A new bird for my life list

Robin

Rose Robin Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

I saw a new bird for my Life List yesterday. 

A Life List is a list of all the birds a birder has seen. A “lifer” is a bird species seen for the very first time. It is easy to add lifers when travelling in a country for the first time. It is much harder to get one in your home country. It has been several years since I added another bird to my life list. I guess I need to get out more, especially in parts of Australia I haven’t been to yet. Say, ALL of Queensland and ALL of the Northern Territory and ALL of Tasmania.

Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

I spent a few hours yesterday in one of my favourite birding spots, Lane Cove National Park in Sydney. This delightful park has many well-kept picnic areas with toilets and barbecue facilities. It is also very accessible, being about ten minutes west of Chatswood and about 20 minutes drive from the Sydney Harbour Bridge (depending on traffic conditions.). I am fortunate that this park is so accessible from my son’s home in Artarmon. It is easy to see why this has become a favourite birding spot for me.

The bird in question, as shown in today’s photos, is the Rose Robin. It is a delightful bird with soft rose-coloured breast feathers. Until I saw it, I didn’t fully appreciate its delicate colouring. The females and juveniles lack the bright colours of the males, though some females may have a faint wash of pink. The birds feed on insects.

Distribution

The Rose Robin has a widespread distribution, from south-east Queensland, through the eastern ranges of New South Wales, throughout southern Victoria and occasionally into South Australia.

You can read more about the Rose Robin on the Birds in Backyards site here.

Good birding,

Trevor

Robin

Rose Robin Lane Cove NP

 

 

5 Responses to “A new bird for my life list”

  1. Rick says:

    Fascinating to see this one, Trevor. I know rose robins are supposed to be there, but haven’t seen any yet.

    • Trevor says:

      Hi Rick,
      I know the feeling well – I have been to Lane Cove NP many times over the years but this was my first sighting. If it’s of any help, my sighting was in early May at the very end of the Max Allen Road (north of the Lane Cove River) where the walking track begins. It was seen in the little clearing next to some picnic tables.

  2. Jane says:

    What a wonderful moment! Such a lovely bird and the photos are beautiful.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *