Great Birding Moments # 22 Scarlet Robin
1 Comment »22nd November, 2006; Category: Bird Behaviour, Flycatchers, Great Birding Moments, Robins
Australian Robins are beautiful birds. I especially like to see the male Red Capped Robin sitting patiently on an exposed branch or a fence post waiting for an insect to fly past. Another spectacular species is the Scarlet Robin.
Male Scarlet Robin
On a recent visit to Cromer Conservation Park my whole morning of birding was highlighted by the sighting of both a male and a female. The male was rather shy, and although he posed nicely for me, he wouldn’t allow me to get too close. The above photo is the best I could manage. One day, when I have more patience, I will return for another photo shoot. I know where he lives now.
Female Scarlet Robin
The female was far more obliging and came quite close. She posed beautifully for me at reasonably close quarters, but turned her head at the crucial moment. Then she flew off not to be seen again that morning.
Oh the delights – and frustrations – of bird photography!
A slight distraction: Fork Tailed Swifts
I have been slightly distracted today. A series of thunderstorms and a cooler weather front have been moving through South Australia this morning. Yesterday we had a foul day; 40 degree heat with wild wind blowing dust from the dry north. Today is slightly better with cooler air forecast for later in the day.
The distraction comes from the possibility of seeing swifts. I have only ever seen swifts on a handful of occasions and only once here at home in Murray Bridge. The reason for my excitement is that there have been numerous reports of Fork Tailed Swifts over various suburbs of Adelaide, 80km to the west. The storm front is moving in our direction.
Swifts are often associated with and follow storm movements. There is usually greater insect activity at these times and that attracts the swifts. The first time I saw a group of Fork Tailed Swifts they were swooping low and fast over a pasture in the south east of South Australia. I was amazed at both their size (wingspan about 40cm) and their speed. They are indeed, swift.
The good news – the cooler air has arrived.
The bad news – no swift sightings yet.
Even worse news – only a few drops of rain.
The drought continues.
Bird Word: Collar
Collar: a contrasting coloured band of feathers on the neck of a bird.
The collar, neck and nape of a bird can refer to basically the same part of the bird’s body, just below the crown or top of the head and just above the back. Some species of birds have a distinctive band or collar of contrasting coloured feathers in this area, and this helps with identification.
Some birds even have a reference to this collar in their name and this helps to categorise the bird in the observer’s mind. Some examples are:
- Collared Sparrowhawk
- Collared Kingfisher
- Red-Collared Lorikeet (a subspecies of the Rainbow Lorikeet)
- Red-Necked Avocet
- White-Naped Honeyeater
For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Speeding Bronzewing Pigeon
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
Most people who take an interest in birds know that the fastest bird is the Peregrine Falcon. In a stoop (dive) it can reach speeds of over 200kph and perhaps as fast as 300kph. Most other birds are quite pedestrian by comparison.
Common Bronzewing Pigeons and their cousins the Brush Bronzewings have always amazed me with their speed as they dart through the mallee scrub near here in Murray Bridge. I did not realise just how fast they are able to fly until recently.
We were returning from a visit to Lowan Conservation Park about 40 minutes drive northeast of home. The roadside vegetation is mainly mallee trees, typical of many roads in this area. Our approach disturbed a Common Bronzewing from the side of the road. It proceeded to fly at speed about twenty metres in front of the car. I was driving at about 90kph and was only steadily gaining on this speeding bird. It gradually veered off the road a little but still kept flying along parallel to the road. On catching it I slowed down and kept pace with it at about 85kph until it decided to veer off for a rest. In all, it must have covered at least 500 metres at this speed.
Brush Bronzewing Pigeon
Great Birding Moments # 21 Splendid Wren
Lowan Conservation Park
A few days ago we went to visit Lowan Conservation Park, a relatively small patch of mallee scrub about 40 minutes drive north east of our home in Murray Bridge. This park can be very rewarding to the birder – or it can be extremely frustrating. It usually depends on what trees and bushes are in flower.
We arrived mid afternoon in bright sunshine with a gentle south westerly keeping conditions pleasant. We drove slowly through to a nice spot in about the middle of the park for an afternoon cuppa. As we stopped there were about 150 Dusky Woodswallows overhead, their lovely calls filling the sky. Within minutes they had moved on. (For a photo of a Dusky Woodswallow taken elsewhere click here and scroll down the page.)
All else was fairly quiet. A few Weebills called nearby and a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater called a distance away. I could also hear a Magpie calling and a Grey Shrike-thrush called somewhere in the scrub nearby. During the twenty minutes break for our cuppa we didn’t see a bird. I had been hopeful of seeing a Chestnut Quail-thrush because we parked a few metres from where I had seen two of them on a previous visit. No luck there.
We drove very slowly back towards the entrance gate but stopped a short distance from it so Corinne could take a photo of some plants. To see the photos click here and here and here.
While she was taking the photos I wandered off into the scrub for about thirty metres. A sudden flash of colour in the low bushes nearby attracted my attention. For about ten seconds I had a great view of a male Splendid Fairy-wren in full breeding plumage. This has to be one of Australia’s most beautiful birds. I’ve only managed to see one on a few occasions. This area is one fairly reliable spot to observe this species.
The excitement of this sighting was shattered a little when I realised that my camera was in the car! By the time I’d collected the camera it had flown elsewhere and it wasn’t calling, so I couldn’t track it down. I tried to attract it by making kissing sounds (this usually works with wrens) but to no avail. So I haven’t a photo to show off. Instead you will have to be content with someone else’s photos here.
UPDATE: on my recent holiday in New South Wales I managed to get some reasonable photos of this beautiful species. Check out “A Splendid Result”
This post was updated on July 6th 2015.