Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
We usually have a plentiful number of honeyeaters resident and breeding in our garden and the nearby mallee scrub. Probably the most numerous is the New Holland Honeyeater. This would be closely followed by the Red Wattlebird and the White-plumed Honeyeater. We also have several Singing Honeyeaters. From time to time we have visits from a small flock of Brown-headed Honeyeaters. They love splashing in our bird bath. Several other species visit only rarely. Some I haven’t seen here in many years.
One species we usually have around the garden somewhere is the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, as shown in the photos on this post. This species has been rather quiet lately. Just before I managed to race for the camera and get these shots the adult bird was feeding a young one. They must have been keeping their presence quiet while they were nesting.
This species is found throughout much of mainland Australia but not in Tasmania. It is also absent from the tropical north, coastal south east and far south west of the continent. Its preferred habitats include drier woodlands, scrubs and gardens.
The plant shown in the photos is Eremophila glabra.
When they were little, our children used to call this bird the “yoo-hoo” bird. This is one of its calls and is quite memorable. My wife and I still refer to it by this name.
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Birds in a Suburban Garden
Wittunga Botanic Gardens
Losing native birds from suburban gardens is an Australia wide trend. The introduced species have largely taken over, especially the Indian Myna and the Common Starling, as well as the Common Blackbird, House Sparrow and Spotted Turtledove.
These species have taken over gardens aggressively and compete with our native birds for food and nesting sites. Added to this mix is the very aggressive native species, the Noisy Miner which exhibits similar tactics to the foreigners.
Cats, dogs and human activity also discourage native birds like the Wrens. Once gone, they are very difficult to get back into a suburban landscape.
Callistemon flower (Bottlebrush)
Having only native trees and bird baths are a good start, but not the complete answer. Providing smaller bushes and ground cover for the smaller birds such as the wrens is most important. Our smaller birds need protection from predators and food such as insects, seeds and also nesting sites that are hidden from those predators.
If you look at a natural environment you will observe many layers – ground covers, small shrubs, taller bushes, medium and large, old growth trees which provide nesting hollows for parrots, lorikeets, possums, owls, bats and so on.
All are essential for a balanced, natural ecosystem and very hard to replicate in a normal suburban backyard. But that should not stop us trying. The more people who take this path, the better the chance of survival will be for many of our lovely birds.
Some suggestions:
- Keep providing water in the form of bird baths (but not food).
- Plant a wide variety of Australian species, preferably species found locally.
- Keep all cats away – they have no place in the Australian landscape. Period.
- Provide nesting boxes for parrots, possums and bats.
- Encourage all your neighbours to do the same.
- Spread the word: our native birds are threatened with extinction.
Flowers of a Eucalyptus Tree
Related articles:
- Caring for orphaned birds
- Caring for injured birds – including links to animal rescue groups
- Great birding moments: Cockatoo Valley – an example of an excellent native garden, together with some beautiful photos of Australian plants.
- Mallee Native Plants Nursery – my wife’s blog about growing Australian Native Plants.
Banksia
Wallabies, wildflowers and other wonders
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
2007 Victorian trip report #8
During our walk in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens in Victoria we came across a solitary Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor. It was being rather secretive and shy, and wouldn’t come out of the bushes and fully show us his beautiful markings. We had seen this species of wallaby before in this, and other, locations.
This medium sized wallaby is found along the entire east coast of Australia and in southern Victoria. It can also be found in the extreme south east corner of South Australia. It has a wide range of preferred habitats, including forest, woodland, scrub, heathland and even tropical rainforests in the more northern parts of its range.
Swamp Wallaby in Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
Alternative names: Black Wallaby, Black-tailed Wallaby
An interesting fact I gleaned from one of my field guides to the mammals of Australia is that this species is more diurnal than most macropods, and that it tends to be solitary and shy. Yep – that’s what we found.
While trying to sneak up on this shy wallaby to get a better shot, I had to be very disciplined and ignore the birds flitting around, all trying to distract me.
The photo below was taken nearby.
Tall Greenhood orchid in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Birding at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden
2007 New South Wales trip report #24
One of the places we planned to visit on our stay in Sydney was the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden. This garden is open to the public every day and is located next to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in the northern parts of Sydney. We last visited this garden on a visit seven years ago and have fond memories of that visit.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens
This time we were a little disappointed. Although it is early spring the wildflowers were not fully out so that was a shame. Perhaps we should have planned a later visit. The birding was also a little slow though I did get some good photos of two Laughing Kookaburras keeping an eye on our picnic lunch.
Laughing Kookaburras
Other good species included the Superb Fairy-wren. The brochure lists Variegated Fairy-wrens as present but I didn’t see any. I also had good views briefly of a Red-browed Finch but it didn’t sit long enough for a photo. Rainbow Lorikeets, Little and Red Wattlebirds were quite common throughout the garden.
Banksia flower
To check out the web page of the gardens, click here.
Great Birding Moments # 16 Cockatoo Valley
Keith Pitman's garden in Cockatoo Valley
We have driven through Cockatoo Valley dozens of times over the years but we have never stopped to have a look around. This small but growing community is near Gawler north of Adelaide. Last Saturday we rectified that; we were invited to visit a private garden just off the main road.
Callistemon flower (Bottlebrush)
This private garden is a massive three acres in size, almost like a small botanic garden or arboretum. We have known Keith, the owner, for some years through our mutual interest in Australian native plants. Keith planted up this garden some 18 years ago and he grew many Australian native plants for the cut flower trade. He no longer does this, having retired several years ago, but he still maintains this magnificent garden.
Banksia flower
Honeyeaters everywhere
With so many flowering plants in the garden the bird life is also wonderful. There seemed to be New Holland Honeyeaters everywhere and they far outnumbered the White Plumed Honeyeaters. The irritatingly noisy Little Wattlebirds keep up a constant barrage of their gratingly harsh “cocky-cock” and “yekkop, yekkop” calls all afternoon. Keith informed me that he rarely saw Red Wattlebirds in his garden which I found interesting.
Peaceful calls
We had barely sat down to have a cuppa in the garden when we heard the soft and soothing “doodle-doo” call of a Peaceful Dove nearby. House Sparrows frequently visited the fish pond near where we sat, but the Diamond Firetail finches did not make an appearance today. Pity. Such beautiful birds.
Babblers
The clownish White Browed Babblers played all around the bushes and where we had parked the car, their miaowing calls coming from a half dozen different bushes. Overhead the recently arrived Rainbow Bee-eaters swooped and glided on the air currents looking for insects. As we were having a final cuppa I spied a very quiet Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo feeding in a nearby eucalypt tree, but he flew on before I managed to get a photo.
Musk Lorikeet
Where are the Cockatoos in Cockatoo Valley?
All afternoon I had been seeing and hearing various parrots. I managed some lovely shots of the Musk Lorikeet as shown in the photo above. Rainbow Lorikeets often flew overhead as did small flocks of Galahs. I never saw a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo that afternoon even though they are common in the area. As for cockatoos in Cockatoo Valley I had a settle for eight Little Corellas that flew overhead just as we were about to leave.
Related Articles:
And a few miles down the road – Sulphur Crested Cockatoos in Williamstown where we had a picnic tea!