Superb Fairy-wren

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After the Smoke has Cleared and the Rain had Come…

Posted by aussiebirder on January 22, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Royal National park, Sydney, Uncategorized, water birds, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 10 Comments

Azure Kingfisher waiting for a meal to appear (a survivor)

We rejoice and give thanks for the recent rain and cooler days we just had, though some areas experienced powerful lightning bolts (which destroyed our NBN router), powerful winds bringing down trees and destroying houses and cars. Our national capital Canberra had a massive hail storm being pelted with golf ball sized hail which destroyed  or damaged many cars and houses, taking out many windscreens. Other areas were flooded causing damage and accidents, while in other areas the fires continue their uncontrollable destructive course.  Ah well! at least we got rain, as sadly many drought ridden areas got none or very little. This created another serious problem massive 300 km wide dust storms, lifting our choice dry top soil into massive clouds and creating an eerie night for many towns in the middle of the day. Here is a photo of Australian top soil staining the ice, having been blown over 2,000 km (1,200 miles) across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand in 2006 and was deposited on the Fox Glacier on the South Island. On top of all this our holiday season tourist trade has suffered a great loss, as have many businesses burnt down,  cattle, orchards and farms wiped out all due to fire devastation, and its not over yet.

Australian soil on the ice of the Fox Glacier

Now to a brighter note, where we live in Sydney, the last week we have had cooler weather, the smoke has cleared and much appreciated heavy rain for a couple of days making the grass green again. While many parts of our burnt nation grieve their losses, we also grieve the many wildlife and forest losses, and the possibility that many birds and some animals may either now be extinct or on the brink of extinction.

Regent Honeyeater critically endangered species

Many of our rarer bird species are found in sometimes in very small pockets of forest making their existence very vulnerable to destructive fires. The truth will be revealed later in the year. For now the urgent cry to governments is to get active to exterminate the ferule foxes and cats which are killing the surviving suffering wildlife. Koalas have been declared, in many parts of our state as functionally extinct. Meaning that due to the extreme and total loss of habitat (eucalypt tree leaves their only food) in large areas, the surviving rescued animals cannot be placed back there, but have to be relocated to the remaining unburnt forests that have the tree leaves they require. The poor creatures do not know what to do or where to go without our help, as you can see below…

 

As the summer school holidays continue, we had the privilege of having our grandson Jesse stay a few days. With binoculars, camera and hat we made our way into the Royal National Park, which thankfully is one of the unburnt areas of our state. On arrival at the gift shop and cafe Jesse noticed an important item and drew my attention to it.

At first we decided to walk along the river in search of the Azure Kingfisher which we always love to show our grandies, and lo and behold he was just where we looked, fishing for his next meal, so we watched while I captured the sequence below. This is a small brightly colored and very human shy bird found mainly along freshwater rivers and lakes. It is stunning when flying in bright sunlight.

Azure Kingfisher looks over the river
Azure Kingfisher waiting for a meal to appear
Sees fish and takes a dive
down beneath the surface it captures fish
emerges with fish in beak
flies back to tree
rests with fish in beak
quickly consumes fish and sits waiting again

What a treat for Jesse! On our walk along the forest road we noticed how dry everything was, and how we hardly heard or saw a bird, which is unusual for this time of year when the forest is usually full of song especially from the Golden Whistler which was no where to be found. I mentioned that we would usually see the Eastern Yellow Robin about here, and lo and behold there it appeared, a young one.

We saw a juvenile Grey Fantail also. I mentioned to Jesse that both these birds have a habit of following you along the track being very curious, but also hoping we will cause food to appear by our movement along the track.

We were hoping to see and hear a Superb Lyrebird as that would have been a real treat for him but there were no sounds or even signs that they had recently been on the track. Possibly like many of our birds they had fled due to the thick smoke of previous months or the dryness of the drought. As the rainforest floor dries out (something never heard of previously) their food source diminishes causing the, the Bazzian Thrush and the Logrunner to go deeper into the moister forest floor for food. However, as we rested we sighted this most unusual looking bird the Top-notched Pigeon. Take a look at its appearance, its hairdo and makeup. We thought there were only two, but when it flew off another twenty followed. These are native fruit eaters, and may be finding it difficult to find food as many trees are stressed and not flowering or producing this year.

Of course there is always a Superb Fairy-wren on our visit to the Nasho, and it always heard right next to where we park the car, almost on every occasion. He draws us away from his family, with his bright breeding plumage.

We discovered this Eastern Water Dragon female resting on a log. It was not at all concerned by our presence or passers by. The males have a bright red/orange chest which intensifies during breeding season.

One feature which reappeared during Jesse’s stay was that of our Australian Eastern (Black-backed) Magpie, which I continually gave him instruction and quizzes on during his stay. Here are some interesting photos we took of a juvenile Magpie morphing its plumage to an immature. Notice how one side of the bird is changing at a time (last photo). Important changes to look for in identifying juvenile birds is dark eye and beak color, often fluffy  marbled bellies and brown or tawny plumage.

Juvenile Aust. Magpie tuning in his senses
Immature Aust. Magpie with morphing plumage
Immature Aust. Magpie from one side
Juvenile Magpie molting to Immature

While Jesse was watching a pair of our resident male Australian Magpies (note: alpha male on right and almost mature male on left). This series was shot by Jesse with his camera, as the Magpies, quite conscious of our interest, continued to perform their ablutions unafraid. This highlights the fact that these Maggies know and trust me as their friend, though he did keep an eye out occasionally.

Meanwhile, Jesse  just kept clicking away as the alpha male took his bath and then preened himself before leaving. Those studying this bird, like myself, may have interest in some of these images. The male on the smaller bath just sat and observed the whole time and was not sure if it would indulge itself.

Let us now trace the washing preening sequence Jesse managed to capture. We believe the reason these birds came, being as intelligent as they are, they knew that this water was frsh rain water that had fallen yesterday and not the less desirable town water which has been chemicalized. I know the difference because when I lived on a property some 20 years ago we had only rain water for drinking and washing, and the difference is amazing,

(1) Bathing:

He starts by just standing for a short while in the large bath, which he knows is his.

 

He then proceeds to wash his beak thoroughly. Remember that Magpies do not hunt their food in trees, they are ground feeders and are constantly thrusting their very sharp steel like beak into the hard earth to find food, so it gets quite dirty. Meanwhile the lesser male continues to stare into the water.

He then follows by fully amercing his front and sides, constantly shaking off water to ensure thorough cleaning in under feathers as well as remove pests and loose feathers etc…

 

 

He then lifts his upper wing plumes to wash his back and secondaries…

This takes a little time as he ensures he is fully wet.

He then leaves the water to rub his beak clean on the back of our metal courtyard chairs…

He now looks quite beraggled and disheveled and prepares for the next stage…

(2) Preening:

The washed male now pokes his beak into his preening gland at the base of his tail where he draws an oily waxy substance. 

He now proceeds to run his tail feathers through his beak coating them with the substance, which he does to condition his plumes, waterproofing  them and helping strengthen them from becoming brittle. 

This process takes a few minutes, where on this occasion he concentrates on his long tail plumes.

 

Having finished some preening he is ready to leave. But take a look at the complex and neatly packed and folded wing and tail arrangement. Only intelligent design could have created such a marvelous flight machine.  He flew into the Frangipani Tree giving me his thank you look indicating that he will be back same time tomorrow for more to be sure, and with his understudy in toe leaves.

Then the Noisy Miner comes for its turn, but only after our neighborhood’s most powerful and dominant bird has left. It is amusing to watch how all the other birds scatter when the alpha male flies in. The Miner checks that it is safe before getting wet.

Here is some live footage Jesse captured. Oh, I forgot, the understudy finally took the plunge just before he left. I think he may have waited as a sign of respect, or possibly still learning how to bathe the Magpie way as all their behaviour is learnt over a 3 to 4 year period.

The Second Edition of Book 1 is with the publisher and almost ready to check its first draft. The following link will take you to a page which I will update as we move closer to launch date. Click here to view information about both the Second Edition of Book 1 and also Book 2. 

It was interesting that just before the alpha male got quite wet, the lesser male started communicating to another Magpie in the distance, to which the alpha male joined in briefly. Magpie communication is one of the most complex of any language or call, and some scientists have devoted their life work to studying it. These birds during their warble are able to move between two octaves in a millisecond. 

Magpies are known to warble for sometimes over an hour to one another from a distance, in this case the distant call was was inaudible to us humans.  Magpie and most all bird hearing is so much more acute than ours, which is why they may fly off at the slightest sound. These birds can be taught to talk human words and phrases, as many of our birds can mimic. It is interesting also that the Magpie made a choice to place communicating above his bathing ritual, which was a most enjoyable experience in fresh rain water. It can not be stressed enough that the priority of good communication is the most important principle to any relationship following that of trust. Like the Magpie we must first prime our ears to silently listen carefully before replying. We need to make sure we understand what is being said, and if we do not ask for explanation. Most relationship breakdowns are over poor communication skills being employed. The most successful and proven way of listening well with empathy and to gain understanding, used by counselors, is Active or Reflective Listening.

Magpies wait for the other communicating Magpie to finish when communicating to another, they do not interrupt but wait their turn (of course when they call together in the morning chorus this is not the case). This is a skill not easily becoming to us men as we tend to want to fix everything with our answer. It is a lesson constantly being learnt by myself and my male friends.

‘Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey.

‘One of the most sincere forms of respect is to listen to what others have to say.’ – Bryant H McGill

‘We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.’ – Epictetus

‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry’ – James 1:19

Have a great week and STAY SAFE! 

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.

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Birding on the Great River Walk – Numerous Nestlings

Posted by aussiebirder on November 7, 2019
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Sydney, Trees, Uncategorized, water birds, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Dusky Woodswallow babies

One of the great advantages of my wife having more days off during the week is that we can have more frequent birding dates together and explore new regions around Sydney. I was tipped off that the rarely seen Painted Honeyeater had been spotted around the Penrith Weir along the Great River Walk track. So early one morning we set off with camp chairs, thermos and packed lunch to check out this unexplored birding area at the foot of the Blue Mountains along the banks of  the Napean River. Of course, in western Sydney there is always the possibility of seeing snakes sunning.

Amazing as it was, we spent the first 30 minutes having only walked less than 30 meters along the path, as we a multiplicity of birds appeared, and could be identified by their calls. The scissor sound and continual displaying of the Restless Flycatcher.

The chatter of the brilliant Red-rumped Parrot in the sun as he fed on grass seed

The abrupt scraping sound of the Red Wattlebird call.

However, the loudest, continuous and most noticeable bird call was that of the Bell Miner community which had taken possession of the trees in this small area. They had young ones they were feeding and caring for also. The Bell Miner, commonly known as the Bellbird, has a very complex and organised social structure and will usually aggressively remove any other Lerps and nectar eaters from the trees. They are usually: loudly heard but seldom seen, as their colour is leaf green.

This would explain why we found in their midst two Dusky Woodswallow nests in trees only a few feet apart. The parent Woodswallows were busily watching the nest from nearby, and fetching food. Last week I showcased the less common White-browed Woodswallow, this is one of the more common cousins to our area. Both nests had three nestlings, as you can see with my feature photo, and these. Enjoy! New life was a feature in this small neck of the woods.

Dusky Woodswallow parent
Dusky Woodswallow parent
Dusky Woodswallow parent
Parent guarding babies
Returning to nest
in the first nest
a rear view
In the second nest
feeding time but too much to swallow

Woodswallows are mostly insectivorous and have no trouble finding food as they glide around us in classic Woodswallow fashion. As with new human mothers, some of feeding is trial and error, and this was the case when a large winged insect was brought in, but none of the babies could swallow it, eventually the mother ate it. You will hear the Bellbirds in the background.

A little further along the path we found this male Dusky Woodswallow displaying for the nearby female, who’s attention he could not capture. There was a lot of butt shaking, which must be a real turn on for the female. However, after putting on a good show for us, within seconds jumped on the back of the unsuspecting female and mated with her. Bird mating in many species happens very quickly in seconds, and he is gone! Most male birds do not possess a penis, so it is amazing how such brief contact with both their openings does the job. Sometimes this may occur many times a day during breeding season until she feels the urge to nest. This is why it is difficult to determine the sex of young birds when they all look alike. I have a couple of funny stories about my children’s Guinea Pigs and Budgerigars when they were young. How I was always told by the Pet Shop owner that they were all female, I will let you work the rest out, and why I needed to build larger enclosures.

There was one Honeyeater which continually eluded the Bell Miners due to its speed and size and that was the White-plumed Honeyeater, which had built a well hidden and secret nest in the midst of the blossom of the eucalypt tree in a very clever format. It would dash back and forth to elude the Miners.

Honeyeater concealed nest
White-plumed Honeyeater
watching nest

Another White-plumed Honeyeater had its nest hidden deep in a small bush, making it difficult to get good pictures of it feeding its nestlings.

watching the nest
feeding time

While we kept seeing new life of Spring all around us, and the exuberant calls of joyful males celebrating and warding off intruders, one threat hovered above for a short time in this Nankeen Kestrel, which has a diet of bird babies and insects.

Yes, the signs of new life are all around us and we are in bird baby heaven. We look up into a tall Casuarina  Tree and there is one juvenile Australian Raven waiting for its parent to return with food. It decides to spread its wings and perhaps at this stage wonder what they are used for. 

Juveile Aust Raven
Testing wing spread

Further along by the river we saw this male Superb Fairy-wren in full breeding plumage followed by one juvenile baby. Notice it has no tail as yet. It was quite cute as it followed the father all over the place. The father had to ward off another breeding male which came briefly on the scene.

adult male in breeding plumage
adult Superb Fairy-wren
following dad
following dad
warding off an intruder
following dad
juvenile Fairy-wren

Nearby a female was secretly tending its nest, which was very inconspicuous and had a hidden opening. This morphing male was watching nearby, and was still changing into his breeding colours from his eclypse state. He is most likely the father to be.

female Fairy-wren nest builder
the nest visited
the nest visited again
morphing father to be

As we came near to weir of the Napean River, we were looking for the Painted Honeyeater, but saw this male Satin Bowerbird watching us from high in a tree.

By the river our Australian native Hibiscus was blooming.

A lone Little Black Cormorant sat on the weir watching the water flow over the weir. Special provision has been made for native fish and Trout to move up and down the river through the weir.

Woman’s Rowing Team were practicing on the river also.

This little group of Australian Wood Duck made for the water on our approach. These birds pair for life, so these are three pair with the male having the darker head with light grey body.

We finally crossed over this remarkable walking bridge in search of coffee on the other side. This special bridge is the third build across the river, the previous two were washed away by floods in the last two centuries. There was a seamless stream of ‘westies’ walking back and forth across this bridge, enjoying this very special river vista.

guess who’s on the bridge?

We finally found a coffee shop at the art gallery where I was almost swooped by an adult magpie which was caring for one hungry juvenile, which I failed to photograph. Yes the signs were there, not to mention this Eastern Water Dragon sunning himself by the river…

 

 

 

My wife had a sudden moment of excitement when she spotted this beautiful Chestnut-breasted Mannikin brilliant in the sunlight. Interesting that the crest is also chestnut rather than classic than grey, possibly a hybrid?

That’s all for this post, Oh, yes before we left, we returned to our starting point where we sat under the shade of a small eucalypt sitting in our camp chairs and ate our turkeyncranny sangers and had our cuppa from the thermos. It was a hot day and the birds came close as we sat in our open air theater  watching them do life. We were so thankful for a most enjoyable day!

Pulling Together

A Family, a sports team, a work place, a community all need to work together to move forward. The more effort each employs, and the more each maintains  purpose, timing, effort and direction the better and faster their achievement towards their goal. The key is focused, willing co operation. It is like rowing or sculling together in a water craft. If some decides to do it differently it throws the whole purpose and goal into confusion and trouble. We all need to pull together if we want to achieve a good outcome in life. When we are all on the same page it makes life so much more enjoyable.

“…So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else… And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.” – Colossians 3:12 -14 (GNT)

Have a wonderful week! if this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out my Home Page to discover more birding information and previous posts.

We are getting closer to publishing my two new books, possibly early next year, as proof reading continues. I am now writing a much more demanding work “An Introduction to Birdwatching for Young People.” which will complete the set. This will hopefully aim again at the Pre-teen and teen ages groups and be an easy reading book which will be packed with useful information for beginning a hobby or pastime in birding at any age. It will contain two sections, One: for identification of more commonly seen birds in each state and Two: containing information on the how, when, where and why of birding, the nuts and bolts. It is another exciting project the Lord dropped into my mind last week.

Since the 2nd Edition will not be published this year, why not purchase a copy of the first edition as a Christmas gift, it will change the life of the young reader in a positive way. This is the testimony of many who review my book. My wife said to me yesterday that each time she reads it it uplifts her spirits. Counselors Doctors and Teachers have shared with me how this book helped change depressed and disadvantaged young people, and older people also, encouraging them to have a positive and healthier outlook for their lives. You can purchase it here online through secure PayPal so that it arrives for Christmas. Many of my blog followers have already purchased it for their children and grandchildren and shared how it blessed them. If you are concerned, there are no religious connotations or suggestions apart from my one verse in the Introduction as to why I wrote it. It has been embraced by people of several different belief systems and various cultures, as the principles described apply to all peoples. It will also give you a better understanding of our Australian birds.

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.

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Unexpected Delights of Spring Birding – The Rufous Songlark

Posted by aussiebirder on October 30, 2019
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, migratory waders, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, shorebirds, Sydney, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

The Rufous Songlark displaying with his spring song

By carefully observing the above photo one can see that it is Spring at Bushell’s Lagoon. The budding fruit tree with a springtime bird, the Rufous Songlark displaying. When a male bird displays,  it is signalling to prospective females of its willingness to mate. This courtship performance involves much song and a little dance. My wife and I sighted this Rufous Songlark in full song. This is a bird we hardly ever see, so it was like seeing a lifer for us. Listen and watch as he performs.

There is usually a pleasant surprise find at Bushell’s Lagoon, which makes it one of the most frequented birding locations in the Sydney region, tucked away among the market gardens and turf farms on the rich alluvial soils of the Hawkesbury valley river  flats. As some of you know, we like to enjoy a birding date where we start in the morning at Bushell’s, have fishnchip lunch at Windsor and then finish at Wianamatta Nature Reserve. We were pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Glossy Ibis resting with the other shorebirds at the edge of the lake. They were some distance away so the pics are not wonderful, but the sheen of their plumage is noticeable.

As we watched a White-bellied Sea-Eagle came over and sent many of the birds, including the Ibis into a frightened frenzy. Note that the Australian White Ibis and the Glossy Ibis (which is not endemic to Australia) are flying together. This is a feature of Ibis, they tend to find safety together, both roosting and nesting.

The bold little Black-winged Stilt (possible nesting nearby) came to the rescue and singlehandedly attacked and chased off this large raptor, while the others flew off in fear.

Hear is a brief half speed view of one attack strategy.

One feature of this ruckus was to view a Great Eastern Egret in the same tree as a Little Egret.

 

As we passed the cattle in the nearby paddocks, the Cattle Egret were beginning to show their orange breeding plumage, which begins from the top of the head, and makes its way down to the whole body eventually.

This was a Great capture of one particularly Great Egret, especially with its elegant breeding plumage.

There was amazing activity in the trees lining the lane into the lagoon, as dozens of White-browed Woodswallow were displaying and mating and generally having a noisy game of chasings. It was a delightful sight watching them glide about overhead in classic Woodswallow fashion.

This Red-whiskered Bulbul is another migrant back to enjoy our warmer weather. It sat for some time with a moth in its mouth waiting for us to leave so it could take it to its nest. Many birds do this so they do not disclose the location of their nest to danger.

This place hosts many families of Superb Fairy-wren beside the lake in the thicket like scrub.

We found this juvenile Magpie-lark by the side of the road, it appeared somewhat lame, and was concerned at our presence, so we only briefly viewed it as its parents were nearby trying to distract us away.

As we were leaving Bushell’s Lagoon for lunch, we noticed this Black-shouldered Kite sitting quietly, and unafraid of us in a low lying tree. It allowed us come close, and then we noticed its right eye was not functioning, and had some injury.

After our most enjoyable fishnchips lunch we headed off to Wianamatta Nature Reserve, which is under the NSW National Parks care. There before our eyes on a bare branch as per its classic pose was the first Dollarbird we had seen this season, and it looked so colorful in the sunlight. These birds migrate from up north each Spring, returning in Autumn.

There was a notable absence of Finches, with most the usual birds not present, including the Red-capped Robin. So we walked to the creek, as there was still some water from the recent brief rain, and of course that was where the birds were keeping company, as were heard the sound of several species moving through the canopy of nearby trees. The Rufous Whistler was very vocal, but insisted on eluding me. I managed to catch a few shots of the Scarlet Honeyeater and Spotted Pardolote. As you can see the Pardolote body is the shape and size of a eucalypt leaf, making it hard to detect under a dark canopy.

We finally returned home after another lovely birding date together.

Here is a famous quote of Martin Luther in reference to dealing with temptation, something we all encounter from time to time.

It is true that we all experience tempting thoughts or suggestions from time to time to do wrong or cheat or try to get away with being dishonest. While these suggestions planted in our minds by watching others or by a devilish source, may come quite randomly and sometimes surprise us unexpectedly. We each have the power and ability to reject any thought or suggestion that we deem wrong or in conflict with our integrity and moral code,  refuting it when it occurs. The better we identify and turn away these temptations, the less they will occur and be a possible threat to us. One of the feelings or sensations we need to be on guard for is that of the excitement or rush that comes from trying to commit crime or cheat the system. This sometimes euphoric sensation can arouse us to step out in a moment of weakness. To be a true role model living out a character of integrity, it is wise that we be like Luther, aware that temptations will come, fly around our heads, but we can reject them from taking roost or nesting in our minds to cause us to do things we will later regret. For when we act against our conscience it has a negative effect on our health, especially our immune system as well as our inner joy and peace.

 William Shakespeare. In Act 1, Scene III of the famous play, Hamlet, Polonius says: “To thine own self be true.”

“Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Enjoy your week and Spring and Autumn birds, depending on where you live. If this is your first visit to my blog, why not check out my website for more birding tips and info.

And YES there are still more copies of “What Birds Teach Us” if you want to get one or more for that special Christmas gift. It is very popular each year for Christmas, as it is a gift that keeps on giving.

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.

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A Warm Winter Walk – Cape Banks Aquatic Reserve

Posted by aussiebirder on August 30, 2019
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Botany Bay, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Sydney, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Swamp Harrier aged

On a warm winters day there is nothing better than a walk, especially to a location not yet explored. I had read sightings of unexpected bird species at Cape Banks in the Sydney area. I had never been to Cape Banks during my time living in Sydney, and the sightings of juvenile Pacific Gull and Kelp Gull were an interesting enticement.  Cape Banks is the southern point at the mouth of the Georges River better known as Botany Bay, famous for the landing of Lieutenant James Cook with his ‘HMS Bark Endeavor’ in 1770 at Kurnell near this terminal pictured below. This is all part of Botany Bay National Park. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Entrance to Cape Banks
Kamay Botany Bay NP northern mouth
Cape Banks
Looking into Botany Bay

We know him as Captain Cook, which should have been his title but was held from him because he was not of the English gentry or trained in their class system, but despite this fact, became the world’s finest navigator and cartographer. The appointment of officers within this class system resulted in many thousands of unfortunate losses of lives during English history,  including Australians in the First World War. Though Cook did the work of a Captain he was precluded the title till many years later. Joseph Banks (whom the cape is named after) was the botanist on his voyage who gave English names to many of the species of plants observed on the voyage. The first sighting that travelers see when approaching Sydney airport  by air is the rugged tall sandstone cliffs of Botany Bay NP and The Royal NP. 

The unusual sandstone rock formations seen along this coastline are also a feature here adding to the natural beauty of the place. But sadly there are the residual signs of  past disaster as the rusting wreck of the SS Minmi lies on the rocks. It was a coal carrying steamship which traveled back and forth from Newcastle to Melbourne, named after the coal mining town in Newcastle, Minmi where my eldest son use to live. Thankfully only one life was lost by heart attack and the many crew were safely brought to shore, as the army barracks nearby came to their assistance on hearing the steam expulsions of the boiler as it broke up on the rocks at night. There was a line of cars parked 4 mile long as thousands came from the Sydney area to see it, damaging the NSW Golf Course as they walked in.

It was also delightful to see some of the wildflowers of our earlier than usual Spring on the sandstone cape.

By now some of you are asking: “Hey aussiebirder! What about the birds, did you see any birds?!”

Well I did not see as many as I had hoped, though this is always a birders prospect, but yes, I did enjoy some quality sightings. As I came along the track I was greeted by the sounds and occasional sighting of many Superb Fairy-Wren mostly appearing to still be in eclipse, but soon to be reverting back to their beautiful blue breeding plumage as Spring ensures. The female has the red eye ring and a lighter blue tail. The scrubby coastal bush is ideal habitat for these tiny insectivorous birds.

As I stepped off the footbridge connecting to Cape Banks headland, I spotted this Australasian Pipit. These are interesting birds to watch, and are seen in several places on the sandstone platforms of this National Park. They have a darting motion as they forage for insects and seeds, and will take flight easily if they see you coming.

Looking out to the beautiful calm blue sea I saw one lone Humpback Whale making its way up the coast. Most of its relatives are already up north in the warmer waters of the Hervey Bay area, mating and having their young. This late arrival was continually slapping its tail, for over an hour, barely moving forward. It is not known with any definitive truth as to the purpose of the tail-slap. It may be communicating to the nearby boat to stay away, or attempting to locate other whales in the vicinity, or some believe it may be a feeding technique, but this is very dubious. As I watched the whale I noticed a lone Australasian Gannet cruising nearby. This is a bird seldom seen this close to the shoreline, though both whale and Gannet were a considerable distance out to sea.

Humpback Whale tail-slap
whale and Gannet
Australasian Gannet
Australasian Gannet
Australasian Gannet

One of the enticements that led me to Cape Banks suddenly appeared flying over the Cape, a pair of juvenile Pacific Gull. These birds are not normally found this far north, though we do see juvenile Kelp Gull from time to time which I have posted in the past. The Pacific Gull is found mostly in Victoria and Tasmania and is our largest Gull.

This is what these youngsters will look like when they mature. Notice the red lipstick lips. The Pacific Gull has both top and bottom lips red and the Kelp Gull only the bottom lip.

Not seeing many other birds I began to make my way back and noticed that one of the holes of the NSW Golf course which was integrated into this Reserve was over a deep chasm. So I watched as experienced golfers landed the ball. I have traced one for you. They had transverse the chasm along a footbridge onto the cape to this one tee off point and hit it back over the chasm to the green on the other side.

Just as I was almost near my car to leave, the Lord provided me with one last gift of what appeared to be an aged Swamp Harrier which flew directly over in good sunlight, what a beautiful bird! Of course this became my feature photo at the commencement of this post. We don’t see many Swampies on the coast, though I have seen one not far from here in Botany Bay over a year ago. This brought a satisfying finish to my warm Winter walk, and the delight of having ventured into new birding territory where I will soon return with my wife for a picnic.

Swamp Harrier
Swamp Harrier
Swamp Harrier
Swamp Harrier

Finally, as I leave this beautiful place having taken in its natural and historical significance, my meditation, as I viewed the many interesting and beautiful rock formations in the sandstone, was to consider the following. As a male in particular, I generally by nature am a problem solver and tend to be more Left-brained  analytical, wanting to try and work the HOW, WHEN and WHY these sandstone formations occurred, rather than just allow myself to enjoy and appreciate the beauty and artistic design of the rockface, which is using more of my Right-Brainsidedness. As I learn to take time to employ Mindful Moments in my life. By deliberately doing this,  I also learn to balance my life in a healthier way as God intended. Sometimes I just need to appreciate what I see or hear or smell or touch rather than try and work it out as if it were something necessary to do. Generally, it is only my ego that needs to do this, which has sadly placed many men, including myself in the past, into workaholic mode to miss the point of it all.  Instead of seeing and appreciating a beautiful rock formation and giving thanks for its Intelligent Design, one may feel the intense urge to postulate theories and possible ways it came into being. “Stop and Smell the Roses!” is a very timely saying in a very stressful over busy modern life. When I was first told this by a counselor I thought ‘What a silly thing to say!’, but now years later, having become a counselor myself and journeyed through burn out and experienced tragedy and several miracle healings at God’s hand, I try to be all the more mindful to be mindful of each life experience, whether it be a cool gentle breeze or the warmth of Winter sun on my back or the melody of a bird’s song.  An Attitude of Gratitude and a thankful joyous spirit has now scientifically been shown to bring health and longevity to one’s being. So relax, be at peace, enjoy and be thankful in the precious moment that you have, for when it is over it is gone forever, but if it is pleasant memory it will continue to  bless you on your Journey.

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” – Psalm 111:2

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1

“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” – Psalm 104:24

Have a wonderful restful and enjoyable weekend appreciating your beautiful birds and getting out to enjoy the beautiful places they habitate and have a Mindful Moment!

If this is your first visit to my blog please explore my Website Homepage menu for more birding tips and info. Check out my book “What Birds Teach Us”, a great easy to read gift idea, which continues to get good reviews where people share how it has helped them and how it is a unique book. If you are concerned, it has been carefully  written for all cultures and beliefs and does not preach or recommend any particular belief system, but is a counselling tool that encourages good life skills by using the birds and beautiful photos of them to relate to us. People from other cultures and beliefs different to my own, have shared how they love the book. You can purchase your copy here

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.

 

Winter Birds – Breeding and Non-Breeding

Posted by aussiebirder on July 22, 2019
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Sydney, Sydney Olympic Park, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , .

Superb Fairy-wren (male non-breeding or eclipse plumage)

Winter is here in Australia and like us, birds are adjusting to the seasonal change. Some decide to fly north to the warmer climates of Queensland, possibly seeking a good winter holiday package like us in a few days, some fly further north to Asia and Siberia/Alaska to breed and return in early Spring. Others develop breeding plumage, stay and breed during Winter months, while others like the male Superb Fairy-wren pictured above, loose their breeding plumage, stay and do not breed again till Spring. Each bird species has its own unique breeding patterns, which over all are governed by seasonal changes. Just as we change the clothes we wear for each season so do many of the birds. 

Many bird species such as the above male, moult to form a plumage similar to the female, during their non-breeding months. This plumage is known as being in eclipse. The tell tail blue tail remains, as his male sex marker when spotting him in the wild. The bright Blue Wren that we all know when breeding is incognito now till Spring for most males of this species, though there are still many breeding late due to our unusually warm Autumn. The Superb Lyrebird, of similar name, however, is most likely seated on its nest or with nestlings as they breed during Winter when more food source is easily available to feed their young from the rainforest floor.

Some birds such as this lone Royal Spoonbill have breeding plumage somewhat out of season, appearing to remain late. The head dress plumage and red forehead markings declare this. The nest would normally be with other similar large shorebirds, such as Ibis, but would be abandoned if we were to approach it. See how it sifts the water for small marine creatures.

These Pied Cormorant in Sydney Olympic Park are breeding out of season also possibly due to a warmer than usual Autumn. Usually there would be between 10 and 20 other birds nesting but only a few nests are active as the others have finished and flown. Late nesting can make breeding more vulnerable to predators, without the safety in numbers rule these birds usually employ, as can be seen as this Australian Raven contests a nesting parent, attempting to get her off the nest to steal her eggs or babies, but she stands her ground or should I say sits her ground and like a true parent ain’t gonna move for no one.

Pied Cormorant staying off Aust. Raven
Pied Cormorant with late nestling

Lastly, this cute little Yellow Thornbill was jumping around the mangroves and casuarina trees beside the lake enjoying its lone adventure. It appeared to be not only just maturing but is an example of one of the many territorial non migratory birds that remain through all the seasons and do not show any marked plumage differences when breeding.

This has been a quick post as I have just left hospital yesterday and have had some health issues to rectify which we have suddenly become aware of, from which treatment will now be ongoing. Thank you to those praying for me and sharing your kind thoughts it is much appreciated. Like these birds we have our seasons in life. The worlds wisest man King Solomon who wrote the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Bible explained this fact. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. You may remember The Byrds music group back in the 60s singing a popular Pete Seeger folk song formed from this passage. ‘To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn.’

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.              (NIV)

The key principle Solomon is sharing is that we need to realize and accept the fact that throughout one’s life there will be times or seasons of good and enjoyable experiences and what appear to be bad or unpleasant ones, both are the normal part of life. It is when we accept this truth we can have peace and draw courage and strength from seeing them as positive and necessary changes for our life, character and maturity, rather than anger and resentment blaming God or anyone else for their unfulfilled expectations. This is what gave me contentment this last week as I felt peace and rest in the midst of the storm my health experienced in this new life season I am presently in. Knowing that there is always Treasure in the Trial. We just have look for it, with wisdom, as you would for any treasure.

“We know that in all things [both good and bad life experiences/seasons] God works for good with those who love him…” – Romans 8:28 [ added and explained by me] (GNT)

 

Have a great week! My new book is now awaiting a first edit. 

If this is your first visit to my blog please explore my Website Homepage menu for more birding tips and info

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.

 

Birding in the Hunter Valley Wine Region.

Posted by aussiebirder on March 8, 2019
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, Holidays, National Parks, Nature, Nature reserve, Outings, Trees, wild flowers, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater

Last weekend, my wife and I drove to the Hunter Valley Wine Region for our wedding anniversary, where we not only enjoyed beautiful valley views, fine food, tasting luscious wines, but of course as per usual, birding was included. Click on photos to enlarge.

aussiebirder ready to bird
View from our accommodation.

Nearby was the Werakata National Park, one of the feeding areas of the rare and endangered Regent Honeyeater, which my followers would know I have blogged in past posts. The Spotted Gum eucalypt trees were in flower which would have been ideal for them to feed, however we did not see any Regents on this occasion. 

But we did see an unexpected family of another inland bird the beautiful Rainbow Bee-eater female with juveniles. The juveniles lack colour intensity, lack the throat band which has not yet formed and lack the tail streamers. This bird lives in hot arid areas and dry forests and spends the Summer months down here, flying back up to Far North Queensland during Winter, after the cyclones of the wet season. The females have two short tail streamers (see below) and the male has longer streamers.

adult female Bee-eater
Juvenile Bee-eater

To our delight as we walked to breakfast, we found a small flock of Musk Lorikeet feeding on the Spotted Gun flowers nearby our accommodation. This bird is found inland and is often difficult to photograph and well camouflaged as they are usually deep in the tree feeding. The blue head cap and the red head markings are usually all you can detect. This birds gets its name from the male which during breeding season emits a musky odour from an oil gland on its rump. This acts as a pheromone attracting females to mate.

Musk Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet feeding
Musk Lorikeet

The Eastern Rosella is another inland bird checking the gum trees also. A beautiful but very shy bird.

Eastern Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Eastern Rosella

It was lovely to see several new season juvenile birds and hear their monotonous hunger chirps as the family try to feed them. This juvenile Noisy Miner was getting attention next to our room.

Adult Noisy Miner keeping watch
Juvenile Noisy MIner

One of the best treats for me coming here was to hear again the sound of the Pied Butcherbird,  my favourite songbird, which I miss hearing from my years of living up the coast in country NSW. This bird is not found as far south as Sydney, but its cousin the Grey Butcherbird sings his beautiful song to me each morning as he drinks from our birdbath. Listen and watch as this bird’s  morning chorus rings through the valley.

One hot afternoon while enjoying a swim in the pool, we heard a commotion in the nearby eucalypt tree as several Noisy Miners were being very noisy and appeared to be looking at something and scolding it in the tree. At first we all could not make it out, but my wife donned her binoculars and sighted the cause of the trouble, a young Lace Monitor was on a branch high in the tree in search for bird eggs. The Noisy Miners harassed him with noise but it was the brave and more brutal Blue-faced Honeyeater that dared to come close, causing the lizard to move away. 

Lace Monitor
Lace Monitor

Blue-faced Honeyeater are another bird found mainly in northern NSW and also Queensland. As with other Australian honeyeaters competing for nectar, this bird is aggressive and often sports what appears to be an aggressive look which is in it’s favor for warding off adversaries.

While we were enjoying coffee at the Chocolate Factory, we looked out to a distant paddock where my wife sighted a Wedge-tailed Eagle going to ground. It was a long way off and barely visible and spent several minutes down. I walked smartly to the car to retrieve my camera and returned waiting at the fence. Eventually it arose and flew toward me, almost over my head and then into the distance. It appeared to be carrying its prey under one talon, which on close observation appeared to be either a native possum or small fox.

This is Australia’s largest raptor sporting a wingspan of around 2.3 meters (7.5 feet), and it is always a buzz to see them since their numbers were decimated in the last 100 years due to the 5 shilling bounty on their heads. Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered needlessly. Farmers complained that they carried off lambs as prey.  This is the most persecuted eagle in the world. Today there is a $8,000 fine and imprisonment in most states for killing this now protected bird as this bounty has since been lifted, and numbers are very slowly returning, but will never be as they were. The eagle can carry up to 5kg (11pds) prey which is heavier than its body weight of 3.5kg. We also spotted a Whistling Kite passing over silently.

Whistling Kite
Whistling Kite

On our visit to Hunter Valley Gardens which is the largest floral display in Australia, we were met by many Superb Fairy-wren families bobbing in and out of the beautiful and extensive rose gardens. As roses are introduced species and lack nectar, they do not attract native honeyeaters birds but only the tiny insectivorous Superb Fairy-wren. This bird is a small fast moving territorial bird found in many flower gardens and parks in eastern Australia. Some males were morphing into eclipse after the breeding season, and others were still donning their brilliant breeding plumage which looked spectacular in the sunshine when it came out. The female looks plain brown and has a reddish marking around her eyes.

The other bird we saw many of, but had a challenge to photograph, was the another insectivorous inland bird I posted recently, the Yellow Thornbill.

We enjoyed a wonderful anniversary celebration away in the vineyards, bringing home some very enjoyable wines. One of the vineyards, the Mistletoe Winery, appeared to have giants present though we did not see any on our visit, but she had left her shoes in the garden.

You might consider this above photo to be a trick with perspective, but no the shoes are as large as they appear, by simply observing the branch in the foreground. Yes, it is a sculpture, one of many at this winery. This sculpture reminded me that sometimes the truth can be right before my eyes, but because it does not line up with what I know and understand of it in my world, I may doubt its authenticity, and consider that someone has fiddled the foto and fiddled the facts to make a false observation appear like truth. In this age where deception, lack of trust and loss of integrity is on the increase, it reminds me that I need to be alert and wise to check out the details of boldly postulated assertions, particularly from minority groups, but ever increasingly from government and media. What is so called politically correct or currently socially acceptable may not be truth and therefore good or safe to enter into. With our looming elections in coming months I and all of us need to be able, as difficult as it has become, to discern who is telling the truth, and what the facts really are for the ongoing good of our families and community.

Jesus said: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd [alert, intelligent, astute, clever, observant, perceptive] as snakes and as innocent [not guilty of causing crime, offense or suffering] as doves.” – Matthew 10:16 (NIV with added meanings)

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1

“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” – 1 Corinthians 2:12

Enjoy your week as we eclipse into changing seasons, for some autumn and others spring. It is a time to be wise with our health as the temperatures change. It is also time in the next few weeks for our migratory waders to be on the move again, which I will be sharing more of in my next post.

If this is your first visit to my blog be sure to check out my birding website for more birding info and helpful hints for body mind and spirit. Enter into the refreshing mindfulness of birding, lower your stress levels, and live a healthy 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.