The chase is on
1 Comment »26th August, 2013; Category: Bird Behaviour, Bush birds, Eagles Hawks and Kites, Garden birds, Honeyeaters, Raptors
Collared Sparrowhawk
A little while ago I was outside in the garden attending to one of those mundane jobs around the house. Okay, I’ll admit I was checking the washing hanging out to dry. My attention was suddenly grabbed by a great uproar coming from the local resident honeyeaters. They were creating a terrible noise, so I knew that something was disturbing them big time.
As I looked around a Collared Sparrowhawk (see photo above) landed on the power line coming in towards the house. Next thing, it took off after its lunch – a Common Starling. Well, I’m not sure if it actually caught its prey. The last I saw of them was the starling zooming a full speed across the garden and then weaving through the mallee scrub behind our house, hotly pursued at full speed by the hawk. I was amazed at how fast they were going, but when you consider those sharp talons, one can hardly blame the starling for getting a move on.
Now the Eastern Rosella is back home
1 Comment »9th August, 2013; Category: Bird Behaviour, Flowers, Garden birds, Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets
Eastern Rosella, Murray Bridge
For almost two years now we have had an Eastern Rosella occasionally visit our garden and patch of mallee scrub. During some weeks we see it several times a day, every day. On other occasions it may only visit once and then not again for a week or two. It is an unusual visitor for a number of reasons.
- Eastern Rosellas are not normally found in the Murray Bridge region. They are common in the eastern states and even in the south east of South Australia. They have been introduced to the Adelaide region. All I can assume is that this species is extending its range or this one bird has escaped from someone’s aviary – or has been released.
- The other unusual matter relates to its behaviour: it is regularly seen in the company of a Mallee Ringneck. We have up to a dozen ringnecks around at any one time, but most of them do not tolerate this “interloper” and will vigorously chase it off. It keeps returning; such persistence.
For the last month we hadn’t seen the rosella, but earlier this week it reappeared, again in the company of a ringneck and again being harassed by the other ringnecks. On Wednesday it posed nicely for my camera while eating the flowers of one of our Eremophila youngii bushes.
Further reading:
- Now we have two Eastern Rosellas
- Adelaide Rosellas in our garden
- Mallee Ringneck Parrot
- Parrots eating our flowers
- Eremophilas – articles about Eremophilas on my wife’s site.
Eastern Rosella, Murray Bridge
Eastern Rosella, Murray Bridge
Eastern Rosella, Murray Bridge
Slow crows
Australian Raven
On our recent trip to Sydney and back I commented several times on the casual nature of the crows along the road. So many times we saw them eating road-kill, either on the road itself, or very close to the edge of the paved area. As we approached – generally driving at 100-110kph – the birds would casually wander off the carriageway and just a few steps out of harm’s way. Rarely did they fly off. Occasionally they might give a hop or two to avoid being hit; this usually meant they had left their escape just a second or two too long. Then after our vehicle had passed, they quickly resumed their feast.
I presume that they had learned over their lifetime that vehicles caused them no harm provided they moved out of the way in time. Being quite intelligent animals they probably learned this survival technique from others. It just looked quite comical to me to see them so casually wandering out of danger.
I should actually correct myself here: most of the birds we saw were actually Australian Ravens, not crows at all. This is the largest corvid found in Australia. Crows are found further north than where we were travelling. Nearer to home we often see the same behaviour exhibited by the local species, the Little Raven. This behaviour is quite common on the South Eastern Freeway from Adelaide to my home town of Murray Bridge.
Little Raven
Buff-banded rail, Adelaide Zoo
Buff-banded Rail, Adelaide Zoo
Buff-banded Rails are sometimes very shy, secretive birds that rarely show themselves, preferring to skulk in the reeds and rushes along watercourses, swamps and wetlands.
On the other hand I have sometimes encountered these rails quite openly enjoying the presence of people. One example was a close encounter I had with one bird in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
Buff-banded rails are a widespread species throughout Australia – except for the drier inland areas.
Further reading:
Buff-banded Rail, Adelaide Zoo
Satin Bowerbird, Adelaide Zoo
Male Satin Bowerbird, Adelaide Zoo
These photos were taken in a walk through aviary in the Adelaide Zoo, South Australia. Visiting the zoo with its excellent collection of birds is always an attraction for me because one can get up close to many species I’ve not seen in their natural environment – or only fleetingly seen at a distance. It’s very good for honing one’s photography skills too.
I’ve only seen a Satin Bowerbird in its natural habitat on a handful of occasions, the most recent being a few weeks ago in a garden in Bright, Victoria. It frequents rainforests, woodlands, scrubs, orchards, parks and gardens. This species is found along the coastal parts of eastern Australia, from southern Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria. There is an isolated race in northern Queensland.
The female builds a stick nest in a tree near to the bower of the male. Like other bowerbird species the male builds an elaborately decorated bower of sticks on the ground to attract the female, usually including a vast collection of blue or yellow objects.
Male Satin Bowerbird, Adelaide Zoo
Male Satin Bowerbird, Adelaide Zoo