautiful cooked breakie we love, to celebrate our anniversary for tomorrow. Oh, I best remind you if you are unaware, we celebrate our wedding anniversary every 3rd of every month, as it was on the  third of the third we were married. This allows us to ask each other how we are going and assess what we can do better, a good practice for a good marriage. As we walked we heard a an immature male Superb Lyrebird practicing hsi courtship song and dance from a very young age, considering he still had his tummy fluff, and resembled his mother with rufous throat and plain tail, but with male plumes finely developing beneath it on close observation. As will most juvenile birds they resemble the female until they approach mature breeding age around 4-6 years. By then they should have learnt and perfected their repertoire of many different bird sounds and dance routine to his own beat. Watch and note that this one has not developed his song list and most of his sounds are his own specie sounds. Note in the second part of the video he is starting to move his wings with is beat song.

This the very early stages of his dance being constructed, which he will perfect with much enthusiasm with daily practice for the next few years, and all for his few moments on his performance mound to impress females enough to mate with him. Notice he even practices his vocabulary as he preens, which made me chuckle.

As we came to the Big Fig Tree where many of the fruit eating birds are currently feeding as ripe native figs are on offer, we looked for Satin Bowerbirds which frequent it, and could be heard with their purring call. Both male and female were present feeding, but also very shy, especially the male, as usual. The male has the beautiful satin plumage and the female the olive green patterned chest with olive brown primaries.

Mature female Satin Bowerbird

As we looked, to our pleasant surprise, we sighted a small flock of Top-knot Pigeon, a bird we had seen some weeks ago feeding from the palm fruit deeper into the rainforest, which they had finally depleted. Most of the rainforest birds are native  fruit eaters. They do not normally eat nectar, lerps or seed as most other passerines.

Finally we made our way to the cafe where we sat outside and had a wonderful breakie served by very efficient and friendly staff. We were greeted with a very excited “We have table service now, please take a seat and we will come and take your order.” It was only a few weeks ago where we were served outside through a window and had to sit out on the grass distanced from each other. We are very pleased with our government and their handling of the pandemic in our state and pray they be given wisdom to navigate us through it daily. We are blessed to be living in one of the worlds best managed states. This is the photo my wife took while waiting for our meal. A Waratah flower (our NSW state floral emblem) on our table next to her very good and compact binoculars (she purchased at the London Wetlands Centre) and her summer hat.

Welcome to my blog, especially if this is your first visit to my website. Check out my Home Page menu to discover  more. If you have not already done so check out my book, it will make the excellent Christmas or Birthday gift, especially for a young person. To find out more click here.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Spring is the time of hope, new life and new beginnings. We saw Dusky Moorhen with their new babies busily feeding them. So dependent, so trusting, so ready to learn and grow strong. As their parents feed them, they are also learning where and how their parents are retrieving their food. This will soon become their way of life also, there means of survival, so it is important they observe and learn, and not just wait to be fed, thinking this will be their future. Watching to learn.

Nearby the Chestnut Teal family, foraged. These little ones knew what to do as they are now copying their parent’s example, but still they are in the process of discerning what is edible from what is not. They soon realised after ingesting indigestible matter what is food and what is not. Here the parents are able to rest a while as they watched their keen young students practice what will become their way of life. Practicing to become Independent.

Every aspect and moment of our lives is teaching material for us to build on and grow in wisdom and character from, in a similar way to these young ones above. The most constructive and positive take on life is that we learn from its difficulties and challenges. As a CEO has hanging above his head in his office “There is no such thing as problems only challenges.” and likewise my saying concomitantly agrees saying to always look for the Treasure in the Trial. I believe there is a purpose in all of life’s buffetings and challenges, it all develops character and respect if we choose to learn from them.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

For those of us who believe that their loving Creator Father God is working in their life to grow and mature their character:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:1-11 (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.’

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, 2019, 2020.

 

Six Years Blogging Beautiful Birds – Thank You for Following My Blog

Posted by aussiebirder on September 9, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, water birds, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 28 Comments

Six years ago I did not know what a ‘blog’ was until my son and daughter-in-law suggested I start one. My wife and I wanted to encourage birding as a healthy recreational pursuit for families and couples. Most blogs at that time were focused mainly on photography of birds and ornithological subjects, and we wanted something for the beginner and the ordinary everyday person, focused more on enjoyment, observing and learning about our Aussie birds. Stepping onto the page I started a whole new world initiating my weekly blog posts and the Red-tailed Tropicbird avatar for aussiebirder through WordPress, which later moved into aussiebirder.com.

This occurred  as I was writing my first book,and when I was seeing the parallel of bird behaviour with human behaviour, having studied family counselling and having a passion for the future of our younger generation. Over the years this grew into much more than I had originally anticipated.  During that time I have been asked to speak and assist in various projects, as well as market my book and teach through my website which has generated some lovely relationships for myself and my wife, which we continue to enjoy. I personally thank all of my dear blog followers, especially those who take the time to read through my often long posts, with a special thank you for those who are brave enough to give encouraging comments, which at times have helped me continue. The words of Napoleon are true:

I have also created an aussiebirder YouTube Channel since where I am gradually adding interesting videos about Australian birds and their behavioural characteristics, and lessons what we can learn from them at:  aussibirder YouTube

It is Spring here in Australia, as you can see by the Australian Wood Duck featured above. A time for new beginnings and new life experiences. The opportunity for many to pass from the dark winter of the soul to the new life opportunities and experiences of Spring, especially at this time where globally every human alive has suffered one form of loss or another through the extraordinary year that was unexpectedly cancelled. You may recall this video:

By now you are probably asking: “Where are the birds ? !” Well, this week’s post is a little different as I take time to reflect and appreciate the journey thus far as I move into the 7th year.

Now for some birds. I noticed this Noisy Miner yesterday spreading its wings out over a sandy mound in the warm Spring sun. After a few minutes it does a quick preen and lies there again, quite vulnerable to passing walkers. You may have come across this with birds from your own area. There are various proposed explanations of which all may be true. In summary, it can be for shear pleasure as it feels good to bathe in the Spring sun after a cold Winter. It can also be that the heat of the sun forces the lice and mites in the plumage to the edges of the wings and tail for easy removal by the bird, which is why they have short preens between their sun bathing. Some birds do this near ants, where the formic acid in the ants, causes the mites to leave (some species of ants will actually remove the mites). Should they preen immediately before and after they sun bathe, the warmth of the sun assists the preening oil to spread evenly over the feathers.

As a recently retired Seniour Scientist,  I focus on using the skills and learning I have acquired over the years to assist, teach and encourage people, especially children and young people, to navigate a happy and healthy life through making wise/good life choices, which many of you know is a feature of my book “What Birds Teach Us” and also my second book “Flight of a Fledgling” to follow later in the year. This is my legacy. This led me to give dynamic interactive talks which I especially enjoyed, such as with this school, where I appear as Aussiebirder, which generated an amazing response in Primary School aged children.

My book has led me to experience the blessing of being given premium space in a very popular local art show and also in the Australian Bird Fair. It was great chatting with people from the community and answering their questions. It is amazing how the book has helped so many people, and my wife and I have received many testimonies of how it helped people of all ages, and has been reported to have helped a suicidal person have a complete change of mind. For this I am truly thankful and feel very humbled and privileged.

OWPS Community Fair
Aust. Bird Fair

Thankfully, the Covid has not stopped my book selling all over Australia, in fact sales have been better than ever at present as our state has been separated from the rest of the country due to travel restrictions and closed state borders, preventing people from holidaying outside the state. Business is booming in many of the shops and visitor centres where my book is sold. My selling clientele has recently expanded and continually expanding to most of the main cities and towns in our state as well as capital cities over Australia, for which I am truly thankful and feel greatly blessed. I love how many of my clients have embraced the vision and legacy behind the book, and not just its beautiful appearance. I am delighted when one of my grandsons discovers my book on display when we visit various National Parks Visitor Centres on our birding outings.

The Royal National Park Gift Shop

This has been a nostalgic moment, though the publishing of the Second Edition mid Covid lock-down was a great achievement. A new beginning for a book that ceased to exist because it was sold out of print. My publisher sent photos of his children copying photos from  book, and how it was already being enjoyed by them during the lock-down.

Speaking of new beginnings ! Spring brings with it the adorning of breeding plumage for many species such as both the Superb and Variegated Fairy-wrens, both species seen again in the same places as last week. These tiny insectivorous birds are constantly on the move. Here I captured the male and female Superb Fairy-wren moving together, soon to be nesting.

Fairy wrens despite my depiction of their heroic actions to protect their family sighted in my book, are quite promiscuous. In fact, Sir David Attenborough has called them “the most promiscuous bird known”. Much research has been done on their sex lives.  Both sexes of the Superb Fairy wren are socially monogamous (staying in the same partnerships), but sexually promiscuous, an aspect I do not condone or highlight in my book. Notice how he is easy to spot even though he is so small. When he is in this bright breeding plumage it makes him more vulnerable to attack from other birds and predators, hence the need to be moving very cautiously and quickly. My challenge is to get him in focus fast enough. Sadly there are many blurred photos before I get a good one, when he stops for more than two seconds.

Again, this Variegated  Fairy-wren male was spotted in the same place as last week. This one is even more difficult to capture.

Another group of birds I found in the same location was this small family of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. One of the youngsters (last photo) continued to call out. The one I managed to capture through the trees in the distance was a juvenile male. Notice the eye ring is not yet pink and the feathers are mottled brown with some black feathers forming.

One little bird I always love to see on my walks and I saw for the first time in a while, is this Eastern Yellow Robin. This is our most common rainforest robin and very curious always coming quite close to take a look at me. Here it is in its classic tree hanging pose. This insectivorous robin feeds from the ground, where it dives from trees to the ground and back up again. It is known to occasionally follow me along the track watching all the time to see if I turn up or stir up any insects as I walk.

The Top-knot Pigeons had gone, as they had eaten all the palm fruits in that area, and I did not manage to see the Scarlet Honeyeater again. The Golden Whistlers continued in full chorus, though I did not manage any good captures, but I did catch this beautiful Little Wattlebird with tongue partially extended. This is one of over 70 of our many species of Honeyeater.

Of course, to finish, a bright red bird, since the King Parrots eluded me today, one that was present in pairs was  this Eastern Crimson Rosella, another chaser of seed from the previous Summer.

Thank you for taking the time to allow me share with you this review. I have equally enjoyed following your blogs and learning more about your birds from different parts of Australia and the world. I do hope you enjoy your week. For those in lock-down and various forms of deprivation and grieving loss, we pray continually for comfort, peace and a resolution for the current global crisis. It is interesting that no other time in history has there been so many people searching on the internet for information about God and Prayer and Faith related issues as now. Everyone seeks peace and consolation of mind and heart to navigate this uncertain time and remain safe and sane.

There was a man called Paul the Apostle who once wrote: 

 “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. I can do all this through him [God] who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4: 12,13 (NIV)

Jesus himself comforted his followers with these words:

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 (NIV)

Finally, a verse that has been a great help to me and which has continues to prove true for me is:

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” – Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

If you would like to explore my Birder Sanctuary page you will find more Faith Based help and encouragement which is gleaned from our birds to help navigate this unprecedented time in our history.

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.’

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, 2019, 2020.