An evil looking bird
Willie Wagtail at one of our bird baths
I was recently sorting through a few of my bird photos and came across this shot of a Willie Wagtail at one of the bird baths in our garden. Nothing unusual about that; they come most days for a drink or a bath.
What struck me about the photo was how evil the eyes of the harmless little Willie Wagtail can sometimes look, especially when enlarged like the shot above. It seems to be saying: ‘Don’t mess with me, buster.’
In reality, this species is known for its feisty attitude towards other bird species, especially any who dare come near to their nest or young. I have even seen one attacking our largest raptor, the Wedge-tailed Eagle. This eagle has a wingspan of about 280cm, whereas the little Willie Wagtail would be stretching to span 20cm. In fact, the Willie Wagtail is not slow at attacking a human, often swooping and even giving one a peck on the head for getting too close to the babies.
For comparison, I’ve included below the original photo before I enlarged it.
Willie Wagtail at one of our bird baths
Noisy Grey Currawongs
Grey Currawong
Grey Currawongs are common and widespread in the area where I live in South Australia. Until the last few years, however, they only occasionally visited our garden and the mallee scrub near our home. Their visits have become very regular of late and on a few occasions they have been feeding semi-independent young., often accompanied by raucous begging from the young.
They usually do not hang around too long and only pass through our 5 acre property in a few minutes. Over the last few hours today, however, their calling has been very persistent and loud. Not sure what all the fuss is about, but it has been going on few some hours. I can’t really work out why they are hanging around for so long.
Mind you, it is generally a pleasant sound but could get annoying if it went on all day.
Further reading
- Young Grey Currawongs
- Great Birding Moments #2 – Pied Currawong
- Curry the Currawong – the story of a friendly currawong
Opportunistic and Cheeky Sparrows
House Sparrow
House Sparrows are a very common introduced bird species here in South Australia. They seem to breed in good numbers in our garden. They can also be very opportunistic where it comes to feeding, and they can be very cheeky when doing so.
I saw a classic example in the CBD of Adelaide on Wednesday. I’d just been to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for a specialist appointment (everything was okay). I then visited one of my favourite bookshops in Rundle Mall. After a short wander through the shop – I resisted spending any money – it was time for some lunch.
I wandered into a nearby food mall where there were about a dozen choices of fast food. I resisted the less healthy options and bought an “Aussie Spud” – a potato with a variety of trimmings like cheese, beetroot, corn and pineapple. It was delicious and quite filling.
On entering the mall I noticed it was inhabited by a significant number of House Sparrows. The entrance is open throughout the day at both ends so it was easy for the birds to take up residence. Half way through my meal I accidentally dropped a small portion of potato on the floor.
Ooops. Careless of me.
I needn’t have worried. Within a second or two, about four sparrows swooped down from their perch on top of a television screen on the wall and the mess I’d made was devoured instantly.
Sadly I didn’t have my camera with me at the time.
Neat hairdo, Little Pied Cormorant
No Comments »22nd February, 2011; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Aviaries, Bird Behaviour, Darters and Cormorants, Waterbirds, Zoos
Little Pied Cormorant, Adelaide Zoo
Birds sometimes do amusing things. Take this Little Pied Cormorant shown in the photo above. Some would think he has a very neat hairdo. Others might think he’s having a very bad feather day. I think he’s just been for a swim trying to catch his lunch and hasn’t time to rearrange his feathers.
What you can’t see in this photo is the zoo keeper throwing the water birds, the cormorant included, some small fish for their mid-afternoon snack. Below is a photo of him earlier – when his coiffure was just a little neater.
Little Pied Cormorant, Adelaide Zoo
Hooded Plover
4 Comments »10th February, 2011; Category: Adelaide Zoo, Bird Behaviour, Nests, Plovers Dotterels and Lapwings, Seabirds, Zoos
Hooded Plover
The Hooded Plover is found along the southern coast of Australia, from Tasmania, though Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia. Its preferred habitat is sandy beaches where there is plenty of seaweed and there are nearby rocky outcrops, reefs and sand dunes. In some parts it can be found at salt lakes some distance inland in SA and WA. It lays its 2 or 3 eggs in a shallow scrape in the beach sand during the months of September to January.
The Hooded Plover is an endangered species. On the Fleurieu Peninsula near where I live there are fewer than 75 left, according the warning sign near the beach at Victor Harbor (see below). On a visit to Victor Harbor some years ago I was walking along this beach watching over about 60 primary school children on an end of year school camp. Trying to keep so many little feet away from the nest with two eggs took a major effort, but the birds patrolling the beach nearby were not too disturbed. Why they chose one of the busiest beaches in South Australia to lay their eggs is a mystery to me! I hope they survived.
The bird in the photo above was not taken at the beach. It was of a bird in an aviary at Adelaide Zoo where the keepers have cleverly recreated a small sandy beach to imitate its natural habitat.
Hooded Plover warning sign on beach at Victor Harbor, South Australia