Birds of Geranium
No Comments »13th May, 2006; Category: Birds, Eagles Hawks and Kites, Honeyeaters, Pardalotes, Parrots and Lorikeets, Pigeons and Doves, Ravens and Crows, Thornbills, Whistlers, Wrens
Last weekend we attended a native plant sale at Geranium. This is a small town of only about 80 residents. It is about an hour drive from Murray Bridge and is situated in the heart of the Murray Mallee. It is set in a wheat and sheep farming district and so much of the land has been cleared for this purpose. Along the road sides, however, there is a rich remnant vegetation strip and this provides a reasonably adequate habitat for a range of mallee loving birds, especially when it is in flower.
Honeyeaters
The area is dominated by honeyeaters. Over the last decade I have recorded the following honeyeater species in or near Geranium:
Red Wattlebird
Brown Headed Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
White Plumed Honeyeater
White Eared Honeyeater
Yellow Plumed Honeyeater
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Purple Gaped Honeyeater (rare)
Raptors
The common birds of prey include the Black Shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestral, Little Eagle and Australian Hobby. I am not sure of the status of the magnificent Wedge Tailed Eagle in this district. Down through the years since settlement this species has been seen in a negative light by many farmers who have shot them to prevent loss of lambs from their sheep flocks.
Pigeons
The Crested Pigeon is very common throughout the region as is the Common Bronzewing Pigeon where the habitat is suitable. The delightful tiny Peaceful Dove must also occur in this region but I have not personally recorded it. Around the town, especially the wheat storage silos, the introduced feral Rock Pigeon is present in the hundreds. They are also present around farm sheds.
Parrots
The most common parrot in this area would have to be the Galah. Flocks of hundreds can often be observed throughout the Murray Mallee districts. Little Corellas may also be present though I have not seen any near Geranium. The large Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo may also be a vagrant but not resident due to a lack of suitable food trees. Sulpher Crested Cockatoos may also occur in this district but I haven’t seen any. Purple Crowned Lorikeets are common, and Rainbow Lorikeets have been recorded. Other parrots resident in or near Geranium include:
Mallee Ringnecks
Red Rumped Parrots
Cockatiel
Blue Bonnets
Blue Winged Parrots
Budgerigars
Mulga Parrots
Other Birds
My total number of species for this area stands at 56 species. Here is a list of some other birds I have recorded in the district:
Willie Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Restless Flycatcher
Hooded Robin
Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
White-browed Babbler
Superb Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Brown Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Weebill
Southern Whiteface
White-fronted Chat
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Silvereye
Magpie-lark
White-winged Chough
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Grey Currawong
Australian Raven
Little Raven
Common Starling
House Sparrow
Unusual Sighting
The most unusual sighting I have made in Geranium is a single Cattle Egret feeding on the school oval.
New Holland Honeyeater
1 Comment »27th April, 2006; Category: Honeyeaters
Today I was working in my wife’s plant nursery and about mid-morning we stopped for a cuppa. While we were enjoying the cuppa and the lovely sunshine a New Holland Honeyeater came down from nearby trees. It landed a few metres in front of where we were sitting and started feeding on some Correa flowers.
Correas have beautiful bell shaped flowers in a variety of colours, especially pink through to deep red. Some species have yellow or green flowers, or a combination of all these. This small plant was still in a nursery tube waiting to go to a plant sale. It was much smaller than those one would find in a garden or out growing naturally. This didn’t seem to upset the honeyeater; as it started feeding the whole of the plant swayed and leaned over until it had moved through about ninety degrees. The New Holland Honeyeater just kept on feeding until satisfied and then it flew off elsewhere for another feed.
Spotted Pardalotes
13 Comments »11th April, 2006; Category: Birds, Garden birds, Honeyeaters, Murray Bridge, Pardalotes
While working in the garden yesterday I was aware of several Spotted Pardalotes (Pardalotus punctatus) in the mallee trees near me. It is always a delight to hear their “pip pip” calls all around us. They are a resident, breeding species in our garden here in Murray Bridge, South Australia. Sometimes their calls are like the squeaking of a rusty gate, so my wife refers to them as the “Squeaky Gate Pardalote.” A subspecies (xanthopygus) is the Yellow Rumped Pardalote. Their rump is a really bright yellow! This subspecies is also present in this area.
Spotted Pardalote with nesting material in beak
Distribution and Breeding
The Spotted Pardalote is found in suitable habitat throughout southern and eastern Australia. These habitats include woodlands, gardens, parks, scrubs, forests and mallee. I have recorded it breeding in our garden, both in a burrow in the sand and in the hollow of a tree. They have also been known to nest in the gaps of brickwork.
Close encounter
One individual I saw yesterday was in the branches just above where I was doing some weeding. He came down closer and closer to me as I made soft kissing noises trying to attract his attention. Eventually he was within a metre of my head – of course I didn’t have my camera with me! Both of us received a sudden jolt when a honeyeater – presumably a New Holland Honeyeater – came rocketing past, snapping its beak at the pardalote who retreated rapidly into the foliage of a nearby tree.
Striated Pardalote
The other species of Pardalote resident in our garden is the Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus).
Brown Headed Honeyeaters
While we were having lunch today a flock of about 7 Brown Headed Honeyeaters came to our bird bath for a drink. They stayed long enough for a drink but didn’t attempt to bathe. I was quick enough to get the camera out and get a few photos. This is the first time I have been successful photographing this species.
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Birds Calling
No Comments »1st April, 2006; Category: Birds, Flowers, General, Honeyeaters, Murray Bridge, Photos, Ravens and Crows
Grevillea flowers
Nursery
This afternoon I helped my wife Corinne in her nursery for about three hours. This included taking about 60 photos of the flowers of plants in the stock plant area and some in the nursery itself. Most of these photos turned out really well. Corinne needs some of these photos for the coming plant sale in Adelaide at the end of the month.
Bird Calls
I also did some more tidying up and weeding in the nursery. While I was doing that I was aware of the bird life calling all around. The White Plumed Honeyeater was very prominent, calling loudly and persistently. Little Ravens often passed overhead, their mournful calls cannot be missed. At one point two of them were in a tree nearby calling in turn, like they were having a conversation. Red Wattlebirds and their harsh ‘kok-karock†calls interrupted the ravens’ talkfest.
Spotted Pardalote with nesting material in beak
Pardalotes
In the moments of quietness after the departure of the noisy ravens the gentle Spotted Pardalotes’ contact calls filled the air around me as they searched the mallee trees for sustenance. The Striated Pardalotes seemed absent today; their far reaching call was noted yesterday. Perhaps they were just being discrete – or shy – today.
Grey Shrike Thrush
The sudden strident whistling of the Grey Shrike Thrush just above my head shattered my dreaming. Its strong melodious voice is far reaching in the mallee woodland around here; often it is the first bird I identify when out walking. Its call is hard to miss. A noisy cloud of pink Galahs squawks overhead, bringing a splash of colour to the drab grey sky. A Magpie adds to the chorus, chortling happily over near the shed.
Choughs
My attention is drawn to a family of nine White Winged Choughs flying secretively and quietly through the garden. Normally their mournful calls can be heard from a distance. Their silence is puzzling.