An elegant White-faced heron
No Comments »31st January, 2015; Category: Bird Behaviour, Camera, Herons and Egrets, Photos, Waterbirds
White-faced heron
Last night I was looking through some of my photos from a few years ago. I am not sure if I ever used the above photo of a White-faced heron taken at Victor Harbor on the south coast of South Australia, but it caught my eye as I scanned the photos taken on that day. (Mmmm… yes I did use it here.)
What an elegant looking bird.
Sometimes the birds we see, and photograph, almost look as if they are deliberately posing for the shot. I like that.
This also proves that even our most common birds can make wonderful subjects for our cameras.
Good birding.
Further reading:
Another close encounter
Silvereye and Spotted Pardalote
I had another close encounter with one of the resident birds in our home garden this morning.
I had just finished watching a long parade of birds coming to either drink from our bird baths, or to have an early morning splash before a warm day. The various visitors had quite depleted the water, so it was time to get a bucket of water from the rainwater tank and then clean and refill the bird baths.
After cleaning the containers I went to fill them up again with fresh water but was distracted by a little Spotted Pardalote coming in for a drink. It gradually approached closer and closer until it was about 50cm away from me. It watched me intently for about ten seconds, obviously waiting for me to refill the bird baths.
I love these close encounters. Pity I didn’t have my camera with me – the photo above was taken some time ago and also shows another regular visitor to our garden, a Silvereye.
Other species seen while having breakfast include:
- Brown-headed honeyeaters
- Red Wattlebirds
- New Holland honeyeaters
- Spotted Turtledove
- Crested pigeon
- Australian Magpie
- House sparrow
- Striated Pardalote
- Yellow thornbill
More Superb Fairy-wrens
2 Comments »29th January, 2015; Category: Bird baths, Bush birds, Garden birds, Great Birding Moments, Nests, Wrens
Most mornings we have breakfast in our sun room overlooking our garden and several bird baths all within five metres of where we sit. Quite a few of the photos I have shared here over the years were taken from that very spot. After breakfast I usually read the daily paper and attempt the various puzzles as time and patience allow.
Yesterday I looked up from my paper to see our little family of Superb Fairy-wrens coming in for a drink and a short splash in the water. As I watched I did a quick count – and then an excited double check. We now have five wrens in our garden. They have either been joined by another, or have been successful in breeding this summer. One of them was begging from the coloured male, so I lean towards a happy nesting event recently.
This little troupe of birds has grown steadily in numbers over the last three years. I had recorded this species in our garden over twenty years ago and then they disappeared until three years ago. I suspect the many feral cats in the district are to blame.
On our arrival home after an overseas trip in the middle of January three years ago we were delighted that a coloured male and a female had taken up residence in our absence. Several family groups have always been present up the hill from home in some bushland about a kilometre away.
For some months we saw just the two of them. Later that year we saw three together on many occasions, and the next year there were four – and now we see five together. We are delighted to see and hear them in our garden on most days and pleased that they consider our garden a suitable habitat in which to reside and breed.
I am not showing any new photos today because I didn’t take any on this occasion. Instead, I have listed below some links to previous articles with photos of wrens for you to look at.
Further reading:
- Great birding moments #35 – Superb Fairy-wren
- Great birding moments #34
- Wrens at the birdbath
- Our wrens are back
- Beautiful Superb Fairy-wren
- Great birding moments #21 Splendid Wren
Products available via Trevor’s Birding
No Comments »27th January, 2015; Category: Photos
Over the last 9 years I have written over 1600 articles here about Australian birds, many of them illustrated by photos I have taken of the birds I have seen. I love sharing the best of my photos with my many readers.
Now I am happy to announce that selected photos are now available for purchase on a range of products such as the coffee mugs shown on today’s post. This has been made possible by my association with a company called Zazzle. The products also include shopping bags, puzzles, badges, posters, aprons, cards, caps, stickers, note books, key chains, ornaments and tee shirts. Plus many many more – 100s in fact.
Why not have a look – you might find just the right gift for someone in the family, a friend – or even yourself. More products and new photos are being added regularly.
Go to TrevorsPhotos here.
Birds for Australia Day
Galah
Today is our national – Australia Day, celebrating the arrival of the first European settlers in this wonderful country of ours. This day conjures up all kinds of feeling and images and the celebration of this event has grown in strength in recent decades. When I was growing up the day was reasonably low key, but in more recent years that has ramped up.
Throughout Australia it is celebrated by many ways, from family barbecues in the backyard, in a park, at the beach or out bush – such as a national park. Impromptu games of cricket or tennis are almost mandatory, as are gatherings in huge numbers to watch our national teams and players striving on the tennis court or on the cricket oval. This summer sports fanatics are further blessed with the soccer Asian Cup matches being played in our country.
I prefer a much more sedate endeavour: birding.
At the time of writing this a few days before the event, I have yet to decide where I will go birding. The weather looks like being kind to me, so I might venture out into some nearby patch of scrub, or perhaps somewhere along the nearby River Murray, or even venture a little further to a beach. Or I might just stay home and bird on our patch.
Meanwhile I will show off some photos of well-known and beautiful Australian birds for the enjoyment of my readers.
Happy Australia Day to all of my readers.
Male Australian King Parrot
Sacred Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra