wetlands | aussiebirder

Black-necked Stalk (Jabaru)

In the next six weeks we will present a series on birds of the tropical north of Australia following a wonderful birding exploration of the last two weeks. We flew to Townsville in Far North Queensland where we spent 5 days exploring some Australia’s famous wetlands, in particular Townsville Common. These low lying coastal wetlands fill up during the heavy wet season of summer and provide food for many species of waterbirds during the winter months, some of which I will showcase below. The longer than usual wet season caused a reduction in bird numbers on our visit.

A peculiar feature of Townsville is the large pink granite rock called Castle Hill (Rock) that towers behind the town, which is only 8 metres short of a mountain. From its top a wonderful birds-eye view of the city and the wetlands can be obtained.

My wife and I visited the Common on several occasions and saw a variety of both water and tree birds. The most exciting sightings were of the Jabaru, the Brolga (at a distance), the Comb-crested Jacana, the White-necked Heron, Magpie Geese and the several species of raptor that constantly circled over the wetlands looking for vulnerable subjects. Straw-necked Ibis are plentiful here and around town also. I love the iridescence of colour in the birds wing plumage.

The weather here was warm and cloudy while it poured rain just 100 km further up the coast. We felt very blessed to have escaped the bitter cold of Sydney’s winter weather. The Black-necked Stork or Jabaru as it is known is wrongly named, as you can see below, it sports a beautiful iridescent blue neck in the sunlight. Sadly the female (which is differentiated from the male by having a bright yellow eye) was quite shy and flew off leaving her partner alone to our camera.

Black-necked Stork

We enjoyed chatting with Matt, a local birder, about the Common. Matt shared that as the wetlands dry up toward the end of winter, thousands of birds start gathering around these last wetland areas. I joked about the name Jabaru as I watched Australia’s only stalk repeatedly jab its long powerful beak into the shallow waters hunting for small creatures. The Brolga were quite shy and stayed in the tall reeds at some distance, so I apologise for the poor footage and photos. Brolga are known for their beautiful dance routine when in flock, but the tall grass is no place for dancing. The elegance of the Brolga can be seen in this clip of them landing.

Brolga

Flock of Brolga

Jabaru and Brolga

As you can see these water birds all live harmoniously together, despite eating similar food, unlike the honeyeaters that fight over nectar blossom.

A single White-necked Heron dropped in to check us out and forage nearby the Jabaru.

The beautiful elegant Great White Egret were in great number scattered throughout the wetlands as were the Intermediate .

This White-faced Heron did a fly past to avoid attention.

White-faced Heron

Interesting enough, when we first passed these ponds we saw no birds much at all, and we both disappointingly kept saying “Nothing, nothing!” as we drove all the way to the Jacana Pond where all we saw at first were hundreds of Grey Teal. You will notice an occasional Hardhead in among them, maybe they thought they were Grey Teal, or maybe just joined the throng for company.

We had read and heard about this place, how this was the best place to see waterbirds, but our hopes seem dashed. So instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and complaining to God, to selfishly ask for him to make them appear, we were humbled to to pray toegther asking our loving Heavenly Father, what it was HE wanted to show us, and he did. This displays one of the exciting features of our birding adventures. Birds are quite mobile and can relocate quickly making a revisit of a previously birdless area all the more interesting. This was the case when we prayed after experiencing bird empty ponds. On return the birds were there, no great numbers, that is, but representatives of the species we expected to see. One very peculiar bird in a classification all of its own, the Magpie Goose, a large flock bird is found in great number here.

The greatest delight for me was to see the Comb-crested Jacana which is known jokingly to many as the Jesus bird because it appears to walk on water. In actual fact this very small bird walks on water plants such as water-lily. It has long stick like toes which allow it to spread its weight over the leaf. These birds are seen in greatest number here and also in the Ross River wetlands nearby.

Notice that the juveniles seen here have more orange and flat head dress where as the adult has the bright red comb head dress. Jacana are difficult to get clear photographs, them being so small and so shy, as they take flight when they see you.

If you want to have a birding feast of raptors, the far northern Australia is the place to go, there are raptors visibly seen flying almost every where you look. The three raptors we saw surveying the wetlands were the Brahminy Kite, Black Kite and Swamp Harrier.

Brahminy Kite

Black Kite

Swamp Harrier

So our loving Father turned the day around for us, for as we drove back to the previous birdless areas birds were present, including interesting passerines in the surrounding forest, but these have to be for next week. Matt, the local birder we met, was also rejoicing at the numbers of different species he photographed afterwards also. My wife and I take God along with us when we bird, not to let him share the experience with us. “Lord, what is that you want us to see, what do you have for us, to teach and encourage us?” It is the intimate living loving relationship that we share with God through the Holy Spirit he has put within us that our birding experience, and most all experiences, are experienced at a much more enjoyable and meaningful level. We have hearts filled with an attitude of gratitude like little children we receive the blessings of gifts and surprises from a generous Father.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never end.
They are new and fresh every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3: 22-26

Yes it is true, I have finished full time work in medical science and currently finishing a few weeks as part time as well as helping train new staff. I will now explore the offer to become a birding tour guide in the Southern Highlands.

Thank you to the blog followers who have purchased my book here online, and thank you for the wonderful encouraging reviews I have received. For those who have not checked it out go to my birdbook page. Check out the rest of my website for birding info at my Homepage.

Have a wonderful week!

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 Should you desire to use any of the material published on this website please contact the author as a Comment or by email via the AboutUs page

The prevailing drought conditions in the Sydney region, have contributed to a reduction in the number of passerines and breeding waterbirds during summer and also as winter approaches, there are some water birds that have stayed because their habitat has not been so cruelly affected. Again I visited Sydney’s Olympic Park with my wife to have a Sunday picnic and capture some more stunning reflections of of one of my favourite waders, the Black-winged Stilt.

Black-winged Stilt juvenile

A friend asked me why I noted in a previous post that other waterbirds such as the Masked Lapwing, and even on occasion the Red-necked Avocet seen above. The answer is the long slender legs and open stick-like feet. These assist in moving through the water without disturbing it much. The other waterbirds are shorter and have thicker legs and tend to disturb the water more. It is always good to see the Stilt and Avocet together, as I have described in my book. Note the difference in the reflections.

Stilt and Avocet

It was also a delight to see a juvenile Stilt foraging alongside its parent. The Welcome Swallow managed to get into some of my photos and movie footage as they flew over the water.

Many of the Red-necked Avocet flock were sleeping safely in the centre of the shallow lake.

One of my favourite photos is this one, how the legs appear to cross over.

Other waterbirds include this White-faced Heron, probably our most commonly found wader.

White-faced Heron

We were hoping, as we peered from the Bird Hide, to spot the tiny Dotterels running along the shoreline, but on this occasion they were in the distance together in a small flock. These birds are usually timid toward human approach.

It has been interesting to find the presence of Magpie Lark (PeeWee) foraging by lakes and waterways in recent months. It is something new, possibly the drought may have brought it on. This one even joined in reflecting for me.

As we sat by the lake enjoying our Turkey sandwiches this Australasian Grebe (non-breeding) floated past, so I took some shots in the bright winter sunlight, as my wife noted it looked different. On viewing my photos as home it was found that the head had the striped of a juvenile Grebe remaining, as it is coming to maturity. Immature Grebes have black stripes on a white body, the head is the last part to loose the stripes.

Of course we had to check out the nesting area on the island where on my last post from this area we saw quite immature Pied Cormorant chicks being constantly fed by busy parents. These babies have become immature birds which now look very much like their parents, but are even more hungry and demanding than before, since they are much larger and fill the nest. This parent is so flustered trying to satisfy their appetite that he had to leave the nest and take solitude, peacefully cruising the lake.

Parent flies in and babies peter

They keep trying to get access to parents gullet

the parent has left and they cry

then quietly look for their parent to return

but he was resting in the solitude of the lake

This Masked lapwing was caught flying by…

As on the last visit the non-breeding Superb Fairy-wren were out and about, in the usual places. It is usually easy to find these birds as they are territorial and are found in the same area most of the year. Like many insectivorous birds they circumvent their small territory many times a day in search of insects on small shrubs and trees. The non-breeding male retains the dark blue tail, dark beak and turquoise wing coverts, which can be seen below. The female remains brown with rufous facial mask and lighter beak. The male will begin eclipsing again into his beautiful breeding plumage as Spring approaches, but for now, Winter is at the door.

May I leave you with this beautiful footage of the Black-winged Stilt foraging peacefully together in the lake shallows.

If this is your first visit to my blog feel free to check out the pages in my website aussiebirder.com. Check the menu at the top of the Home page.

This last four weeks of full time work as a scientist are dragging, as I look forward to part-time work or semi-retirement (whatever God grants) allowing me to expand the more creative aspects to my life. I hope to begin assessing the possibility of setting up a small business as a Tour Guide for Bird Tours. I will be checking out the possibility of running Introduction to Birding (Bird Watching) Tour packages in conjunction with Farm Club Australia in the Southern Highlands.

Black-winged Stilt with stages of development.

In the above photo one can observe most of the different stages of development of the Black-winged Stilt, from a brown chick to an adult stilt. As different as they each look to the other, they are all the same species, and will all look similar on maturity. I am challenged by the fact that I need the grace to realize that we are all at different levels and phases of maturity as people, and that despite all our differences and short comings, we are God the Father’s beloved children whom Christ died to redeem and restore. The most beautiful thought is that long before we ever came to know God, he already knew and loved us, long before we were born. This is why love, acceptance and forgiveness in our relationships is so essential, as we all experience the various aspects of life with its struggles and lessons. We each seek to be understood and accepted for who we are.

“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to being.” – Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” – Thes 5:15 (NIV)

Have a wonderful weekend!

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 Should you desire to use any of the material published on this website please contact the author as a Comment or by email via the AboutUs page

As we move into Autumn and the summer migrants, which are mostly waders, have taken flight north, we are left with our winter birds, and a period of not so many birds. However there are many waders and water birds that stay all year round and breed here in Australia. It had been a while since I was able to get time in Olympic Park, Sydney, to see how the resident waterbirds and waders are, so on Wednesday I took a look, and found this pair of Australian Black Swan alone in a pool among the mangroves. Note the male is the larger of the two. How beautiful and graceful they are when seen up close. These symbols previously peculiar to the state of Western Australia (found in its coat of arms), have been breeding well all over Australia and its surrounding islands now for many years. Click on photo to enlarge it.

It was good to see nests of Australasian Darter and Pied Cormorant in the usual breeding trees, however numbers were drastically reduced, possibly due to the extreme heat of the passing summer and prevailing drought conditions.

The commonly seen waterbirds that are more often seen grazing on grassy areas by water are the Australian Swamphen and the Masked Lapwing.

It has always humoured me when I hear the sound of the Masked Lapwing call in Australian movies, as a representative of Australia’s birds. I think what about Kookaburra, Currawong or Magpie? However, in many movies it is this bird call that is used.

As I walked to the larger lake I came across a most delightful experience where a family of Superb Fairy-wren came out from under small shrubbery to give me an excellent photo moment. What a beautiful gift! The adult male was in non-breeding plumage retaining just a bright blue tail and dark beak. This is called the eclipse stage of the male Fairy-wren. He may transform several times a year to breed, while the female and immature retain their brown tail and light orange beak and lores, only the mature males eclipse. Here is a comparison.

Superb Fairy-wren in eclipse

Superb Fairy-wren (in breeding plumage)

So this what the little family looked like as they moved about on this small bush together. You can distinguish the males from the females by the tail colour and beak and lores.

Female and Male Superb Fairy-wren

2 males, one in full and one in almost full eclipse.

Superb Fairy-wren female

The resident waders were in various stages of activity. Some slept, some preened, but most were foraging. Over the water a large flock of swallow were constantly circling.

The Chestnut Teal are in large number on the lake as usual.

Male Chestnut Teal

4 males with 1 female

But the birds I wanted to see were the three remaining waders who do not migrate. The Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Avocet and Black-fronted Dotterel. I especially love the reflections these birds generate from the shallow water. The Black-winged Stilt is one of my favourite. Notice the immature Stilts also pictured below.

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt immature

Black-winged Stilt

Immature Stilt balancing on a rock

It is interesting to see the scythe action of the Red-necked Avocet sweeping their uniquely curved bill through the water to sift for tiny brine shrimp. They sweep their bill slightly open just above the muddy bottom of the lake. It is also interesting to watch some Stilts copy this action which is not normally their own. The younger ones having grown up with the Avocets, being companion waders, copy the action.

The Red-necked Avocet, a friend to the Stilt, is also a bird seen in flock here.

Red-necked Avocet

Red-necked Avocet in all three stages of activity.

Red-necked Avocet

It was interesting to see this collision of the Avocet and Stilt foraging, it shows how serious food foraging is.

The tiny Black-fronted Dotterel was also on the shore foraging.

Black-fronted Dotterel

Of course the best place to view birds without disturbing them is the ‘Bird Hide’. However, this hide is some distance from the water, but it does give a good overall view of the lake, but you need a powerful lens to get good captures.

Bird Hide

Lastly, this Noisy Miner was attracted to my car rear vision mirrors, moving from one to the other he tries to find and make contact with the bird he is looking at. Finally, not being able to solve the conundrum he eventually leaves.

This bird’s quest is like our own, we often don’t know ourselves enough to appreciate who we are. We compare and impair the image we have of ourselves and so never really appreciate the beauty of the unique and wonderful creation we are. There is no one in the whole universe who will ever be you. Your DNA is uniquely yours, and so you bring a uniquely beautiful asset into the world in the place where God has placed you, as he has done also for me. How we understand and appreciate this gift will directly influence the way we live our lives and boldly love and accept the person we are. It is this person we must look at in the mirror and realize, we are God’s beautiful child and we are loved dearly by him our Heavenly Father. How we see ourselves affects how we enjoy life, giving confidence and acceptance to achieve great things.

“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.” – Psalm 139: 13-18. (NIV)

Some of you my dear followers know that I am currently considering leaving my full time work as a Senior Scientist to go into part time work as a Eco Tourism Bird Guide. I was recently approached by a person following my blog to operate bird tours and introductory bird courses with Farm Club Australia, situated in the Southern Highlands, south of Sydney. I am currently considering this option and how this will look for my future. I know many of my followers, will be visiting Australia and the Sydney region in the coming years. I hope to put together birding packages which will hopefully make the Sydney region leg of the journey much easier. I meet birders from all over the world, especially from USA, Canada, New Zealand and Britain doing full on birding tours of Australia, and they are often looking for birders with local knowledge to guide them to the birds on their list, as many only have limited time in each city.

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

In my last post we explored the leap of faith in small passerines, and as this summer has been so intense with heat and drought conditions it lends itself to compare Faith and Fear, the two motivating forces that influence our every action daily.

Drying my wings

The above Little Black Cormorant at Sydney Park rests knowing that before him is both a good water and food source which it can trust, and so stay and last out the summer heat, while many both migratory and resident species have moved further south or into the mountains for cooler weather. Not a lot of breeding has taken place in our local park this year, though we did see some here. The rest of faith is a principle countering the restlessness of fear.

Little Black Cormorant resting together

Early on a Saturday morning, my wife and I discovered a peaceful community of waterbirds and passerines who were braving the extreme heat and trusting that their needs would be met here. The peaceful community was noticeable at once as the White-faced Heron flew in to join the mixed species in what appeared to be a run on a school of fish.

White-faced Heron in flight

White-faced Heron landing near its partner

White-faced Heron landing

Investigating the fishing frenzie

Sydney Park is an amazing facility being reclaimed land from Sydney’s original brick works, and which the council transformed into a water park reserve which is fed by recycled storm water for the ponds of a man made nature reserve. This is very popular with city dwellers who walk their dogs here, as well as themselves. See how these birds rest together as they share in the spoils.

fishing together

One factor which this place displayed more than some other sites around the city was that birds were breeding and this Dusky Moorhen family were keeping watch on what appeared to be one chick, normally their clutch would consist of several.

You can hear the juvenile call with that all too common chirp for food shared among many young species of bird. These birds look much healthier than the ones at Oatley Park I posted a couple of weeks ago. Those ponds are closed for maintenance at present.

In the reeds we were hoping to spot the Spotless Crake which had been reported here recently but it did not show. We had seen and posted the Buff-banded Rail seen here some weeks ago. Our gift of the day was this juvenile Australian Reed-Warbler, sitting alone but visible in the reeds, making the same hungry chirp as the juvenile Moorhen, likewise trusting that the parent will soon return with food.

The parent was busy, not making its usual clamorous call, but quietly hunting for food, and this mantis was in the process of being softened up for feeding the youngster. This bird is very shy of humans and often difficult to photograph, keeping itself hidden down in the reeds, though it allowed me to film from afar without taking flight.

Aust. Reed-Warbler with insect

Juvenile Aust. Reed-Warbler

I managed to get some lovely shots of the Reed-Warbker resting, which is a rarety.

Australian Reed-Warbler

Australian Reed-Warbler juvenile

Other shore birds searching peacefully among the reed grass were this pair of Australasian Swamphen (previously Purple Swamphen).

Aust. Swamphen

This Spotted Turtledove rested by the shore of the lake.

The Pacific Black Duck were well represented but I did not see any young, though one of these may have been early spring babies.

Pacific Black Duck

As usual in the centre of a freshwater pond one Australasian Grebe, this one non-breeding. These birds are frequently seen alone when not breeding, only coming together to have their young.

Australasian Grebe (non-breeding)

The other passerines in the surrounding trees included a female Figbird, a Red Wattlebird, a young Willy Wagtail and of course this Noisy Minor, also dispatching a freshly caught insect.

Red Wattlebird

Willy Wagtail

Female Figbird

Noisy Minor

The illustrate how to identify male and female Magpie-larks (Peewee) I captured a pair at the park. Notice the direction of the facial black stripe.

Male Magpie-lark

Female Magpie-lark

Lastly, the true sign of a restful bushland and garden is the presence of the Superb Fairy-wren. These birds have suffered from the heat and though annual residents usually, many families have left their usual hunting grounds in parks surrounding the city, but this one is breeding well here in Sydney Park with several males spotted. Notice the eclipsing male, possibly starting to loose its breeding plumage. Fear of loss has possibly sent many bird species to other habitats, but these rest trusting that their needs will be met, as they see out the extreme summer months.

Superb Fairy-wren male

Superb Fairy-wren female

“Look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” – Matthew 6:26 (NEV)

Above is the verse that inspired my book, the word ‘Look’ can be interpreted as ‘study or observe’ the birds, which is what we do as birders, and we learn so much from their interesting peculiar characteristics. Jesus noted the simple faith that birds have, and birds in a similar way to us humans, have a certain amount of faith mixed with fear in our decision making, also affecting how peaceful our lives are whether they are resting in faith or restless in fear.

When I apply faith in God when feeling anxious or afraid, I have peace and my soul rests trusting him to come through for me, and so far he has not let me down. God showed his disapproval of the Israel nation when they failed to trust him, even as he provided for them as they lived in the desert, many died there because they failed to trust his generous and loving provision, they never rested in the Promised Land. This land is type of what God has for those who put their trust in Him, believing in Jesus and receiving his salvation and friendship he offers freely.

“Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” – Hebrews 4:1 (NIV)

“Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” -Psalm 50:15 (NIV)

Have a wonderful week, and if this is your first time to my website checkout my other pages and helpful birding tips, and special counselling features and bird findings.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyright 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

As you will have gleaned from my recent posts and those of other Australian bird bloggers, our persisting heat waves and drought conditions are having negative effect on our birdlife and their breeding patterns this Summer. Funny enough this week has been mostly unseasonably cooler and raining a little. The above photo depicts pictorially a sleeping reserve, with few birds and a haunting silence in many of the trees that rang with song last Summer.

The main pond drying up

This Royal Spoonbill with breeding plumage is awakened by the ring of my phone when my wife rang. The Chestnut Teal joined the sleepy scene, as the murky remains of street drainage waters, which replenish the ponds, continues to evaporate. Many different waterbirds are not here and not breeding here this year, as the murky, dirty, slimy waters dry up. Breeding may not be occurring for this bird, as Spoonbills are very private breeders, and the slightest disturbance by humans can cause them to desert the nest. Note head plumage and red dot on forehead. Maturity is denoted by the yellow mark above the eye which gives the false impression to would be intruders that their eye is always watching , even when it is closed. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Royal Spoonbill in breeding plumage.

A recent post by Maralee explored the question as to why birds stand on one leg while resting or sleeping. Birds have a ‘rete mirabile’ system in their legs where the veins and arteries are next to each other facilitating a more economic conservation of heat energy by tucking one leg up under their body. The legs are very vulnerable to heat loss, and most of their heat loss occurs here.

Pacific Black duck resting and displaying speculum.

Female Chestnut Teal resting displaying partial speculum.

Interestingly enough birds continue to do this in the heat of our summer, as can be seen here, and as was seen in my Silver Gull pic in my last weeks post. There is also a suggestion that they may rest their legs by alternating them this way. The absence of the usual breeding ducks, water fowl and passerines of both resident and migrant birds is noticeable. One pair of Chestnut Teal only was seen, where usually their are four to six breeding pair.

The only breeding birds seen were this Dusky Moorhen, and even the parents seemed smaller than usual due to the slim pickings of the current murky dry pond system.

Dusky Moorhen

Dusky Moorhen with baby

Dusky Moorhen

Dusky Moorhen family

Dusky Moorhen juvenile

In such a lonely situation, it was quite curious that this White-faced Heron and Royal Spoonbill (both decked out in breeding plumage, but not seeming to be breeding) had struck an uncommon friendship. These birds have almost oposit ways of obtaining their food, though they are both waders. The Spoonbill sweeps the water with its wide bill to find food and the Heron stands patiently still and waits till it sees its food and then stretches its long neck and catches it quickly in its narrow beak.

What makes this story more interesting is that when I walked back, quite sadly due to the absence of birds, to my surprise I see these two birds sharing a branch high up on a tall eucalypt tree. This is quite strange, as neither of these birds are passerines, and generally only land in low lying trees or mangroves if at all, and usually to rest or escape predatory danger. See how high they are!

The tree top partnership

This little aside made my visit worthwhile and was a special gift given to cheer me up. Notice how the Heron extends its neck fully. This is to deter the predator by scaring them of because of the height of the bird. When you see herons do this they probably have seen you as a threat.

Individually these birds are beautiful examples of their species. see how snuggly the heron pulls its neck back in when it feels safe again. This neck can extend with lighting speed and precision when it strikes small fish in the shallows.

White-faced Heron

Royal Spoonbill

My final photo is of this small Eastern Water Dragon sunning itself, who scampered off the track on my approach. These lizards can swim in fresh water creeks, lakes and rivers, similar to crocodiles, by sweeping their tail side by side. These are a common sight catching the sun on hot sunny days along the pathway.

Eastern Water Dragon

I finsh my short post for this week with my favourite photo of the day.

Heron and Spoonbill friends

The question I pondered on afterwards was: Do these two very different birds really have a special friendship, or did it just happen to be that they landed on the same branch, and share the same water hole? As my book describes the Red-necked Avocet and the Black-winged Stilt do have a special relationship, flocking and feeding together.

friends forever

Avocets and Stilts flocking together

I finish with a simple message, that to make and continue to be friends, where ever possible, with all people we meet in life’s journey, thus bringing peace and security to one’s life. This can be a great asset to either party in a time of need or difficulty. This does not mean that we throw wisdom and discernment to the wind. One still needs to know the difference between a few reliable friends one has grown to love and trust and those many acquaintances to whom one has been friendly but are in no close relationship.

“A friend loves at all times” – Proverbs 17:17

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

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – John 4:11

Have a wonderful week, and may the Summer birds return before the season is over! Check out the rest of my website for birding info and check out my book. Purchase it online or at one of the listed retail outlets.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyright 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Hacking River we find another Great Egret fishing…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We finally made our way down the mountain from O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in the Lamington NP alias ‘bird heaven’ to the hinterland at around sea level on the beautiful Gold Coast of Queensland. We set out to find some birding gold, searching the wetlands behind the coast in search of the Magpie Goose and the Comb-crested Jacana. Interestingly enough, last weekend a friend said while doing a walk with me, that he was told that Australia had no goose. The Magpie Goose is mostly prevalent in the far north of Australia whereas the Cape barren Goose only on the far south of the mainland, Maria and Kangaroo Islands.

Magpie Goose

I quickly corrected him informing him that we have two geese, the Magpie and the Cape Barren which most Australians would never have seen because their numbers were depleted and they chose to live away from humans. He was surprised and now has to inform his friend who gave him the spurious information. They are on the comeback and are starting to be seen again breeding in safety. We struck gold at the Emerald Lakes Wetlands, where there were reportings of Jacana and magpie Geese. We saw no Jacana but were blessed with Magpie Geese nesting.

We were able to see the goose fly and land in a tree, later followed by another goose. These were not the nesting geese they were quite safe and content sitting on the nest out in the lake among the beautiful water lilies. The Magpie Goose gets its name because it is basically black and white in colour, like the Magpie.

Magpie Goose

Magpie Goose

This movie clip will give you a better idea of this large bird.

Standing alone by the lake was this beautiful Royal Spoonbill decked out in breeding plumage.

Royal Spoonbill in breeding plumage

This lone Australasian Grebe was also present.

There was also gold in the trees surrounding the lake with honeyeaters including the Blue-faced and Brown Honeyeater. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

But the special gold was this Striped Honeyeater parents tending their nest, after all it was Spring. The tiny nest was a sack made of spiders web and small twigs knit cleverly together with an upper opening. The parents came back and forth feeding the young inside. It gets its name from the stripes on its head and neck.

Striped Honeyeater

Other Gold included this Rufous Whistler, infact the area near another nearby lake was alive with the sounds of many male Rufous Whistler calling. Spring is the time the Whistlers are most noisy in song. Here is a sample of what we heard.

Some of my birding friend will recall my research into the leap of faith of small passerines, taking off from a branch. This Rufous Whistler is a good example captured leaping with closed wings and opening wings a second or two after the leap.

Other birds seen include the Brown Thornbill, Pied Butcherbird (with its beautiful song), Noisy Friarbird, Little Egret, Olive-backed Oriole and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike.

Little Egret

Pied Butcherbird

Olive-backed Oriole

Noisy Friarbird

Brown Thornbill

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

The bird that stole our delight for quite a while was this brilliant dazzling Sacred Kingfisher. We were in search of the Collared Kingfisher but this beautiful Sacred made up for it. The only difference between the two is that the yellow-brown colouring on the lores and chest is not found on the Collared. He was so beautiful in the sunlight, and though a fair way off in the bush I managed to get some decent shots as he was not threatened by us.

Sacred Kingfisher

Thank you everyone who gave comment on last weeks controversial topic concerning the pros and cons of caging and feeding wild birds. It was a great response. I forgot to include this beautiful Grey Goshawk, a raptor which hangs around the Birds of Prey show, hoping to score a feed. This is a free and wild bird and is not part of the show. The show presenter usually feeds this bird a chicken before the show to keep it satisfied.

This ends our series on birding the Gold Coast and next week I will have some special local treats for you, one of which is a lifer for me. If you have not yet checked out my new feature on my Home Page yet on nesting Tawny Frogmouths now is the time as this will change soon. Also, with Christmas around the corner now is the last chance to bag my beautiful bird book ‘What Birds Teach Us’ as a wonderful inexpensive stocking filler for that budding birder or bird lover from 8 years and upwards. I am so encouraged by the many who have recently purchased here online and in the many shops which now stock it. You will not get it at as cheap as here online using the security of PayPal. Read the Blurb and Reviews & Purchase from my BirdBook page.

As many of you know God is an important part of the birding experiences of my wife and I.We have experienced amazing blessings as we let our loving Heavenly Father be a part of our birding exploits. We find Christmas so over exploited by money making businesses that the true meaning is being lost altogether from it. Jesus is no longer a part of it, and this Santa image has taken his place. This has been done to embrace all religions and beliefs residing in our country, and keep the holiday alive with meaning. Despite all this, Jesus will always be the reason for the season. We celebrate Jesus every day of the year because we have made HIM our personal friend, and his Spirit abides in us and guides us in our daily life. If you do not know Jesus or what he is about, maybe you can take this Christmas as an opportunity, as I did, many years ago, as a teenager, to check it out for yourself by reading the New Testament account in easy reading English. God will reveal Himself to all who seek Him, He promises to do this, as He did to me.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” – James 4:8

“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.Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 29:11

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

^”All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day.For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” – John 6: 37-40

Jesus prayed this prayer for you and me:

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:25

Have a wonderful week!

Ash Island Wetlands – Salt Marsh Muddling

Posted by aussiebirder on October 20, 2017

Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Uncategorized, waders, water birds, wetlands. Tagged: Osprey, Red-necked Avocet, Superb Fairy-wren, White-faced Heron, Yellow Thornbill.

Ash Island is part of the extensive Hunter Wetlands National Park, and while it includes the breeding grounds for several water birds and passerines, it is also houses south-eastern side, the worlds largest coal loading facility. The drought conditions have been drying up the many lakes and ponds leaving salt marsh conditions which has made the Red-necked Avocets more visible as they scoop the mudflats of the remaining marshes. Usually the Black-winged Stilt is found with the Avocets here, but they were no where to be seen, as the water levels were probably too low for them.Click on photo to enlarge it.

White-faced Heron

This juvenile Avocet is noted along away from the close knit flock. Notice its grey/brown head, this will turn red as it matures.

This footage shows the upward and/or sideways scooping action of the Avocet’s very unique beak. God has designed this bird’s beak to sift out small crustaceans (known as Brine Shrimp) from the moist salt layered mud.

This small family flock of White-faced Heron grazed further back from the road undisturbed.

White-faced Heron

Across the road high in this electricity tower an Osprey nest had activity, though the Osprey did not like me watching them.

This beautiful bright Yellow Thornbill was seen and heard moving the trees by the road nearby the Osprey.

Lastly, nearby this beautiful male Superb Fairy-wren called from the tall grass by the road.

The amazing thing about this visit to Ash Island was that all of the above was viewed within a 100 metres, from the road. My wife and I have found on our travels, if you just park by the road anywhere birds are sighted, watch and wait, often you will be surprised by what is there. You also need to remember to look up. This immature Whistling Kite was being pursued by this lone gutsy aggressive Noisy Miner which shows that its not about size but courage. Fear brings defeat before the battle begins, but faith and courage can defeat enemies far greater that fear can ever realise.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Even the weakest, small in stature, seemingly insignificant person can achieve great things in life with faith and courage that is grounded firmly in God’s strength, which is freely ours trusting in Jesus as we access his Holy Spirit power. Check out Jesus for yourself. Don’t get led astray thinking you need to go to a church to find him. I found him from reading his story in the Bible in a plain English translation and later prayed to him, asking him to forgive, restore, renew me and come into my life. It was the best decision I ever made, and he has been the best for my life and my wife also.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

Check out my Birder Sanctuary page for more information on how you can have a more peaceful and courageous life learning from our birds.

Have a great week!

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

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

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

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

Superb Fairy-wren male

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

Superb Fairy-wren (female)

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

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

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

Welcome Swallow

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

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

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

Yellow-rumped Thornbill showing yellow rump

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

Grey-crowned Babbler

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

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

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

Pacific Black Duck with spring ducklings

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

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

Pacific Black Duck with spring ducklings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A peculiar feature of Townsville is the large pink granite rock called Castle Hill (Rock) that towers behind the town, which is only 8 metres short of a mountain. From its top a wonderful birds-eye view of the city and the wetlands can be obtained.

As you can see these water birds all live harmoniously together, despite eating similar food, unlike the honeyeaters that fight over nectar blossom.

A single White-necked Heron dropped in to check us out and forage nearby the Jabaru.

The beautiful elegant Great White Egret were in great number scattered throughout the wetlands as were the Intermediate .

This White-faced Heron did a fly past to avoid attention.

Notice that the juveniles seen here have more orange and flat head dress where as the adult has the bright red comb head dress. Jacana are difficult to get clear photographs, them being so small and so shy, as they take flight when they see you.

If you want to have a birding feast of raptors, the far northern Australia is the place to go, there are raptors visibly seen flying almost every where you look. The three raptors we saw surveying the wetlands were the Brahminy Kite, Black Kite and Swamp Harrier.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never end. They are new and fresh every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3: 22-26

Yes it is true, I have finished full time work in medical science and currently finishing a few weeks as part time as well as helping train new staff. I will now explore the offer to become a birding tour guide in the Southern Highlands.

Thank you to the blog followers who have purchased my book here online, and thank you for the wonderful encouraging reviews I have received. For those who have not checked it out go to my birdbook page. Check out the rest of my website for birding info at my Homepage.

Have a wonderful week!

Share this:

Like this:

It was also a delight to see a juvenile Stilt foraging alongside its parent. The Welcome Swallow managed to get into some of my photos and movie footage as they flew over the water.

Many of the Red-necked Avocet flock were sleeping safely in the centre of the shallow lake.

One of my favourite photos is this one, how the legs appear to cross over.

Other waterbirds include this White-faced Heron, probably our most commonly found wader.

We were hoping, as we peered from the Bird Hide, to spot the tiny Dotterels running along the shoreline, but on this occasion they were in the distance together in a small flock. These birds are usually timid toward human approach.

It has been interesting to find the presence of Magpie Lark (PeeWee) foraging by lakes and waterways in recent months. It is something new, possibly the drought may have brought it on. This one even joined in reflecting for me.

This Masked lapwing was caught flying by…

May I leave you with this beautiful footage of the Black-winged Stilt foraging peacefully together in the lake shallows.

If this is your first visit to my blog feel free to check out the pages in my website aussiebirder.com. Check the menu at the top of the Home page.

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” – Thes 5:15 (NIV)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Share this:

Like this:

It was good to see nests of Australasian Darter and Pied Cormorant in the usual breeding trees, however numbers were drastically reduced, possibly due to the extreme heat of the passing summer and prevailing drought conditions.

The commonly seen waterbirds that are more often seen grazing on grassy areas by water are the Australian Swamphen and the Masked Lapwing.

It has always humoured me when I hear the sound of the Masked Lapwing call in Australian movies, as a representative of Australia’s birds. I think what about Kookaburra, Currawong or Magpie? However, in many movies it is this bird call that is used.

So this what the little family looked like as they moved about on this small bush together. You can distinguish the males from the females by the tail colour and beak and lores.

The resident waders were in various stages of activity. Some slept, some preened, but most were foraging. Over the water a large flock of swallow were constantly circling.

The Chestnut Teal are in large number on the lake as usual.

The Red-necked Avocet, a friend to the Stilt, is also a bird seen in flock here.

It was interesting to see this collision of the Avocet and Stilt foraging, it shows how serious food foraging is.

The tiny Black-fronted Dotterel was also on the shore foraging.

Of course the best place to view birds without disturbing them is the ‘Bird Hide’. However, this hide is some distance from the water, but it does give a good overall view of the lake, but you need a powerful lens to get good captures.

Lastly, this Noisy Miner was attracted to my car rear vision mirrors, moving from one to the other he tries to find and make contact with the bird he is looking at. Finally, not being able to solve the conundrum he eventually leaves.

Share this:

Like this:

In my last post we explored the leap of faith in small passerines, and as this summer has been so intense with heat and drought conditions it lends itself to compare Faith and Fear, the two motivating forces that influence our every action daily.

One factor which this place displayed more than some other sites around the city was that birds were breeding and this Dusky Moorhen family were keeping watch on what appeared to be one chick, normally their clutch would consist of several.

You can hear the juvenile call with that all too common chirp for food shared among many young species of bird. These birds look much healthier than the ones at Oatley Park I posted a couple of weeks ago. Those ponds are closed for maintenance at present.

I managed to get some lovely shots of the Reed-Warbker resting, which is a rarety.

Other shore birds searching peacefully among the reed grass were this pair of Australasian Swamphen (previously Purple Swamphen).

This Spotted Turtledove rested by the shore of the lake.

The Pacific Black Duck were well represented but I did not see any young, though one of these may have been early spring babies.

As usual in the centre of a freshwater pond one Australasian Grebe, this one non-breeding. These birds are frequently seen alone when not breeding, only coming together to have their young.

The other passerines in the surrounding trees included a female Figbird, a Red Wattlebird, a young Willy Wagtail and of course this Noisy Minor, also dispatching a freshly caught insect.

The illustrate how to identify male and female Magpie-larks (Peewee) I captured a pair at the park. Notice the direction of the facial black stripe.

“Look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” – Matthew 6:26 (NEV)

“Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” – Hebrews 4:1 (NIV)

“Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” -Psalm 50:15 (NIV)

Have a wonderful week, and if this is your first time to my website checkout my other pages and helpful birding tips, and special counselling features and bird findings.

Share this:

Like this:

The only breeding birds seen were this Dusky Moorhen, and even the parents seemed smaller than usual due to the slim pickings of the current murky dry pond system.

This little aside made my visit worthwhile and was a special gift given to cheer me up. Notice how the Heron extends its neck fully. This is to deter the predator by scaring them of because of the height of the bird. When you see herons do this they probably have seen you as a threat.

Individually these birds are beautiful examples of their species. see how snuggly the heron pulls its neck back in when it feels safe again. This neck can extend with lighting speed and precision when it strikes small fish in the shallows.

I finsh my short post for this week with my favourite photo of the day.

“A friend loves at all times” – Proverbs 17:17

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

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – John 4:11

Have a wonderful week, and may the Summer birds return before the season is over! Check out the rest of my website for birding info and check out my book. Purchase it online or at one of the listed retail outlets.

Share this:

Like this:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Hacking River we find another Great Egret fishing…

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never end.
They are new and fresh every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3: 22-26