More birds from Down Under Volume 2

Thank you Lee, Nanny, Pelle and wallaby. Nanny, they really are a sign of summer here as well, migrating from the northern part of the state (several thousand km) to nest in the south west.

Hel, unless your Kookaburras have different habits to ours, they're laughing away well before sun-up, so if the Channel Billed Cuckoos are starting earlier than that, your sleep will be suffering. The Wattlebirds are noisy, but I just love them. They're so pugnacious. Wallaby do you remember Wattlebirds in Victor Harbor? Hel, are they lovebirds you have there?

I don't want to flood the post with Rainbow Bee Eaters, even though I got some shots this afternoon. Here's a Great Crested Grebe from three weeks ago. Along with my quest for a great shot of a Bee Eater, I'm really keen on getting a half way decent shot of these birds. I think it's because their eyes are deep set that I've found it impossible to get that magic little highlight in the eye. Of course, the fact that it's been cloudy every time I've tried to shoot them may also have some bearing on it.

Your Grebe looks like something that should be in a Disney Parade...very pretty!

Beautiful Grebe photo!

No I don't remember Wattlebirds Margaret, I was only a kid/teenager but I don't know if they are there either. Just checked the maps and both species are in that area, but as they frequent the scrub areas more I guess they were more elusive.

That's still a very nice pic of Great Crested Grebe!

I've been absorbed with watching the little Osprey's progress and haven't been anywhere to photograph any other birds. When I was driving up the road en route to the nest this afternoon, I saw a Willie Wagtail dive-bombing a Western Magpie.

When I got to the site, there was no Osprey action and just a Laughing Kookaburra sitting in a tree minding his own business.

And look who shows up. Probably the same Willie Wagtail which was tormenting the poor Osprey a few weeks back.

And let the games begin. There's nothing wrong with the Kookaburra's eye. The nictitating membrane has come across the eye to protect it.

It was really overcast. I'm pleased these shots turned out as well as they did.

The WWT, in typical fashion, was chattering angrily the whole time.

You can almost hear it yelling obscenities at it.

It was jumping all over the back and head of the Kookaburra, but I just didn't get any shots of it.

The Kookaburra just sat there and took it, much like the Osprey did. Mind you, it's understandable that the WWT wanted to chase it off. The Kookies take small birds. Their presence is often announced by the Singing Honeyeaters.

The harassment continued for about a minute. The Kookaburra held its ground and the Willie Wagtail flew off in disgust. However, throughout the afternoon, from various little pockets of shrubs I could here the tell tale chatter as another perceived threat was badgered into leaving. It's about 50-50 who wins.

Incredibly plucky little birds. Look at the tiny thing and a Kookabura's beak is really powerful.

That's all for now folks

Great pics Margaret! The kook is gorgeous but if he takes small birds it's no wonder he gets harassed. Do you ever see groups of birds going after the kookabura's?

Thanks, Pelle. There may be more than one Willie Wagtail trying to drive a Kookaburra off at any given time. I can't recall having seen a group attack by other birds, but that isn't to say that it doesn't happen - just my experience. Sometimes the Magpies will drive them off, but not because of any threat that they pose to the Magpies, but I think when they're a bit bored and want a bit of a game.

Fantastic shots Margaret! I saw a Kookaburra at a local bird centre recently and absolutely loved it!

Thank you knip. And I don't think there's a sound that says "Australia" more than the Kookaburra. They aren't native to Western Australia, but their numbers have never exploded to problematic proportions. There were four or five flying around at the site I go to to see the Ospreys this afternoon. When three or four sit together in a tree, with their tails flicking upwards, beaks pointing skywards and singing in unison, it's a really fabulous sound. The babies sound like someone being strangled.

The Kookaburra looks like it has on a winter hat or headband..love it!!

Love the Kooks and the WW Margaret...great shots!

Maybe the WW has a nest around?

Thanks, Rose.

Yes, Wormfood, this sort of behaviour usually indicates that there is a nest close by. Humans are also harassed by these courageous little birds and unfortunately their fiercely defensive behaviour will often give away the location of the Willie Wagtail's nest.

It's nice to see all the different birds, from your part of the world. And interesting stories, that goes along with them. I enjoy Australia from what you've given us from your eyes. And that is just a small portion of the animal kingdom, and plants that are there, and scenery, still lots you can show us. Am not demanding am I ? :) Thank you.

Hi Guy's, yes Marg they are a pair of lovebirds but not mine, my sisters. I only have 2 caged birds Joey my latino Cockateel (9 yrs) and my hubby has a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo he has had for 33 years, he doesn't know how old she was when he found her on his grandmother's roof, they are certainly a one person bird.
I love the Kooka's as well, they do start at sunrise but the Channel billed started the other morning at 2.30a.m. for some god forsaken reason. Can't wait till they go back over seas.
Your pics are great, I only have an ordinary cmera.
Hel

No Burn, You're not demanding. It's a pleasure to share some of our birds and conversely, it's fantastic to see birds I've either never heard of or have only been aware of from cartoons or Christmas cards.

Hi Hel, beautiful birds. Please keeping showing what you're seeing on the other side of the country. Everyone, including myself would love to see them. You have birds that we don't have in Western Australia and it looks like you really do live in paradise. It doesn't matter what sort of camera you have; some people have very sophisticated equipment and others have the most basic. DG's for people to proudly show what they see and one of the threads is even for us all to have a good laugh at our worst efforts.

Two of these birds, which I think are Australian Hobbys, were flying around making a racket early this morning. Of course, it would happen to be raining at the time and it was still early in the morning AND I was shooting up into a really tall eucalypt in the yard AND into the light. I've edited this pic more than I've ever needed to do before.

Same bird. I should post this on the the "most disappointing" thread, but I suppose it's OK for ID purposes.

I took these couple of shots the day before yesterday at the river. It was late afternoon and the bird was in deep shadow down the embankment. I din't get a chance to see or photograph its legs. I'm not sure what it is.

Any ideas, Resin?

Hello Margaret, Are the Hobbys a type of hawk? The first pic you posted of it was so good as it showed how alert the bird was. Lee

Agree with Australian Hobby for the first two pics - for Lee, it's a falcon, not a hawk.

Second is a Brown Goshawk, probably an immature.

Resin

Thanks, Resin. We get the Brown Goshawks here at home, but I'm always in a position to be able to see them face on, which makes them easier to identify. Down that embankment in late afternoon shadow was beyond my ID'ing capabilities.

Love the Hobby Margaret!

Very handsome bird!

Whilst I was at the Ospreys nest three days ago, a really large bird way off in the distance caught my eye. It's got me stumped as to what it is. It had a slow, easy flight and its neck remained outstretched the whole time I had it in sight. This was taken from probably 2km away. It looked like a Darter but was way too big to be one. Any ideas, Resin?

I'll post a few more to show what the wings look like in various positions in flight.

These shots are all heavily cropped. Looking at them as thumbnails on my computer, the bird is just a speck.

It looked to have about the same wingspan as an Ibis.

It was over the other side of the bay and the river by the time I took this shot.

The Tern in this shot was much closer to where I was than the big bird, although it was still a few hundred metres away. I've included this it for size comparison.

Smack bang in the centre of this picture just below the tree top you may hopefully be able to make out the bird. I disappeared into the trees about three seconds later, which shows it was actually at Point Walter by the time I took this shot, so was at the same distance from me as the people on the jetty. Compare its size to those people (I think they were lucky that one of them wasn't carted off).