Tuesday 24 April 2012

Whistling kite

The Whistling kite's that are in my area can be seen on a daily basis drifting up and down the local water ways in search of an easy meal. Whistling kites can be seen as a single bird or in groups and often in the company of the Brahminy kite or near the White-breasted sea eagle, which it torments as often as it sees fit.

Whistling kite's are a larger raptor 550mm in comparison to the Brahminy kite who is around 450mm. However, Whistling kite's are not considered to be colourful individuals and some consider them to be quite drab, but this is not quite the case, although they do not have a set of striking colours there are many differing shades of brown within their plumage.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Rainbow lorikeet

Life is a very social event to a flock of Rainbow lorikeets. These flocks can number in there thousands and the noise is something that would qualify as noise pollution. Rainbows lorikeets start their morning before the crack of dawn and are still telling each other fabulous stories well after dark, long after other species have tucked themselves under a wing and called it a day.

A rainbow lorikeet can eat a wide variety of different foods including Pollen, nectar, blossoms, fruit, berries, seeds, some insects and their larvae. When eating pollens and nectar the Rainbow lorikeets utilises its tongue which is quite like a brush and it quickly sweeps up the pollen and devours it.

Friday 13 April 2012

Eastern yellow robin

The Eastern Yellow robin is quite a curious bird and can be prone to come up and take a look. Taking the Eastern Yellow robin's photograph has on occasions been problematic though. It seams that raising your hands with camera in toe towards your eyes does seam to spook them and they seam to then want to be somewhere else.

The Eastern Yellow robin can often be seen hoping around in the undergrowth flying up onto a tree in the sideways position. As per one of the photos that are on my website, and then dart off to snatch another insect from off the ground. The Eastern Yellow robin is the robin that I see the most of all, in this species of bird.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Noisy miner

Noisy miner's are one of our most notable and sociable species of honeyeater's these birds are also known as a Soldier bird and are one of our most prolific birds within its range. If you were to here a disturbance within the natural world around you rest assured the Noisy miner will be at the center of it all, calling to all of his kin and yes they will all arrive. It is not an uncommon site to see a Noisy miner create a panic over the discovery of a bird of prey, a Goanna or even a Tawny frogmouth and the ensuing commotion will result in three or four dozen birds turning up to this one request for back up.

Monday 9 April 2012

Wompoo pigeon

Wompoo pigeons are one of the most delightful sights in the natural world. Just take a look at our photo's here and tell me you are not impressed by the colours that are on display. The Wompoo pigeon has several distinct shades of green an awe inspiring purple throat and neck with a golden underbelly that is replicated on parts of its wings.

Monday 2 April 2012

Eastern whipbird

The Eastern whipbird is a very secretive and reclusive individual. These birds if left undisturbed will be happy to hop upon the ground turning over the leaf litter in the wet scrub and rainforest. It is not until your presence has been brought to the Eastern whipbird's attention that it will very promptly and discreetly fly and hop away. To approach the Eastern whipbird requires a great deal of patience, thought, and a fair amount of luck.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Kookaburra

The Kookaburra is an icon of the Australian bush and indeed is King and Queen of the kingfisher family, being the largest of the species. A great deal of affection is displayed by Australians to the Kookaburra and everyone would dearly love to have one in their back yard.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Red backed fairy wren

The Red backed fairy wren is a communal bird like a fair number of the wrens here in Australia and it is not an uncommon site to see a male bird with several females. Red backed fairy wrens are normally found in small thickets, shrubs and heavily grassed or tussock areas these small birds are predominantly found on or close to ground level and are happy to just hop along the ground turning over the leaf litter in search of insects and their larvae.

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Blue crane

The White faced heron is also referred to as the Blue crane. This is a wading bird that can be found throughout Australia. White faced herons are found either singularly or in pairs. The White faced heron can be found wading in the shallows of virtually every creek, river system of coastal or inland Australia and on lakes or inland dams, this is the species most often encountered within Australia in the heron family.

Monday 26 March 2012

Blue faced honeyeater

Blue faced honeyeater's are a very distinctive bird and one of the easiest of all the honeyeater's to identify due to its colouring around the eye's and ears. The Blue faced honeyeater is often found in the company of the Noisy miner and Rainbow Lorikeet. These are all birds that are found within local parks and suburban gardens as well as a variety of different local bushland and farmland settings.

Saturday 24 March 2012

White-breasted woodswallow

The White-breasted woodswallows that are found in my local area are seen close to our river this is a salt water river and these birds flourish and are in quite good numbers. These White-breasted woodswallows are often seen in pairs or small groups of up to several individuals, although in some areas it is believed that the White-breasted woodswallow can form larger groups of up to 100 birds

Yellow tailed black cockatoo

Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo's are a very large bird and they have a personality that is as large as their size with a call that matches their stature The Yellow tailed Black cockatoo can grow to almost 70cm in length. Anyone who gets a chance to spend any time with these Birds walks away from the experience very impressed indeed. The Yellow tailed black cockatoo feed on wood Larvae from Eucalypt and Banksias and are very fond of the seed cones of the Banksias, as you can see from one of these Photo's. The Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo's are a bird that is often used as a sign of impending rain and can be quite reliable at times.

Friday 23 March 2012

Rufous fantail

Rufous fantails are a petite dainty small fantail and are not nearly as common as their cousin the Grey fantail  although their range and habitat can at times overlap and one can be in the company of the other. The Rufous fantail is a very distinct bird with reddish brown rump and eye brow markings.

Little corella

What can be really said about the Little Corella, well this is one really noisy, outrageous and cheeky bird. The Little Corella is a small cockatoo of around the 38cm range and both sexes are of a similar size and appearance.

Thursday 22 March 2012

Scaly breasted lorikeet

Scaly breasted lorikeets are a 23cm lorikeet that frequents similar places that you encounter the Rainbow lorikeet. The Scaly breasted lorikeet is a pale lime green colour and on the breast it also has yellow fish scale markings hence it's name. When this bird reveals its wings there is an explosion of orange red colour that is quite distinct and pretty. Scaly breasted lorikeets are found from Cooktown in NQLD to Illawarra in NSW. This is some 70% of the range and habitat of the Rainbow lorikeet too.

White cheeked honeyeater

This is the White cheeked honey eater which is not to be confused with the New Holland honeyeater which is similar in markings although the colours are not as saturated in the New Holland honeyeater. The white cheeked honeyeater that is displayed here was photographed in the Heath behind my local beach. On that particular day I never had the opportunity to capture the White cheeked honeyeater with the sun revealing the bird and so we have to settle for a shaded photograph.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Tawny frogmouth

The Tawny frogmouth is a nocturnal bird that is often thought of as a member of the owl family by many people but this bird is actually a member of the nightjar family. The Tawny frogmouth is a bird I remember very well from my child hood I lived on a farm and at night these bird would swoop at insects illuminated by my fathers car lights.

Willie wagtail

Willie wagtail's are a member of the flycatcher family these are all birds that build a cup shaped nest , both parents look after and share their parenting duties. Often a pair of Willie wagtail's will produce more than one clutch during a season sometimes utilising the same nest. Willie wagtails will breed from Winter until the end of Summer.

Monday 19 March 2012

Varied triller

This is a very good example of the Varied triller, notice the dominant white eye brow that is on display. The white eye brow can be used to differentiate this bird from the White winged triller. This particular individual is a male of the species. The female Varied triller is quite different in two ways firstly, if we were to replace the black you see here on the male with a grey and secondly the Yellow Orange that can be seen on the underparts is not nearly as vibrant in the female.

Rainbow birds

Rainbow bee-eater are a visitor to Australia from the Islands to the North of our continent. These are members of the bird of Paradise. We only have a couple of these birds that reach our country. The Rainbow bee-eater is a colourful bird of around 23 cm in length. The Rainbow bee-eater has an orange crest upon its head a black stripe that cuts through its eyes and an additional black band around its neck. The rest of the bird has an orange colour that fades to a light lime green and from there extends to become and emerald colour, that proceeds to become a black on the tail. On the tail there are two protruding pins these are much longer in the male.

Sunday 18 March 2012

Osprey

The Osprey that is shown in these two images was taken on the edge of the Noosa river. Osprey's are a world wide species and the birds that are located within Australia are normally found in coastal area's. This is not to say that they can not be seen in any other inland area as the bird is known to travel up and down some inland river systems such as the Murray river.

Red winged parrot

Red winged parrot's are not a species of parrot that is seen in large flocks. Often the Red winged parrot will be seen in pairs or small family units but occasionally it may come together in areas where there is a wide abundance of food. On these occasions up to a few dozen birds maybe encountered.

Saturday 17 March 2012

Black faced cucko-shrike

Black faced cuckoo-shrikes who are also known as Australian Blue Jay's have a range that covers all of Australia. This bird is often seen in the company of its mate and is not a species of bird that seams to gather in flocks at all. The Black faced cuckoo-shrike has made many of Australia's differing locals and environments its own.

The Sacred kingfisher

Sacred Kingfishers are a member of a species that spans the globe. This particular variant can grow in the range of 190 – 230 mm or so. Both birds are similar in colour, unlike some of the more exotic species of birds where the male is a spectacular individual. Sacred Kingfishers are fond of areas where there is a water course, weather this is a vast river system, small creek a fresh water or estuarine lake and or river system and they can also be seen on local beaches that have some form of tree cover where they may be seen carrying on there regular short sorties of swooping for insects or Lizards in the ground cover or dive bombing the water for small fish or other crustacean.

Friday 16 March 2012

Mistletoe birds

Mistletoe birds are one of Australia's most beautiful and colourful species. This is a small bird that is only 11cm in length. Due to its size and that the bird will often only be seen in the tree tops it is rarely seen by most people. The male Mistletoe bird, as you can see in these images is a very striking individual. The female Mistletoe bird is quite a grey bird with only the slightest hints of the flame red that are shown here in the male.
This is my first day as a Blogger, there are a number of very nice images on the Australian birds website i hope you enjoy looking at them.

Brahminy kite

The Brahminy kite are a small medium sized raptor within the 450mm to 510mm range. Both birds are quite similar in appearance sharing their striking plumage which is a Chestnut red/brown with a White hood. Parenting duties with these birds is a shared arrangement, but the female Brahminy kite does the Majority of the nest sitting. While this is going on the male Brahminy kite will feed his mate. Both parents will hunt for food for their offspring.