Golden Whistler
Earlier this week we were just finishing our lunch when my wife saw a male Golden Whistler skulking in the bushes near our sun-room. I raced for the camera and stealthily went outside to track it down.
It was still there, feeding in the bushes. I managed to get quite a nice collection of photos. Below is the best of them. (Click on the image to enlarge the photo.)
Golden Whistler (male)
I have found that the Golden Whistlers we have visiting our garden are generally rather quiet, feeding happily with little fuss in the various native bushes and trees in our garden. They rarely give their strong, beautiful call, but when they do, it has a rich quality that makes one stop and listen.
I am so pleased with this photo I think I might print it on good photo paper and mount it in a photo frame visitors to admire - and for my own pleasure every time I look at it.
Blog Entries
July 26th, 2008 at 10:54 am
hi Trevor,
yes, that’s a top photo for sure!
And how absolutely delightful to have this colourful cheery bird visit your garden. you’re obviously providing him with some protected perches and feeding spots. Do you get the Rufous Wistlers?
Gaye
July 26th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Hi there Gaye,
Yes - we occasionally get the Rufous Whistlers in our garden too, but the Golden is a far more frequent visitor. Now if only we had the Gilbert’s and Red-Lored Whistlers as well… I have to travel about 4 hours east to catch them.
We also have resident Grey Shrike-thrush but they are usually quite secretive and do not call very much.
July 26th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Hi Trevor,
Great shot - I specially like bird photos with just enough twigs etc in front of the bird, and a little out of focus to give it real depth. I have a nice one I fluked of an Eastern Yellow Robin, skulking in the blackberries, with a few of the canes in front of the bird, but nicely blurred, and with the bird in focus. Most of the shots I get like this are fluked, as I generally have my camera on auto, and if I happen to get the bird in focus, and not the vegetation in front of it, then it’s a real fluke!
July 26th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
PS, we get the Golden and Olive in Tas, but not the Rufous.
July 27th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I know what you mean about the focus - to get one good shot I often have to take 10 - 15 average or totally out of focus shots. That was the case with this shot.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
[…] Golden Whistler Artist: Trevor, Trevor’s Birding About the piece: This stunning little bird showed up in […]
August 15th, 2008 at 7:39 am
I have noticed that the golden whistler is relaxed around humans. Twice now I have had them come within two metres in the bush, both times calling loudly, so loudly it hurt my ear last time. No need for binoculars.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Welcome to my bird blog Neil. Both the Golden and the Rufous Whistlers can be quite confiding. It certainly is great to see such beautiful birds up close and almost personal.
As for their amazing call - that is something else again, as you have experienced first hand.