Trevor's Birding

Early morning walk

No Comments »22nd February, 2009; Category: Murray Bridge, Parrots and Lorikeets, Pigeons and Doves, Ravens and Crows

I’m just back from an early morning walk. It was about 15C, crisp fresh, no breeze and cloudless. A perfect morning for a walk.

As I was going along I was aware of several dozen Little Ravens calling nearby. I’ve been aware of many ravens calling near our home over the last week or so. It’s something they tend to do several times a year. They will gather in large numbers, often 30 – 50 or more and commence calling raucously for ten or twenty minutes or more. After a protracted chorus of their calls, especially near the house, one can feel a little annoyed; it can be a penetrating call up close.

Little Raven

I also observed about a dozen Crested Pigeons sitting on the power lines or feeding on the ground. Several of them were giving their elaborate bowing, bobbing and tail fanning display to prospective mates. This species seems to be always breeding around here. Probably why there’s a growing number of them.

We occasionally have lorikeets land to feed in the trees in our garden but more often they just fly over, very rapidly and very noisily. This morning a flock of 10 Purple-crowned Lorikeets went screaming overhead as I walked along, did a 360 turn wheeling around to check me out (or maybe the mallee tree on the side of the road) before streaking off to find another tree in blossom. It’s like having a miniature squadron of fighter jets fly over at close range. The photo below shows a related species, the equally noisy Musk Lorikeet which we also get here from time to time.

Musk Lorikeet

Making connections between humans and nature

No Comments »21st February, 2009; Category: Blogs, Carnivals, I and the Bird, Non-Australian birds

In these hurried and hectic times it is important for humans to, once again, get connected to nature. What better way to relax and enjoy the world than to witness the natural behavior of the animals around us unfold before our very eyes.
Birdwatching allows us all to get closer to wild nature in our own backyards and everywhere else on the planet. As you will see from this inspiring collection of thoughts, images and experiences, anyone can reconnect with nature anytime, anywhere. Just let your spirit soar! Larry Jordan

I agree with Larry Jordan, host of this week’s I and the Bird #94. Here we have a fantastic collection of links to birding blogs from all over the globe. It’s like going on a birding holiday – without the expense nor the hassles of wasting hours in airports.

Larry’s blog – A Birder’s Report – is a bird lover’s delight, complete with wonderful photos of the birds he sees.

Crimson Rosella, Botanic Gardens, Canberra

6 Comments »20th February, 2009; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets

Crimson Rosella, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra

The Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra are a good spot to see some of our beautiful parrots and lorikeets. Two days ago I wrote about the Gang-gang Cockatoo. During our visit back in January this year I also saw Galahs, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets and Eastern Rosellas.

The only other species I was able to get close enough to photograph was a juvenile Crimson Rosella. It let me get quite close but kept in deep shade for most of the time. I had to use the flash to get a reasonable shot (see above). Other photos, like the one below I had to change a little on the computer. (Oh – the joys of birds photography!)

Juvenila Crimson Rosella, Botanic Gardens, Canberra

Juvenile Crimson Rosella, Botanic Gardens, Canberra

Birding while doing the washing

No Comments »19th February, 2009; Category: Bird baths, Bird Behaviour

I think I might have commented on this before, but I can’t remember where. With over 800 blog posts it would take a while to find the reference to it.

Hang on a minute: this blog has a search facility. Doh.

A few second’s search brought up this post about seeing a Peregrine Falcon while I was hanging out the washing one day last year. And the search box at the top of each page on this blog will bring you to a list of articles from the archives that help you find what you are looking for. More articles about birds I’ve seen while hanging out the clothes can be found here.

Now – back to my original reason for writing this post.

On Tuesday morning I was hanging out the washing. Nothing unusual about that; I do it most Mondays except that we’ve now changed to Tuesdays because of our university studies, but that’s another story.

In the quietness of the morning I was suddenly aware of a splashing noise. I glanced over the fence at our neighbour’s bird bath. Water was spraying everywhere, as if they had a small sprinkler going on the lawn. Now here in South Australia we haven’t been allowed to use sprinklers for several years due to the water restrictions during the current drought. What’s more, it wasn’t one of the designated watering days anyway.

On closer inspection – I didn’t have a clear view of the bird bath – I discovered two White-winged Choughs having a glorious bath, water flying in all directions. It was a warm morning and they were taking full advantage of the water provided. Of course I didn’t have my camera on me.

Gang-gang Cockatoos

1 Comment »18th February, 2009; Category: Bird Behaviour, Parrots and Lorikeets

Male Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra

During our visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra in January I was keen to get some photos of the local birds as well as add to my collection of flower and plant photos.

On my last visit some fifteen months previously I had seen and photographed a male Gang-gang Cockatoo. This is one delightful species that I’ve only seen on a handful of occasions previously. On this new visit I was on the lookout for them. I had heard several calling as I left the car park.

I was wandering through the northern part of the gardens looking out for birds and flowers to photograph. I was suddenly aware of a carpet of Acacia seed pods and leaves on the path at my feet. Looking up, I saw a female Gang-gang Cockatoo busily eating seeds no more than two metres above my head. She wouldn’t move in order to pose for me in the open; she must have been hungry.

Further reading: Gang-gang Cockatoo

Female Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra