Large flock of Galahs
6 Comments »31st January, 2008; Category: Bird baths, Bird Behaviour, Garden birds, Parrots and Lorikeets
Galah
We had a visit from over a hundred Galahs this morning. A visiting flock of this size (or bigger) happens every few weeks. Most of them tried unsuccessfully to access water from the swimming pool. This one in the photo above shows the only one that tried to drink from the bird bath. It got to within a metre before taking fright and flying off. So far I have not been able to record this species actually drinking from one of our bird baths. It must happen sometime.
There is one downside to having such a large company of this beautiful Australian species in our garden.
The noise can be deafening.
The following photo was taken last summer.
Galahs
Further reading:
- Galahs come for a swim
- Parrots and Lorikeets – articles from my archives
Willie Wagtails calling at night
Willie Wagtail
I recently had a comment from a reader about Willie Wagtails calling at night. This reader and his wife were constantly being woken at night by the loud calling of a Willie Wagtail in the tree outside their bedroom window. It seems that this was driving them crazy and wanted to know if I’d heard of this happening before, and what can be done about it.
Nocturnal Song
This calling is known as the bird’s nocturnal song. Other Australian species, like the Magpie, also call nocturnally. It is a widespread and commonly observed action and is well documented in the literature and from studies of these species. There is quite a lengthy discussion on this in HANZAB (Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds) which forms the basis of what I have to say on this matter.
Moonlit nights
The nocturnal call of the Willie Wagtail is most commonly heard during moonlit nights and especially during the breeding season (August to February). From my own experience, the presence of a bright street light or car park lighting can also contribute to this phenomenon. Once started, the song can continue for lengthy periods, often stimulating other birds nearby to also call.
Reasons
It is thought that the nocturnal song in Willie Wagtails is used to maintain its territory. During the night there is no need for parental duties such as feeding the young or protecting the nest, so the song can be used to consolidate the territory. Sound tends to carry further at night and there are fewer sounds in competition and this adds to its effectiveness. It has been found that most nocturnal songs are from a roosting bird some distance away from the nest.
Solutions
Unfortunately for my reader there is no easy solution I know of for this problem. Moving to sleep in a room in a different part of the house may minimise the impact of the noise. Double glazed glass and better insulation may also help. Wearing ear plugs is another possible way out.
A change of attitude might help too. If a native bird is calling outside my bedroom window at 2am in the morning I can respond in several ways. I can get very agitated and annoyed and consequently will have a restless night. I could also take a more phlegmatic view and ignore it, not letting it get to me. I take the same approach when sleeping in an unfamiliar setting with plenty of traffic noise. One soon learns – by choice – to block out the noise, becoming accustomed to it. Or I can delight in the fact that this lovely little creature chooses to reside in MY garden. This positive feeling allows one to relax and get back to sleep.
Annoying ravens
My last suggestion didn’t work for us last summer. We had a Little Raven that would come at first light every morning and bang his thick, strong beak at his reflection in the glass of our bedroom window, calling raucously as he “attacked” this interloper. Being woken by such a noise about a metre from one’s sleeping head is not nice. Not nice at all. We were pleased when it stopped after about a month.
Related articles:
- Great Birding Moments #4: Willie Wagtails
Great Birding Moments # 33: Collared Sparrowhawk
14 Comments »28th January, 2008; Category: Eagles Hawks and Kites, Garden birds, Great Birding Moments
Collared Sparrowhawk
Whenever I hear the alarm calls of the birds in our garden, especially the honeyeaters, I look skywards. I usually expect to see a bird of prey soaring overhead. Sometimes it turns out to be a Black Kite or a Little Eagle. At other times it will be a Brown Falcon sneaking through the lower trees trying to catch an unwary smaller bird.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Several days ago I was watching the Test Cricket (Australia v. India) on television. I heard the usual alarm calls outside and raced out into the garden armed with my camera. I was rewarded with closeup photos of a juvenile Collared Sparrowhawk. This species looks very similar to the juvenile Brown Goshawk – except for the size. Both species occur in our area. This one was definitely a Collared Sparrowhawk because it was about the size of an Australian Magpie.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Collared Sparrowhawks are found throughout most of Australia. Their preferred habitats include forests, woodlands, inland scrubs and farmlands. Their breeding season ranges from August through to December, so this one could well be from last year’s breeding season.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Click on any photo to enlarge the image.
Further reading:
- Early morning walk and a bird of prey – also featuring another photo of this species.
- Great Birding Moments – more highlights from my birding experiences.
Collared Sparrowhawk
Australian Owlet-nightjar in our garden
12 Comments »15th January, 2008; Category: Garden birds, Nocturnal birds, Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars
The Australian Owlet-nightjar is a relatively common bird throughout much of Australia. With an overall size of 21-25cm it is our smallest nocturnal bird. In fact, the first time I saw this birds I was amazed at how tiny it really was. This individual was perched in full sunlight on a branch of a tree in a neighbour’s garden. This is something they will do occasionally. Normally they roost in the hollows of trees.
Despite being widespread in Australia, I suspect few people will have ever seen one, mainly because of their nocturnal habits. Their size may account for them often being overlooked too. I suspect that quite a few people may have heard this species but have no idea what was making the call. Its chirr-chirr call is a sound many Australians will have heard when out at night, especially in more rural areas, or when camping out bush away from traffic noises. Another common observation of this species would be a fleeting glance of one flying through the headlight beams of cars travelling country roads at night. Most people probably would dismiss it as a very large moth.
Resident in our garden?
At present I am thinking that this species is resident in our garden. Over recent weeks I have heard it calling on many occasions, often an hour or so after sunset. I usually head outdoors, torch in hand, trying to track it down. The fact that their eyes do not reflect torchlight makes the quest just that little bit harder.
More puzzling, however, is hearing the call during the daylight hours, usually just the once and quite close to the house. A little research indicates that they sometimes do this. It has happened three or four times in the last week or so. Whenever I go out pursuing this lovely bird trying to get a photo, I have no idea where to start looking – apart from the obvious tree hollows nearby. It’s all very frustrating.
UPDATE: I finally got to see one in our garden – and get a photo what’s more. To read about click here.
Further reading:
- Great Birding Moments – Spotted Nightjar – an article and photo about a close encounter with another nightjar species.
- Spotted Nightjar
- Birds in Backyards: Australian Owlet-nightjar – this article includes a photo, a painting and a map of distribution.
The photo below shows a related species, the Spotted Nightjar. (Click on the photo to enlarge the image.)
Spotted Nightjar
A new bird for our garden list: Collared Turtle-dove
Collared Turtle-dove
CORRECTION: I have asked various experts in these matters and it seems that the general opinion is that this bird is in fact a BARBARY DOVE.
It is not often these days that I am able to add a new bird to our garden bird list. We’ve been living here now for over 20 years and a new species added to the list is a notable event.
This morning while putting out the rubbish bin my attention was drawn to an unusual bird in the tree near the driveway. Immediately I thought it was a Spotted Turtle-dove. On closer inspection it was far lighter in colour than the resident Spotted Turtle-doves which are an introduced species here in Australia. The Spotted Turtle-doves frequently nest in our garden but are never present in large numbers – perhaps three or four at a time at most.
Something quite different
I left the rubbish bin in the driveway and raced inside for the binoculars. As I went I changed my mind and grabbed the digital camera. It was still there when I came out again, posing beautifully in full sunlight on a branch just above head height. Lovely. I realised instantly that this was something quite different. I immediately thought it was a Collared Turtle-dove (also called a Barbary Dove: UPDATE: I’m not sure if this is true; the sites I consulted are very confusing).
Introduced species:
This species is not featured in Australian Field Guides as a resident species. It is present in a few suburbs in nearby Adelaide (80km to the west) and Alice Springs (central Australia) and I’ve read of a few small populations in parts of eastern Australia. Research on the internet has not been all that satisfying and somewhat confusing. This is because there seem to be a number of different common names used for this species, if I’m reading the information correctly. Some names I’ve some across include Collared Dove, Collared Turtle-dove, Barbary Dove, Ringed Dove and it looks somewhat like the African Collared Dove. To say I’m confused is an understatement. If any readers can clear up these issues I appreciate you using the comments below (or the contact email form here).
Collared Turtle-dove
Behaviour
This bird seemed to be very tame. It sat patiently and quietly in the tree just above my head while I took the photos on this page. It was less than three metres away through much of this process. This indicates to me that it has escaped – or been released – from someone’s aviary. There are many bird keepers in our city with a very active bird club. To my knowledge this is the first time this species has been recorded in the wild here. I thought of catching it and putting it in a cage, but it was too high to reach. Within a half hour it had flown and I haven’t seen it again. I hope that it was a single bird; we don’t really want a breeding colony resident in the district.
A “lifer” for me
Not only was this a new bird for our garden list – and a species that may never be recorded here again – it was also a “lifer” meaning I’d never seen this species before in my life. It was not as exciting as adding any other species to my life list because it is an introduced species and something that should not be here. Add to that the fact that it has either escaped or been released from an aviary takes the gloss off seeing a new bird.
[Sigh] I’ll just have to get out more to add other species to my life list.
Click on the photos to enlarge the images.
Collared Turtle-dove
Collared Turtle-dove
Collared Turtle-dove
PLEASE NOTE: ALL PHOTOS ON THIS ARTICLE SHOULD BE LABELLED “BARBARY DOVE”.