Trevor's Birding

All that is gold does not necessarily glitter

4 Comments »13th August, 2007; Category: Garden birds, Whistlers

We enjoy the wonderful range of birds that frequent our garden here in Murray Bridge, South Australia. Over the last twenty years we have recorded over a hundred different species. Many of these are resident species, meaning that they are present every day all the year round.

We have many favourites. There are some species that enthrall us with their beauty. One such species is the Golden Whistler. The female is a rather plain Jane, being mostly a nondescript brown. The male is something else. To catch sight of the male in full breeding plumage sitting on an exposed dead branch in full sunlight is to see natural beauty in all its glory. Magnificent.

Golden Whistler (male)

The male Golden Whistler is not just beautiful to look at and admire. Launching into its musical call one gains a new appreciation of the richness of the call of many of our songbirds here in Australia. Again – magnificent.

We feel so privileged to have such beauty grace our garden.

Bird Word: Mandibles

2 Comments »12th August, 2007; Category: Bird Word, Glossary

Mandibles: the two parts of a birdÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s beak, namely, the upper mandible and the lower mandible.

Bird beaks come in a variety of sizes and shapes and they are used in many different ways. Some are long and pointed such as a honeyeater beak that probes flowers for the nectar. Others are flat and and wide, like a spoonbill which enables the bird to sift through the mud looking for food. Parrots have curved, sharp and powerful beaks used for cracking open food like seeds and nuts. Hawks have pointed beaks that enable them to tear open their prey.

Zebra Finch

I and the bird #55

No Comments »11th August, 2007; Category: Carnivals, I and the Bird, Non-Australian birds

The latest edition of I and the Bird #55 has been hosted over at Birdfreak Birding Blog.

This carnival about birds is a bi-weekly event and covers contributions from birders from all over the globe, including a posting from this blog.

Plenty of good reading on the many blogs that contribute to this popular carnival.

Birds in the News #94

No Comments »10th August, 2007; Category: Birds in the News, Non-Australian birds

The latest edition of Birds in the News – now up to # 94 has been posted over at Living the Scientific Life.

There you will find plenty of reading about birds that have featured in the news in the last week, including links to interesting articles about birds from all over the globe.

Brave Bird Behaviour

No Comments »9th August, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Swallows

Sometimes birds exhibit some rather bizarre behaviours. At other times they can be rather bold and downright brave. I’ve seen the small Willie Wagtail, for example, attacking an eagle many times its own size.

I’ve come across an article on the Living the Scientific Life blog site where the story is told – with pictures to prove it – of how one pair of swallows built a nest on top of an Eagle Owl’s head. Mind you – the Owl was a plastic one designed to scare the swallows away. Its presence obviously didn’t scare the swallows one little bit. Read the full story here.