More birds from Down Under Volume 2

We've come from here:-

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/918942/


I hope you'll continue to enjoy seeing some of our wonderful birds. Here's a New Holland Honeyeater to start things off.

My favorite bird from you! And such gorgeous flowers!

Beautiful bird, Margaret....and I love the Cape Honeysuckle also.

Margaret, you in Australia have some of the most delightful birds. Does the name Honeyeaters indicate their diet of maybe nectar? Lee

Margaret, thank you for continuing this most informative thread of bird life in Australia. It is, without a doubt, the next best thing to being there. Your photos of the colorful birds among the flowers and plant life have been extraordinary.

Keep them coming .............




This message was edited Nov 18, 2008 10:06 PM

Thanks Mrs Ed. They have such amazingly clean lines.

Thanks for you comments GP also for the ID on the vine. They are all over the place, but I've never known what it is.

Linth, that praise coming from someone with the most fantastic Bald Eagle thread is very flattering. Thanks.

Yes Lee, the honeyeaters are well named. They have long tongues that are feathered at the tip to better enable them to extract the nectar. They are also insectivorous. I've cropped this shot to show how, in addition to entering the flower face on, they also pierce a hole near the base to get at the nectar. I've seen Singing Honeyeaters at the flowers of our African Tulip tree pierce two or three holes in a single flower, as the flowers are so large.

The Honeyeaters will hang upside down and pierce the red, fleshy part of these large flowers, which are about 4 - 5" (whoops put in feet. That would be an impressive flower) top to bottom.

I'm heading out to check on Aussie Osprey after I've had lunch. Hopefully will see some more birds whilst I'm out.

This message was edited Nov 19, 2008 11:49 AM

Hey Margaret, 4-5 feet would be impressive, indeed! LOL I like the close up of the Honey Eater drinking from the flower. I can see the details better. Pretty soon, we'll be experts, like you, on the birds of Australia.
Thanks, indeed. Lee

Oh Lee, I'm no expert. I'm familiar with the behaviour of a few species and can identify a few more, but compared to some, I know diddly squat.

After I left the Ospreys nest this afternoon I went over the other side of the bay and managed one single, passable shot of a Little Corella in flight. It shows the beautiful lemon colour under their wings.

Singing Honeyeater. Where I live, these are the first birds to be heard in the morning, well before dawn and their pre-dawn song is totally different to what is heard from them during the remainder of the day. The Wattlebirds, Magpies, Butcher Birds, and, if they're around, Kookaburras sound off shortly after the Singing Honeyeaters start up. It's really lovely.

Another shot of the Singing Honeyeater. It is rather drab when compared to the New Holland and White Cheeked Honeyeaters.

Down on the shore, a Pied Oystercatcher was having a feed of a seaweed enrobed mussel.

Another Oystercatcher arrived in the area and so it picked it up and headed off with it.

Lousy shot, but you'll get the idea.

Wonderful shots Margaret! Love the Little Corella and Oystercatcher!

Margaret, you're better than National Geographic. Lee

Thanks Pelle and Lee.

We went over to Herdsman's Lake this afternoon and I managed to get a couple of quick and badly focused shots of what I believe is a Whistling Kite.

Here's another shot

I've seen Yellow Spoonbills before, but today was the first chance I had to get some photos.

This shot shows the underside of their wonderful bills.

Sitting on a branch behind the Spoonbill was a Rainbow Bee Eater. It was once again a dull day and I needed to focus on one or the other. The Spoonbill won out.

Clearly a pair of Rainbow Bee Eaters on the branch behind the Spoonbill.

Last one of the Spoonbill.

They clearly an't eating bees. Fab photos, good to catch up!!

Hi Boots. Very funny. Glad you're watching. They were just being very friendly with each other. We'd been observing them deep in the twiggery. Presumably the male flew off several times and returned with an insect (probably a bee) to feed the other one. Do you have Spoonbills in NZ?

Great Crested Grebe.

Margaret, I think the Grebes are my favorite as they are the most amusing. Lee

They are fun to watch, Lee. And the head gear is fantastic.

The male and female Great Crested Grebes greet each other in a display of varying flamboyance each time they meet. The clouds conspired against me today.

We have got the royals , I could show you a pic, but you would see how far off they are. too farLOL
your yellows look lovelly

I've never seen the Royal Spoonbills, Boots, but then, I hadn't seen a Yellow Spoonbill until very recently. The Royals do have a local distribution according to my field guide. I'll have to keep looking. Post it anyway, Boots.

No wonder the Rainbow Bee Eaters like this area. A travelling swarm of bees.

This message was edited Nov 20, 2008 6:14 PM

Now this really is a long shot. Even cropped it's not easy to make out a flock of Hoary-headed Grebes. It was their boisterous take off and landing that drew our attention to them. Zooming right in on the computer was the only way I could ID them.

Took a look in HBW, Royal Spoonbill occurs in NZ and eastern OZ (rare visitor in western OZ), while Yellow-billed Spoonbill occurs in OZ (west and east), but only very rarely in NZ.

Resin

this a long shot and croped, maybe you can see them .good luck.

I believe you, Boots. What fantastic countryside.

Thanks Resin. Looks like the challenge is on for me to locate a Royal locally.

Female Shoveler with two of her three ducklings in a stream that runs between two sections of the lake.

This message was edited Nov 20, 2008 6:32 PM

Sacred Ibis in flight. There are hundreds of these birds at Herdsman's.

Last one for today. My quest remains to get some spectacular shots of these beautiful Rainbow Bee Eaters. I'd love to be able to shoot a picture that REALLY show their colours.

they are stunning beautiful

Great shots Margaret!

Thanks Pelle.

You're right Boots. They are just such gorgeous little birds. They're heard before they're seen. Their voice is like the trilling of an umpires whistle.

I was so excited to see the eastern rosella. Do you have anymore wild pics? I could never part with my guys, it was so hard to sell the parents but it was better for them. I had too many. I also had two princess of wales that turned out to be 2 males and they were sold. They are more from the desert area if I remember correctly. When they flew through the house they looked like mini terradactyls. It was the greatest time of my life until the hurricanes of '04 (?) I had more birds than space in our cars if we had to evacuate. And didn't want to go through that stress ever again. Thanks for all the pics. They're so beautiful.

G'Day all, here is another pic of another aussie native a Scaley Breasted Lorikeet, they come up and nibble at my toes, so friendly. They are smaller than the Rainbow Lorikeets and can hardley see them on the grass.
Hel