Bathing beauties
Mallee Ringnecks bathing
We have a small flock of Mallee Ringneck parrots on our five acre block. On most days we will see 2 to 4 of them, sometimes more. We love seeing them in and around our garden – except when they attack our ripening pears.
This autumn and early winter we have had above average rainfall for this time of year. Over recent weeks it has rained on many occasions and our gravel driveway quickly gathers the rainfall, forming several puddles. A few days ago I noticed two of the parrots enjoying a splash in one of the puddles. The muddy water (see photos below) seemed to them to be preferable to the nice clean water in the bird baths nearby.
Mallee Ringnecks bathing
Mallee Ringnecks bathing
Mallee Ringneck
Magpie portraits
Australian Magpie
A few days ago we had some wonderful rain. When we get significant falls of rain, we also get sizeable puddles of water in our gravel driveway. The birds often take advantage of the water and enjoy a splash or two. I managed to get a few portrait shots of one of our resident magpies.
Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
Are the magpies getting ready to start nesting?
Australian Magpie
Australian Magpies are one of the most recognisable of Australian birds. They are common over large parts of Australia.
They are also highly territorial, and in the breeding season they can be very aggressive towards other magpies, other bird species, and, on occasions, towards humans. Their swoop – usually from behind and usually unexpected – can be quite terrifying to some people. They have been know to even draw blood if contact is made with vulnerable parts such as the head. Cyclists seem to attract swooping magpies far more than pedestrians, for some reason.
About this time of the year, however, they generally have not yet started nesting. Now is the time to reinforce their territorial claims, chasing one another in wild, noisy conflicts. I witnessed the start of this only a few days ago in our mallee scrub. Our five acre patch of scrub is the junction of three different magpie territories; the boundaries are fiercely defended. On the positive side, “our” resident magpies never swoop, for which we are thankful.
On my evening walk yesterday I heard the distinctive warning call of a male magpie, one whose territory is about a kilometre from our home. I looked up, and was interested to see a partially constructed nest in the tree over head. This particular bird is aggressive towards humans, so I’ll have to be careful walking along that part of the road in the coming weeks.
Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
Birding in Hale Conservation Park, Williamstown
Hale Conservation Park, South Australia
Last Saturday I had a meeting in Gawler which is just over an hour’s drive from home. I had a little time on my way home, so I stopped for a hour at Hale Conservation Park near Williamstown in the Mt Lofty Ranges. We often drive past this park going to or from our daughter’s home in Clare, but we’ve only ever stopped a couple of times. This time I had a hour of birding on a lovely sunny winter’s afternoon.
The birding was a little slow with only a handful of species obvious, mostly calling. A few days ago I showed a photo of a Scarlet Robin (click here) that obligingly posed near me. I saw quite a few Yellow-faced Honeyeaters flitting around in the tree tops, but none settled close enough for a decent photo. The best of a poor set of photos is shown below. This is the best photo I have of this species, which probably means that I need to get out birding more often seeing it is quite a common species.
The final photo on today’s post is a close-up of some of the wildflowers growing in the park. I must visit again in the springtime when plenty of native plants will be in flower.
Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Hale Conservation Park, South Australia
Hale Conservation Park, South Australia
Some fellow writers and a Scarlet Robin
Scarlet Robin (male) Hale Conservation Park
Today I attended the meeting of a writers’ group to which I belong. It was held in the home of a fellow writer who lives in Gawler, about an hour north of Adelaide and just over an hour’s drive from my home. It was an inspiring time hearing about the projects of my colleagues and the discussion lasted several hours – until the lunch food beckoned. The talk still continued over the meal.
On my way home I decided to do an hour of birding in Hale Conservation Park, just a few kilometres from Williamstown in the Adelaide Hills. It had been a few years since I’d walked through parts of the park. Despite the welcome sunshine, birdlife was a little slow. A few birds were calling but I didn’t see much. Eventually, just as I was about to turn back towards the car park, I saw a group of honeyeaters feeding in several trees near the path. They were Eastern Spinebills, New Holland Honeyeaters and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Most didn’t sit still long enough to focus my camera on them, though I did manage a few shots of the Yellow-faced.
As I was following them around, a male Scarlet Robin came and perched on a branch less than two metres from me. I had about three seconds to zoom, focus and press the shutter. The bird was gone just as quickly as it had come; I didn’t see it again. I’m so thankful that I managed to get it more or less in focus.
Sometimes you just get lucky!
Good birding.
Further Reading: