Pied Currawongs, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Pied Currawong, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Pied Currawongs are a common bird species along the east coast of Australia, from Cape York down to far south eastern South Australia. Their distribution generally follows the Great Dividing Range but they can be found several hundred kilometres inland where suitable habitat exists.
Their preferred habitats include rainforests, woodlands, forests, coastal scrubs, farmland, parks, gardens and picnic grounds. Where they come in frequent contact with people they can become quite tame. The individual shown in the photos above and below was seen during our recent visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. I was able to approach to within several metres. It basically took no notice of me filming him as it went about feeding in the trees and bushes, and on the ground.
The far reaching call of the currawong is one of the iconic sounds of the Australian bush. It is also quite at home in suburban backyards – like my son’s garden in Artarmon, Sydney – and even right in the CBD of our biggest cities.
Pied Currawong, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Superb Fairy-wren, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Male Superb Fairy-wren, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Any visitor to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra should aware of the many Superb Fairy-wrens present in the gardens. They seem to be everywhere.
But just because they are everywhere does not necessarily mean that they are easy to photograph! The male in the photo above gave a few minutes of excitement but wouldn’t sit still long enough and in sunlight to get a good shot of him. Never mind. I managed a better shot later in the week (I’ll post that in a few days time.)
Superb Fairy-wrens are one of our most spectacularly beautiful birds. They also happen to be one of our most recognisable species too, as they seem to love gathering where people get together – in parks, zoos, gardens, picnic areas and so on. And they have become relatively tame in many places, affording the keen photographer many opportunities for that great shot.
It’s just that this little fellow decided to tease me. Oh well – there’s always next time.
Flowers, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Australian Magpie, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Australian Magpie, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
A few days ago I wrote about the small group of White-winged Choughs I watched in the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. While I was watching them digging around for food and them being most obliging to pose for my camera, the magpie in the photo above came swooping down from a nearby tree and clacked his beak. Not at me – but at the choughs. Seems that they have a little rivalry going on there. Perhaps the magpie was protecting his little patch of the gardens and didn’t want any other birds taking his food supply.
I’ve noticed a similar thing at home here in Murray Bridge, South Australia. Some of the magpies, especially the males, can be very aggressive towards other species. The will fly straight at them, almost hitting them with their wings and giving loud clacking beak noises.
Another thing IÂ noticed about the magpie shown in the photo is that it looks very much like the White-backed race of Australian Magpie. Most of New South Wales has the Black-backed race except the south coast from Bateman’s Bay on towards Victoria. The distribution of the White-backed Magpies might be even broader than this as my observations in this area are quite limited.
I’d be interested in readers’ comments.
Flowers in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
White-winged Choughs, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
White-winged Choughs, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
The White-winged Choughs I saw in the Australian National Botanic Gardens earlier this year are obviously used to large numbers of people visiting the gardens. They seemed quite at ease with me taking photographs of them from a few metres away. They were more intent on finding something to eat.
White-winged Choughs, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Choughs spend much of their day on the ground, scratching in the dirt or removing any mulch put there by gardeners. One of them found a buried cone from a tree and there was suddenly a great kerfuffle and they all came running to have a taste of this delicacy.
I didn’t distrub them to have a closer look at the cone, but in the photo it seems to be something like a Hakea seed cone. It could also have been a Banksia seed cone.
Banksia flower, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
An air conditioned Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Canberra
We are in the midst of a heatwave this week. On Monday it reached 40C (104F), yesterday 45C (113F) and it looks like another 40+ day today.
Our poor garden birds – along with birds everywhere, suffer greatly during such extreme temperatures. I try to keep the supply of water in the bird baths up during these times, something they much appreciate if the constant stream of birds is anything to go by.
During the worst of the heat yesterday I was working in my office. I was being kept cool by the gentle flow of cool air from our evaporative air conditioner. This type of cooler needs an open window to create a flow of cool air into a room. The window alongside of me was ajar a few centimetres.
I was suddenly aware of a Yellow-rumped Thornbill cooling itself in the flow of air escaping from my office. He twittered in appreciation for about five minutes, wings held out to catch the refreshing air, before flying off to catch afternoon tea.
It was a lovely interruption to my afternoon of writing.
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