White-bellied Sea-Eagle

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Winter in the West – The Yellow Thornbill

Posted by aussiebirder on June 17, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, bird books, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , . 20 Comments

Last weekend my wife and I drove to the little country town of Dungog at the southern foot of the Barrington Mountains, about 220 km north-west of Sydney for a special booksigning Saturday morning arranged and sponsored by one of my current best book-selling shops Sassafras Dungog. It was a great success and a most enjoyable morning meeting the locals, including their children and signing books. This was preceded by a 15 minute radio interview by their community radio station, to which many responded. There was face painting and other activities on the morning. Here is a brief collage of the time. This has been the first time since Covid that I have been invited to do this again.

As you can see it was a very cold winter morning, as it is out west in winter, but that did not stop the continuous line of people queuing to have their books signed, many having bought several, which is often the case as it is a great gift idea. I was overwhelmed with delight when a grandfather came especially to share how he gave a copy of my book to his grandson who has been the subject of persistent disturbing bullying, and how the chapter on dealing with bullies helped him to a good outcome. These are the testimonies I hear from time to time which almost bring tears to my eyes. If I can help one child or one adult with these books I have achieved my goal and legacy.

While there we were hosted to Blue Gum Cabins set in the bushland of the rainforest nearby. Each morning being greeted by the sound of Kookaburras calling.

Followed later by the continuous chime of Bell Miners (bellbirds) in the tall eucalypt trees that overhung our cabin  in the very cold morning Winter air. These birds are usually heard but not seen and a challenge to photograph as they blend into the tree canopy so well and constantly move about. They control the area and we witnessed larger birds being bullied by them till they left.

Bell Miner
Bell Miner

You will hear them in this rather poor movie clip of a family of non breeding Superb Fairy-wren hopping about some distance from our cabin in and out of the thicket.

Non-breeding males retain their blue tail and don a white belly, they will start to morph as Spring approaches.

Superb Fairy-wren male

Here is some footage of a Pied Currawong being harassed early in the morning.

Each morning this female Australian Brush Turkey would come foraging around the cabin, the male is most likely controlling the temperature of the egg mound somewhere in the bush. Once she lays her eggs in the mound she is free to wander, and has nothing further to do with her babies, as they will hatch, struggle to escape out of the mound, and if they survive that, flee from the father who may attack them, to begin life foraging alone with no upbringing.

Australian Brush Turkey

The beautiful Eastern Crimson Rosella family would eat grass seed on the field below the cabin some distance away, looking stunning in the sunshine.

This Willy Wagtail was happily feeding continually on insects near our cabin and quiet unperturbed by my presence.

This Grey Shrike-thrush was hanging around trying to be inconspicuous in the trees, and also created a challenge for us as it would flee when we saw it. He was very quiet, as many of our songbirds are in Winter, it will sing in the spring.

The greatest birding delight was to watch small flocks of the tiny Yellow Thornbill ( predominantly a western bird) rapidly move through small bushes and trees that overhung a creek. We had to stand on the bridge and avoid traffic to catch a photo, which is always the greatest of challenges with these tiny fast moving insectivorous birds. These are but a few of the many taken which blurred or were hidden as these birds are very sensitive to human approach.

While we were exploring the town we saw this Blue-faced Honeyeater (another western bird), sitting on a wire, but quickly left when it saw us looking at it, but caught a glimpse of its partner before it fled deep into a nearby tree. This aggressive honeyeater has quite an attractive coloration.

Just before we met friends for coffee at “Cafe Deaddog” we stopped at this small creek-side park just out of town and got a view of the White-headed Pigeon which is found in these parts.

Of course this area has many other forms of wildlife including Platypus (which we did not see) and wallabies grazing near our accommodation.

A most enjoyable weekend had by all and many books signed and sold. A big thank you to Sharon and Andrea at Sassafras Dungog for hosting the event and inviting me.

Have a most enjoyable week staying warm and staying safe. We found out today that another outbreak threatens the northern parts of our city. Here we go again !

If this is your first visit take a few minutes to check our the many pages of my birding website and my book releases of which “What Birds Teach Us” has been acclaimed by many Visitor Centres and some gift stores and bookshops as their current best selling book, especially during the Covid. The saying I have heard several times is “The Book Sells Itself !”

While we did not have time to see many birds while away, it was good for us to get away and enjoy some country hospitality having been locked-down city dwellers through the Covid. I would like to share a humorous cartoon someone posted on Facebook.

One of the interesting things we noticed about the lovely country folk on the weekend was that the locals were very friendly and good for a chat and you seldom saw a mobile phone in their hand. They communicated quite freely, which I enjoyed, having been a country lad for most of my life. One of the sad realities in the city where I live is that many people will not talk with you and have their heads bowed over a phone. If they are talking aloud it is to someone on their phone as they have ear pieces inserted. I and others have shared how often have young adults run into you as they walk while watching their phones. If I try to strike a conversation on a train or bus they look strange at me and then give a short answer and return to their phone or tablet.

The saddest fact now is that many families have both parents viewing their phones in an addictive manner and the children are left to play on their own, and are not being lovingly supervised. This has led to occasional instances children being lost or locked in cars on very hot days, but most of all frustrated angry children becoming disrespectful undisciplined as they try to get the parent’s attention. Even sadder and more selfish is that many young parents think that by allowing the child to spend their time alone in their rooms with digital devices they are adequately occupied and safely out of their way. How are children going to relate to their parents and socially, how are they going to learn life skills and basic care for themselves, or get adequate sunshine and exercise  if this is where they are encouraged to spend their time. Obesity and other associated ailments are on the rise in children as a result.

The greatest gift we can give our children or grandchildren while growing up is ourselves and our time not material things, how well our children grow and develop depends on how much we have taught them by example in their formative years. These topics are expanded in my recent book release Flight of a Fledgling.

“Discipline [instruct or demonstrate love to] your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their [demise or failure] death.” – Proverbs 19:18 

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them…” – Ephesians 6:4 (NLT)

 

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W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.

 

A Weekend Away – Anniversary Birding

Posted by aussiebirder on March 11, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Uncategorized, Waders, water birds, wetlands, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 15 Comments

Last weekend my wife and I spent a few days in the Newcastle area to celebrate our wedding anniversary and have some birding time together, as well as birding time out walking and birding with my eldest son and his boys. One of the places we love to visit when there is the Walka Water Works near Maitland which seldom disappoints us, especially during Spring-Summer months.

Waterworks building
the meaning of Walka
the lake
bird signs along the track

This old steam driven water pumping station has long been decommissioned and now used as a museum and function centre. The man made lake is home to many waterbirds, and surrounding forest around it houses many passerines. The walk around the lake is always a delight as you never know what you might see. As we were about to commence our walk this flock of Corella were spooked and took off in flock.

The bird we were most wanting to see on the lake was the Great Crested Grebe, with its young. The last time we were here in Spring we saw the mating dance as well as very young juveniles being carried on the backs of the father Grebe. I figured that on this late Summer visit we would see the next stage of juvenile development,  and we did.

Several families were present and the young were at various stages of maturity.

Surprising as it is the grey striping on white does camouflage the babies from the air, where their main predator will come from. This lake, surrounded by grassed flood plain is an ideal raptor hunting area, and guess what the next bird that came over head was?… The majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle, our largest eagle, with a wingspan of about 2.3 meters (7.5′). I was so pleased that it came overhead to examine us.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

As it soared away from us it was suddenly in pursuit by what appeared to be a Magpie, but due to the intense back-lighting of the clouds was difficult to confirm. Wedgies are often chased by brave smaller birds, displaying their commitment to their family’s safety. This cat and mouse chase went on for several minutes, as the eagle soared up higher and higher making it more difficult for its assailant.

Later we found the pair of Wedgies working a paddock nearby and swiftly left when their keen eyesight spotted us watching.

Wedgie pair leaving
Wedgie swooping

Walking along the track we saw an amazing little incident with two Red-browed Finches. It appeared that the male was presenting the grass seed gift as a wedding ring followed by an acceptance and immediate mating. At first he mounted for a few seconds and now sexual contact was made, and then he mounted again and for several seconds there was intense movement as he watched the face of his partner. The movement helped to blur the photo. Then it was all over and he is left holding the grass. The female has a slightly narrower supercilium than the male. Now there is a word to explore!

First bring a grass seed gift to the female
Wait for it to be received
Mount the female like so
Proceed to mate watching to see she is OK
There that’s your sex education done

Walking further along we were charmed by the beautiful chime of the Pied Butcherbird, one of my favorite bird calls which brings back memories of living on my property years ago. He did get a little worried at one stage when a pair of Musk Lorikeets flew toward him.

Rapidly moving Grey Fantails, Silvereye and Yellow Thornbill were flying with an MFF (Mixed Feeding Flock).

Yellow Thornbill
Grey Fantail
Silvereye

We just caught a glimpse of a White-bellied Sea Eagle before it escaped our view, after it had just passed over the lake.

White-bellied Sea Eagle escaping us

It was surprising to also see a Spangled Drongo. These birds are usually found alone and migrate south from northern Queensland during Summer months, though usually not this far south. The fish tail is always a help in identifying it.

Just then we had another raptor moment when a Whistling Kite came over with a youngster in tow. Notice the adult always flies above the juvenile to make sure it is safe and not getting into mischief.

adult Whistler
both together
adult
juvenile
Juvenile Whistler

A pair of Hardheads cruised together on the water. The male has the white eye. A parent Dusky Moorhen was taking her two youngsters out for a cruise also, as a Little White Cormorant flew bye and a pair of Little Black Cormorant also were out together for a cruise.

Hardheads
Dusky Moorhen
Little Black Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant

After an enjoyable walk we made our way back to our accommodation, checking out Ash Island Wetlands on the way. We found most of the birds had left after the rains and as usual my wife prayed the prayer “What have you got for us here Lord?” as we were leaving, a large unusual bird with a long tail ran with head down across the road in front of the car, flying to a nearby tree some distance from the road with prey in mouth. It was a Pheasant Coucal a rare bird not usually seen here. We tried to get a better view but it hid in a Casuarina tree.

What a great way to finish an anniversary birding date. We were very grateful for a wonderful day out.

May you all have a wonderful week and get opportunities to get out and about. We are enjoying over 50 days virus free in our state and pray it continues as restrictions slowly lift. My new book is almost at the printing stage, looking at a possible April release, similar to last year.

If this is your first visit to our blog, welcome ! Become a Follower and receive notification when my weekly post is published and learn more about our fascinating Aussie birds. Check out the helpful birding pages on my website.

The Noisy Miner is one of the most aggressive bully birds in Australia, the cause of much stress, occasional deaths and nesting failures among many small birds. Above my friend Noisy leads his little coalition against my friend Butch, the father Grey Butcherbird who also frequents our birdbaths with his family.  My second edition of “What Birds Teach Us” assists children to deal with bullies such as these. Occasionally the Miners will attempt to gang up and mob Butch or his family if he is too close to a nest, but Butch in this case is just ignoring them as he looks for insects in a Bottlebrush tree next door to us. Later he calls from the inside the other side of the tree after they left and could not find him.

Both these species provide a service to us. The Butcherbird sings and chuckles all day to me which I thoroughly enjoy and makes me smile inside and give thanks, while the bold Miners protect our yard continually from intruding vagrant, non native pest birds with their vigilant aggressive stance. We care for them both, though people would wonder why.

It is good to maintain a balance in relationships and show no partiality, accepting the person for who they are with a non judgmental attitude.  If it is possible retain friendships with all people by showing respect, acceptance and understanding. We must however be careful to not take sides or enter into conversation that favors one side over the other, but simply listen and show empathy.  If the person shows disrespect because you are friends with their opponent, step back and do not continue, but let them know you care and show no partiality for both parties. It does not mean you condone any inappropriate behaviour, or agree with it, but instead respect them and try to understand why they are doing what they do. You can only do this by developing a relationship, and spending time. It is in this context that we can be an instrument of positive change and healing to another person. We can eventually help them understand why they do what they do as they respond to our friendship and eventually trust us enough to share from their heart. 

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” – Proverbs 10:12 (NIV)

“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” – James 3:18

“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.” – Proverbs 17:1

Above my female (left) and alpha male (right) Australian Magpies give thanks as they carol by our birdbaths, as they do each morning in appreciation.

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W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.

 

 

Raptor Review – Riding the Thermals – Part 1

Posted by aussiebirder on February 26, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Royal National park, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 28 Comments

Black-shouldered Kite

Australia is blessed with many different species of raptor. Raptors are probably the most popular birds photographed, and many birders only seek to photograph these bird species.. Since birding was not an option this week due to weather, and simply not seeing many at all in the forest on our birding date, I thought it good to showcase some of our beautiful raptors. These exceptional birds are the kings of the sky and their image is used to denote power and authority in defence forces, police and governments. Above a Black=shouldered Kite alights from the top of a dead tree. Let me list some of the important traits that group these amazing birds into a unique and beautiful class of their own.

Very elderly Wedge-tailed Eagle

⇒ They have the keenest and sharpest eyesight of any creature: They can see small rodents  over one kilometre away and most of them, such as the Wedge-tailed eagle have, not only binocular vision, but also telescopic vision, as they are able to press out their eye socket in a way that zooms their eyesight making it over 5 times better than our own.

Wedge-tailed Eagle about to land on prey

⇒ They have powerful retractable talons: Unlike other birds they do not only have claws, but they have large scissor-sharp talons controlled by powerful muscles in their feet which they can advance and retract. This is how they kill their pray and carry it in the air. The Osprey has very unique talons designed for carrying fish with opposing toes. Wedge-tailed Eagles have been seen carrying in flight small lambs and and even young wallabies. Click on photos to enlarge them.

Sea-Eagle with fish
Eastern Osprey with fish

 

⇒ They have very strong hooked beaks: The hook on the beak allows them to tear flesh off their prey, which for the most part if smaller animals and birds. They lack teeth and have to break off pieces small enough to swallow whole.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle beak

⇒ They have very large wingspans which enable them to soar:  One of the features of these birds similar to many other birds is their ability to catch the warm upper currents off land (called thermals) and once they reach a certain height using their powerful wing beats, they spread their wings and soar motionless with the winds up to 2000 meters, usually going up in a circular trajectory. This a good reason why keen eyesight is essential for these birds to be able to spot their prey from high in the sky. Not all raptors prefer this technique, but most can do it. They can move and turn in the air with barely a visible movement. The conservation of energy as they aeronautically  soar  on the thermals allows them to spend hours in the sky, but they can only do this by day..

Square-tailed Kite

⇒ They primarily prefer to hunt alone and prefer a very high 360° view when resting: Mostly lone hunters, though when breeding are training young they will accompany spouse and young. The place to look for these birds is usually on the highest point of a dead tree, or even green tree, when they are resting, as they like to purvey their complete surroundings, like a king surveying his kingdom,  able to spot prey from some distance away. 

Australian Hobby

⇔ They build some of the largest nests: Some Eagles build nests that weigh several tons and are many metres wide and deep. Our Wedge-tailed Eagle and White-bellied Sea-Eagle, being our largest raptors, build the largest in Australia. Here is a link reporting one of the largest reported from the USA. 

A Wedge-tailed Eagle eyrie (with chicks in nest)

White-bellied Sea-Eagle eyrie (chicks just visible

⇒ They train their young for several years in every aspect of life: This not so for all raptors, but is for the larger eagles, however they require persistent adult teaching to learn to fly and hunt. Much of their learning is simple observation and listening, as it is for us. Adult eagles are known to push their young out of the nest if they do not brave it themselves, when they think they should.

Initially parent flies beneath fledgling
when the fledgling has fledged the adult leads it away

This is where the phrase “I carried you on eagles wings” (Exodus 19:4) comes from in the Bible, when God was referring to Israel being delivered from Egypt’s slavery. After pushing the youngster out of the nest, the adult flies rapidly beneath it. If it fails to fly it catches it on is back and wings it back to the nest to try again, as many times as it takes. Finally, as the youngster  starts to fly of its own accord,it flies beneath the youngster until it can fly alone, and then leads it away to strengthen its wings in flight. These photos and this training process, among others appear in my first book. Notice in the above LH photo how the youngster looks down to check the parent is there.

⇒ They can deliberately hatch their young at different times: Most raptors, in particular eagles,  usually only have one to three offspring at a time, and only two out of three may survive.  This is because the mother deliberately lays her eggs 2 to 4 days apart, so they each are born larger than the hatching that follows. This can lead to the smallest becoming the weakest due to feeding priority given to the larger birds, and often the first born will compete for food being stronger, causing the youngest to eventually die. Because of the amount of hands on effort in feeding, teaching and raring the young for several years, it is to their advantage to raise only one healthy youngster in each clutch. Even though the juveniles are fully fledged, they continue to need feeding for some time till they learn to successfully catch their own without help, as it is with us training a child to use a knife and fork.

⇒ They are mostly monogamous: Most raptors spend their lives with the one mate and raise their families together. If a mate dies they may go looking for a replacement and continue breeding.  It is not uncommon to see pairs of adults and junior tagging along as they soar on the thermals.

Sea-Eagle family out touring together

family of Black Kites (2 adults+2 juveniles LHS)

⇒ They vary between species in size and hunting methods:  While the larger eagles and kites  swoop down on their prey at speed from a distance above or from the top of a dead tree, Smaller Goshawks, Kestrels and Black-shouldered Kites hover above waiting for their prey to appear and then suddenly descend on it from above. Pacific Baza  fly into the trees and catch their prey as they fly through.  Harriers fly very low over the ground and drop suddenly down on their quarry. A Black-shouldered Kite shows us (below) an example of hovering over prey, but alas on a very cloudy day.

⇒ They have  beautiful distinctive plumage:  The main form of identification of these birds when they are soaring is their specific under wing plumage, as this may be all you see. Here are some examples…

Little Eagle light morph

Whistling Kite

Wedge-tailed Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Brahminy Kite

Nankeen Kestrel

Red Goshawk

Eastern Osprey

Black-breasted Buzzard or Kite

Black Kite (which is actually brown in colour)

Spotted Harrier “Harriering” low over the paddocks

Swamp Harrier male

 

Pacific Baza flying into trees (hunting style)

Brown Goshawk juvenile

Collared Sparrowhawk

Grey Goshawk

Brown Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

That is enough raptors for this week, otherwise you will be raptored out. This is a summary of the kings of the sky by day. Part 2 will look at the kings of the sky by night,  the eagles of the night we know as owls.

Hope you all have an enjoyable week despite all the hardships that many of you are going through at present with both weather and virus. Praying you all keep alert and well during this unusual season in our history.  Many have shared how bird numbers are reduced this season.

If this is your first visit to my blog, a warm welcome to you. Have a look around on my website pages from my menu or Home Page. I have updated several pages recently. Check out my book, I am the final stages of publishing process of my next book. Here is a last plug for my current one on an unused clip I found.

Here is a joke a dear friend shared on Facebook I am sure the ladies will appreciate:

White-bellied Sea Eagle – hunting instructor

Raptors carry an air of majesty and authority in the way they do life, which makes them the ideal emblem for use on law enforcement and defense force coats of arm. Their ability to soar for hours motionless, yet always moving with  outspread wings is always a delight for every birder and for many who are enchanted by their presence.  The raptor has the best of everything, eyesight, powerful body, hunting ability, is omnivorous to name a few. But as I shared above, and from my book (page example shown above earlier), the more complex,  intelligent and able the creature, the more learning and listening is required of the trainee nestling and fledgling. These birds, similar to the Raven, Magpie, Bowerbird and Lyrebird take several years of training before they gain their full maturity colours and can breed. It is also interesting from recent research and personal observation that in a similar way to us humans there are good and poor learners with varying results of success in life.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle perched above has been trying to get its juvenile fledgling to hunt for itself, but it just remains in the nest squawking to be fed. The boat captain on the Arthur River laughingly said that these parents have been endlessly trying by example, to make this reluctant youngster hunt for itself. The video above shows the father adult catching a fish and carrying it away from the nest out of sight to eat it. This is followed by the juvenile trying to follow, but stops when it loses sight of it.  This is old movie so it lacks quality.

reluctant juvenile pupil

Simply put the lesson is: no matter how well we may parent and set a good example for our children, it is ultimately up to the child what they choose to learn from and respect. Many hurting parents have shared their false guilt over how they blame themselves for their children not turning out the way they had hoped, after much loving commitment to their development and instruction. Each of us are ultimately responsible for our own destiny, and what we do with what we have been given. It is the hardest thing for many to allow  their child  to suffer the consequences for their bad decisions, but it is important that they learn for themselves and sometimes the hard way. We need to always show them love, acceptance and forgiveness , sharing our concern, but always letting them live their own lives and not try saving them, as this is also part of their normal growth and maturity Often they will have a light bulb moment and realize the error of their ways and apologise to the parents down the track. Many children become spoilt and dependent on parents, who eventually become co dependent  to the child’s carelessness, bailing them out and suffering the use and abuse syndrome, with the child never maturing or learning to correct their bad habits.

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction  and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They are a garland to grace your head  and a chain to adorn your neck.” – Proverbs 1: 8,9 (NIV)

“Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.” – Proverbs 29:17

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.

 

The Long Aussie Day Weekend – The Australasian Figbird

Posted by aussiebirder on January 28, 2021
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, Rainforests, raptors, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , . 14 Comments

During the Australia Day weekend, we were away visiting family and friends up the coast in the area I lived and worked in before meeting my wife. We enjoyed quality time with people rather than birds on this occasion and relaxed enjoying the beautiful coastal area and a special time with my children and grandchildren whom I seldom get to see. After lunch we walked along a bush track to the surf beach, where I photographed my first bird in two days, this White-bellied Sea-Eagle. My daughter spotted it flying overhead, but I was only able to catch it flying off along the coast on its regular daily run.

Nine years before when I lived on the headland just down the coast from where we stood and was known in the small town by several people to have a ‘wild pet eagle’. This was because whenever this one particular eagle appeared it would always find me and remain above my head, so I would often get a call from someone when swimming or just on the beach: “Ashley your eagle is here !” and I would look up and there in the strong afternoon wind this eagle, without moving its wings at all, would remain dormant above my head some thirty to fifty feet.

As soon as I pick up my camera, it would just let the wind take it away, again without a any apparent movement of wing. This is the eagle featured in my book as it was doing its cliff run.

I remember on one occasions hiding in the bushes at the edge of the cliff hoping to catch it coming around the cliff without it knowing, but with its eagle eyesight (over 5 times better than ours) it flew directly to me and again hovered without wing movement as it looked into the bush where I thought I was hiding. After about seven seconds it continued its journey around the headland.

I would often see it returning with a fish for the nest, but the light would often be in the wrong place for the photo, which had to be taken immediately.

Sea-Eagle with fish

 

On our return we heard Little Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners. As we were about to leave my daughter’s family, our golden photo moment occurred. This was in fact the only real moment where we actually had a decent opportunity placed before our eyes. High at the top of dead branches in a nearby tree was a family of Australasian Figbird catching the afternoon breeze on this very hot Summer day.

These birds are in plenteous number here as there is much rainforest and many species of fruiting native fig trees, which causes them to often get high on the figs in a feeding frenzy as they compete for the ripest fruit.  The male has a distinct reddish eye ring of bare skin and light green plumage and the female and juveniles, a brown flecked chest with brownish primary plumage.

Notice below the young males forming their eye ring, being pink and not yet red, and their plumage changing from that of their mothers. The young females have a bluish eye ring of bare skin and brown plumage, and can be difficult to tell the mum from the kids. The female looks very similar to the female and juvenile Oriole but lacks its red eye. Here is a closer comparison:

A teenage male takes flight, creating interest to the observing family.

 

The female calls as a male looks on:

Their call is usually heard with many birds calling at the same time and moving rapidly around the upper canopy of the fig tree, however they are resting at present. Even when we went further up the coast and dropped in on a longtime friend from my school days and visited the Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, where my book is sold, we did not see any birds we could capture. The very windy weather there caused many birds to be quieter than usual, which made them all the more difficult to see in the dark rainforest foliage. The Catbird my wife saw was extremely elusive as usual. On arrival we discovered that all of my books had sold out in their shop, so I was able to replenish their stock for them.

The rainforest walk was very busy over the holiday weekend, and especially since most all of our state’s people are reduced to holidaying only in our own state during Covid, due to border closures. Here are some of the examples of the rainforest trees. Notice this Strangler Fig which has completely taken over the host tree.

Strangler Fig grows around host tree
Eventually the host dies and the Strangler Fig remains

 

This palm forest:

I love the way the light breaks through breaks in the canopy:

Oh yes, we did see this lizard:

You may be left wondering why I posted my hero photo with a caption, and with the words of Henry Ford, inventor and innovator of the first world car and of the car production line. He was a perfectionist and believed in quality and efficiency every time. For example, if the company did not produce good leather for the seats, he bought the cattle and the tannery and brought it up to scratch. His famous saying was when people started asking for different coloured T model Fords: ‘You can have any colour you like, providing it is black.” When you discover what Henry Ford went through to achieve what he did, and especially during the war years, you can appreciate his encouraging statement at the top of this page.

Part of his success was because he surrounded himself with people who shared the same values, and worked with him, and not against him. This has been the success of our state bringing the virus to no new cases for 11 days straight. But it will the take continuous vigilant co operation of everyone,  for the virus to be kept in check.

“Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.”  – Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 (NIV)

“Treat everyone you know as well as those you do not, with the same respect, care, compassion and consideration you give to yourself.” – Luke 10: 27b  [Ash’s Interpretation]

Have a wonderful week and stay safe. If this is your first visit, welcome. Please check out the rest of my blogs and helpful information on birding and learning from the birds, accessible from my Home Page and Menu at top of page.

 

W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

‘To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

So we can learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.’

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

 

Clear Calm Winter Skies – and Rapturous Raptors

Posted by aussiebirder on June 24, 2020
Posted in: Australia, Australian Birds, Australian wildlife, Bird Book, Bird watching, Birding, Birds, Birdwatching, Fauna, National Parks, Nature, Nature Reserves, Outings, raptors, Sydney, Australia, Uncategorized, wildlife. Tagged: , , , , , . 17 Comments

The warm clear calm sunny days of Winter are wonderful times to be out walking and enjoying the beautiful world we live in. For us here in Sydney it is whale migration time, where the Humpback Whales travel up the east coast for warmer weather, to both mate and also give birth to their young, in and near Hervey Bay in Queensland. Here in Sydney, hundreds of city dwellers are gathering daily on the tall sandstone cliffs of Botany Bay National Park to view the passing giants, and hopefully view a breaching whale or two, as was my plan.

 

As I watched several whale pods pass by and chatted with the whale counters, we were treated initially to a lone Eastern Osprey fishing right in front of our viewing station. As you can see above she caught the fish and then landed to proceed to eat it, but made sure she was a fair way from us. The Osprey unlike any other bird have dual opposed claws, which are not so good for landing on a hard flat surface, but are Intelligently Designed for catching, gripping and carrying slimy fish.

Some time after she left with her fish, having been scared off by an over keen photographer (not me, by the way). As the afternoon Winter sun started falling lower in the sky, we were all excitedly delighted to behold a pair of adult White-bellied Sea-Eagles circling over the ocean cliffs right in front of us, in a similar fashion to the Eastern Osprey previously. The White-bellied Sea-Eagle is our second largest raptor in Australia, and the most commonly seen, especially along the east coast, though it is found inland along most rivers.

I am always reminded when I see an eagle soaring on the thermals of the need for us to get renewed perspective in our difficult life situations, to see the bigger picture rather than be sunk by the short-lived circumstantial moment.

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The Bible often uses the eagle to describe deliverance and renewal of strength and perspective in life.  Eventually, the male Sea-Eagle caught a fish and circled with it, landing briefly out of sight to remove and eat its head, as they do,

During the cause of the circling, the body of fish is given to the female. This practice is usually done to feed their young and also as a courting gesture, which is what we all excitedly hoped was the case. We were hoping that they would grip claws and fall in their aerial marriage dance,but this did not occur while I was there, as I had to leave to drive home before dark to get the washing off the line and cook dinner for 5 people.

This bird is highlighted in my book ‘What Birds Teach Us” for the quality of Trust, where my rare photos depict the stages of how the parent eagle under-girds the fledgling till it can fly. It catches the youngster on its back and carries it back to the nest if fails to fly, and then nudges it out of the nest again till it gets over its fear and flies freely.

From my book “What Birds Teach Us”

The eagle depicted on the left hand page (above) actually knew me as a friend and would often soar motionless above my head and look at me when I was out on the beach. Friends would call out when they saw it and say “Ashley, your eagle is here !” It would remain there even in strong wind, but as soon as I pulled out my camera, would, without seeming to move a muscle drift off. I remember telling my son when he visited on one occasion, as we stood on the beach: “Wait, and you will meet my eagle.” and sure enough he visited us only minutes later, looking down from above my head but did not stay long. 

The very next day while travelling south my wife and I sighted Australia’s largest raptor, the Wedge-tailed Eagle soaring, again as a pair. The clear calm blue sky enabled the photographing of its underside clearly. I have often said, if it is a bright cloudy sky full of diffused light, a raptor in flight will be but a silhouette. Winter is a great time to see and photograph raptors here on the east coast. The Wedgie (as we nickname them) is mainly an inland bird found west of the ranges. It has suffered a history of being the most hunted and killed bird for over a hundred years, having a bounty on its head, as graziers blamed it for taking their lambs. Thankfully it is now protected, but any farmers continue to shoot it, out of the sight of the law. This huge bird has a wingspan of 2.3 metres, and has been seen carrying lambs and wallabies in its talons.

This bird also features in my book, where it addresses the importance of being empowered in our life as these birds are. Raptors, like the Wedge have the ability to telescope their eye socket and see 5 to 10 times better than we can. The Wedgie can see a mouse, from the air, one kilometre away.

It is amazing how close I got to the eagle on the left hand page above. Most Wedgies would not have allowed me to photograph them. I was driving past on a bush road and there it was just standing on the stump, looking at me. It did not seem afraid or threatened, but was empowered and in control of the situation.

In two days I had seen three of our largest raptors, what a wonderful find ! and they were against a clear blue Winter sky.

If this is your first visit to my blog, take a moment and check my website for more interesting birding tips and info,as well as my recent book release here.

Several of my friends, including two of my blog followers, coincidentally shared posts and recent experiences of hearing and delighting in birdsong. Birders call the early morning birdsong the Morning Chorus. This is when all the birds awaken from sleep and excitedly feed and locate their family by calling. Many also constantly declare their territorial possession, but many more sing purely for the delight and pleasure of it, as it releases the feel good endorphins in their brain, the same way it does for us humans when we sing. I believe that the birds in their morning song, are also singing with an attitude of gratitude, as they freely feed, and food is readily made available for them. Jesus mentions how the birds do not have to work, labour or worry about their food, but just like in the moment, trusting God to faithfully provide for them, and he does. I also was greeted by these caroling Australian Magpies early in the morning last Sunday, where four families of Magpie sat on lamp posts, trees and aerials calling in response to each other, declaring their territory and acknowledging the presence of their neighboring families.

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Have a wonderful week, and stay safe.

W. A. Hewson (Adv. Dip. Counselling & Family Therapy).

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.