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.