Yellow-rumped Thornbills in the garden
All the really hot weather we had earlier in the year seems to have flown. We have recently had some lovely days in the low 20s with a gentle breeze; lovely weather to be out and about in the garden. Yesterday we had a break from what we were doing and made a cuppa to enjoy out in the beautiful autumn sunshine.
Feeding on the ground only a few metres from where we sat was a family group of Yellow-rumped Thornbills, too busy finding things to eat to worry about us enjoying their presence so close to us.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbills
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
I love seeing dozens of tiny thornbills flitting around our garden. The most common thornbill here is the Yellow-rumped Thornbill with its bright yellow tail. Less common is the Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, an occasional visitor to the garden. Even less common is the Yellow Thornbill (also called the Little Thornbill). We recently had several of these quite close to the bird bath, but it didn’t stop to drink so I can’t count it on that list.
The Yellow-rumped Thornbills must have had a very good breeding season; there seems to be about 30 or 40 around at present. It is lovely seeing them come to the bird bath or just hopping around on the ground just a few metres away.
Despite the numbers I have found it very hard to get a good photo of one, especially of the yellow on the rump. They are constantly on the move – and when they move it can leave either a blur or an empty frame in the camera. The two in the photo above were bathing in a little pool of water near the base of a rose bush. They were having a great time on a hot day.
The photo below was taken several years ago in another location. It doesn’t show the yellow rump.
Yellow Rumped Thornbill
Lunch time by the beach
No Comments »13th October, 2007; Category: Flowers, Magpies and Currawongs, Thornbills, Trip reports
After our walk down Lady Carrington Drive we drove south through Royal National Park. This drive took us up to the top of the ranges in this part of the park. The change in vegetation over a very short distance was very interesting. From towering gum trees we suddenly found ourselves in gum trees not much more than head high with a very interesting under-story of low heath type plants. There were very few stopping points and my wife was disappointed we didn’t really have the time to spend exploring some of the walking tracks leading off the main road. We are already planning our next trip here.
Wattamoola, Royal National Park, Sydney
At one point along this road we took a detour to a locality known as Wattamoola. This road terminates at a picnic ground where we had a delightful lunch looking out over the beach below and the Pacific Ocean out to sea. I didn’t do much birding here but did check out the large number of Pied Currawongs fussing around in nearby bushes. There seemed to an unusual congregation of them, probably twenty or more and calling incessantly. I assume this could have been mating behaviour, but, being relatively unfamiliar with the species I’m not sure.
Wattamoola, Royal National Park, Sydney
Several Australian Magpies paraded the picnic grounds and about eight Silver Gulls were on the beach. No other water or sea birds were seen which is disappointing. I really haven’t concentrated on sea birds at all this trip because views of the sea have been very infrequent. As we left a Crested Pigeon flew past.
Black-backed Magpie, Royal National Park
On the road back out I did make a concession to my plant loving wife. We stopped in a safe roadside spot fro ten minutes to photograph some of the wildflowers. The only extra species added to this locality during the stop was a single New Holland Honeyeater.
Wildflowers at Royal National Park, Sydney
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
In our garden we have recorded over one hundred different species of birds over about 22 years of residence here. About forty of these are what I would regard as resident, that is, they are present all the time or daily visitors. About a similar number are regular visitors, that is, they may be seen once a week or even only once a month. Some of the seasonal visitors would fall into this category. The remainder would be classified as vagrants, occurring only from time to time with no observable pattern to their appearance.
Yellow-rumped Thornbills are resident in our garden. I have seen Yellow Thornbills here a few times over the years and in the nearby districts quite a few times. The same could be said of the Chestnut-rumped Thornbill. This species was a regular visitor to our garden in the late 1990s and 2000, but my records only show a few sightings here since then.
From time to time over recent days we were aware of a different bird call in the garden but I was unable to track it down. A small flock eventually came to the bird bath and in so doing they revealed themselves to us. They didn’t stay for long and I was only able to get one rather poor photo. If you look closely you may be able to see a little of the rusty coloured tail. As they fly away from you, this area is a bright chestnut colour; they are aptly named.
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbills are essentially a bird of the inland of Australia. Murray Bridge (where I live) is about as far south as they are found. They can also be found throughout much of northern South Australia, western New South Wales, south-western Queensland, central Australia and southern Western Australia.
UPDATE: since taking the photograph above the Chestnut-rumped Thornbills have visited the garden again. This time I was able to get some better shots of them.
Click on the photos to enlarge.
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
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.