Never assume anything about birds
Common Bronzewing pigeon, Mallacoota, eastern Victoria
Of the many things I’ve learned about birds over the years, one principle stands out: never assume anything.
I was out in the garden searching out several birds making a noise near the house. I didn’t get much of a look at them but by their call and the quick look I had of one of them I think they were Yellow (Little) Thornbills.
As they flew off my attention was drawn to a solitary bird perched high in a dead branch of a nearby tree. “Spotted Turtledove” I immediately thought, as they are a common breeding species in our garden. I lifted my binoculars and was delighted to see that the bird in question was actually a Common Bronzewing Pigeon.
This was a good sighting, for although they are a common species in our district, they tend to prefer less populated, thicker scrubby areas. On checking my bird database I found that this was only the 5th record of this species on our block of land. My records go back 28 years, so I was quite pleased I saw this individual.
And to think I’d almost not given it another look.
Birds in the heat
No Comments »8th January, 2013; Category: Bird baths, Bird Behaviour, Garden birds, Magpies and Currawongs
Close up view of a Magpie Lark
Southern Australia is experiencing a series of very hot days since Christmas. Here in Murray Bridge, South Australia, we have experienced most days over the temperature of 35C (95F) with several days getting as high as 45C (113F). It’s been hot, very hot. On days like that I appreciate the fact that I don’t have to go out to work in the sun. I can hunker down inside, get on with my reading or writing with the air conditioning drifting cool air throughout the house.
Not so for our bird life. Many of our wonderful garden birds really suffer during such hot spells. I keep our various bird baths topped up with clean fresh water, and there is a constant stream of birds visiting for a drink, and often for a splash. The Magpie Larks (see photo above) are really keen to come to the bird bath in our front garden. We have a good view of this spot from our sun room which also doubles as a bird hide suitable for photography as well.
The Magpie Larks don’t have the water all to themselves. The local resident Australian Magpies also love to come for a drink and to bathe. The magpies can be very bossy, too. They like to either stand in the water – or sit in the water, often for an hour or more at a time. No sharing, just exclusive occupation.
Perhaps I need to set up a booking system.
Last bird for 2012
No Comments »1st January, 2013; Category: Garden birds, General, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars
Happy New Year to all my readers.
Didn’t get to go out to do any birding yesterday. I was too busy preparing for our New Year’s Eve celebrations. Not that we hold wild, unbridled parties – quite the opposite. We invited six close friends to join us for a barbecue and an evening of unbridled anecdotes, jokes, laughter, serious observations on life and plenty of food. It was low key, relaxed and relatively quiet.
Just before midnight we heard the unmistakable call of “our” Australian Owlet-nightjar in the trees in our garden. It was a wonderful ending to a low-key year of birding. The Owlet-nightjar has been a resident species in our garden for several years now. We don’t always hear it calling, especially when the television is on. Another highlight yesterday was the return of the two Superb Fairy-wrens to our garden; they’d been absent for a few weeks.
I didn’t get a photo of the Owlet-nightjar but I did manage one of this normally nocturnal species a few years ago. You can click here to see a photo.
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