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White-winged Triller visit

11 Comments »4th September, 2008; Category: Garden birds

This afternoon I had a delightful surprise. We had just arrived back from our lectures in Adelaide and were enjoying a cuppa in the spring sunshine on the front veranda.

An unusual bird flew into the eucalypt tree next to the driveway about twenty metres away. I instantly recognised it as a male White-winged Triller. It sat there for no more than ten seconds before flying away. It must have only spent about thirty seconds in our garden so there was no time to get the camera from the office.

This is one species I would love to get a photo of but so far have drawn a blank. Last year on holiday in NSW I chased one around a few bushes for about twenty minutes, but he refused to show himself in the open.

On checking my database of bird sightings I last recorded this species here in Murray Bridge in 1986, so it has been a long time between sightings. I usually have to travel to see this lovely bird. I hope he liked what he saw and returns – long enough to pose for a photo.

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UPDATE :  in September 2009 we had another visit from a male Triller. This time I was able to get a photo.

White-winged Triller (male)

White-winged Triller (male)

Tasmanian Wildlife blog

3 Comments »2nd September, 2008; Category: Animals, Birds, Blogs

This article is well overdue. I should have done this ages ago.

There are literally thousands of excellent natural history blogs on the internet these days. Many of them have a focus on just one area – like mine does with birds. Others cover a much broader range of topics.

The Nature of Tasmania is one such blog. It covers many aspects of Tasmania’s natural history – flora, fauna and geology – and much more. If you are only interested in birds it is still worth paying a visit – even if it is just for the wonderful photos. But this blog is far more than just photos…

Spring time birding – where are the cuckoos?

4 Comments »1st September, 2008; Category: Bird Behaviour, Garden birds

Spring is here at last in Australia. Not sure about the rest of the country, but here in South Australia we are looking forward to some slightly warmer days in the coming weeks and months. August this year has been the second coldest August on record. It has also been reasonably wet – not record breaking, mind you, but a very acceptable change from recent years of drought. As for the cold weather – it was only a few months ago in March that we were complaining about a record heat wave.

A few days ago I reported that the resident Australian Magpies were not only nesting, they were now feeding young in the nest. A few days ago I noticed the Common Starlings also feeding young in the nest (we can really do without that, of course).  The local Common Blackbirds are behaving as if they have a nest somewhere, as are several species of Honeyeater. I just don’t have the time to check out all of the bushes and trees on our five acre block. The Skylarks are still calling as are the Rufous Songlarks.

Notable for their absence so far this year are all of the Cuckoos. Neither my wife nor I have heard a single Cuckoo of any description. That is most noteworthy as we have usually heard at least the Horsfields Bronze-Cuckoos by now.

Curious.

I’d welcome comments from my Australian readers. Have you heard and/or seen any Cuckoos recently in your part of the country?

Caring for orphaned birds

6 Comments »31st August, 2008; Category: Baby birds, Caring for birds, Frequently Asked Questions

At this time of year many Australian species of birds are either breeding or about to breed. In the natural order of these things baby birds sometimes fall out of the nest or are orphaned for a variety of reasons. I regularly get requests for help and advice in these situations. I am sorry to say – but I have no experience or qualifications in caring for wildlife. This is best left to the trained experts. So it has been timely that Tammy, one of my readers, has made this comment on one of my earlier posts.

My name is Tammy and I’m a wildlife carer, I have been raising baby birds for years and love doing it – saving our precious native birds and animals so they can go back to the wild is an amazing feat.
I’ve been reading your blog and I agree that yes, it is best to leave the raising of these guys to their parents ( they do a better job) or if the baby is orphaned phone a wildlife care group nearest you. They are regularly trained each year to do this, as well as licenced by National Parks and Wildlife.
Every spring/summer I spend sometimes up to 12 hours a day feeding tiny baby birds ( all different species but mostly tiny insectivorous ones) and I really enjoy it.
About hand feeding the birds in your backyard – we usually are against this, but in times of need for instance drought, I am known to support feed some birds around our place if i’ve released them. We do this in a way that they still will learn to hunt for themselves and gradually taper off feeding times and amounts slowly so the bird does not starve.
But to do this right, you need the balanced diet that they need to keep them healthy and if you are not trained to do this the proper way, the bird becomes tame ( or imprinted) to you ( or any human being that’s around). This is bad for the bird because it will lose it’s fear of humans/ pets which results in the bird being eventually killed by a predator. ( humans, dogs, cats)
Happy bird watching – Tammy

Thanks to Tammy for this advice.

Look in your phone directory for the nearest wildlife carer. There are also many groups listed on the internet, some of them with articles outlining how to care for the bird or animal until a trained carer can get to you.

Related article:

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

4 Comments »30th August, 2008; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

Over the last few weeks on my regular travels to Adelaide to attend university lectures I have observed Sulphur Crested Cockatoos on many occasions. Sometimes they are perched on the over hanging branches of trees lining the freeway. Sometime they seem to be keeping a keen eye on the flow of traffic from the vantage point of the light pole.

Most of the time they are busy feeding on the roadside verges. Their numbers can vary from a half dozen or so through to several hundred. Set against the bright green grass they make quite a sight. From time to time they tolerate several interlopers: a Corella or two or several Galahs.

UPDATE: You can buy a large range of items featuring photos of this species – and many others – on TrevorsPhotos, including mugs, tee-shirts, aprons, coasters and many more items.

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