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Birding Bloopers #10

No Comments »27th February, 2007; Category: Bird Behaviour, Birders, Birding bloopers, Ravens and Crows

Anthea is a regular contributor to the Birding-Aus forum. She has given me permission to quote her intriguing encounter with a Little Raven that had a very interesting taste for the unusual. And as with all the bloopers featured on my blog, Anthea thought the bird was eating something completely different.

I was on the beach at Point Lonsdale, some years ago, observing a Little Raven which appeared to be subduing prey. Heavy pecks were repeatedly directed at something on the sand, and I was pretty sure I could see a long thin tail thrashing about. It picked up the prey item and flew to a low branch. I hastily took a photo! More pecking and thrashing – was that a small black leg and foot, with claws, beside the tail ? Small mammal, say a mouse? I was quite excited by the time it dropped the item and flew off.
I hastened to investigate … It was part of a dried, black mummified banana peel divided into a number of longways strips – one narrow one was the tail, a truncated, ragged shorter part was the leg. What the Raven found to eat on it I really don’t know!

Thanks to Anthea for her contribution.

Read more birding bloopers here.

Question for readers:

When did you experience an embarrassing birding moment? Perhaps it was a mistaken identification. Perhaps you didn’t look carefully enough and were later proved wrong. Maybe the bird itself fooled you in some way.
I invite readers to submit their birding bloopers in the comments section below. If it’s good enough I might just feature it in a post of its own, with a link back to your blog (if you have one).

Silvereyes come to visit

2 Comments »27th February, 2007; Category: Garden birds, Parrots and Lorikeets, Silvereyes

Silvereyes are delightful little grey and olive-green birds – unless you happen to have ripe grapes on your grape vines, when they will descend upon your garden with great delight and feed on the grapes using their sharp pointy beaks to pierce the skin of the grapes.

Silvereye

Silvereye

Silvereyes are found throughout eastern and south-eastern Australia, as well as south western Australia. There are several races recognised with each race having distinctive colour variations. The white eye ring is conspicuous and diagnostic. Two similar species, the Pale White-Eye and the Yellow White-Eye are found in northern Australia.

Their thin call (‘psee’) as they pass by in loose flocks is a common call in many parts of their range. I’d been hearing this call in our garden for some weeks, so they have been around. Tracking them down is another matter as they tend to be a little sneaky around here. Finally one came to the bird bath for a drink, so I was able to get a reasonable photo.

They haven’t caused us any angst in the orchard – yet. We don’t have any grapes on our vines this year. I wish I could say the same about the Ringneck Parrots; they sometimes eat our pears before we get to them, and before the pears are ripe. We were sneaky and stripped the trees before they did too much damage this year. Now we have to wait for the pears to ripen.

Mallee Ringneck Parrot

Mallee Ringneck Parrot

Birding Bloopers #9

No Comments »26th February, 2007; Category: Birders, Birding bloopers

Here is another case of mistaken identity. This happens far too often with birders, it seems. When I put out a post to the Birding-Aus forum I didn’t quite expect to be swamped with people admitting to their mistakes.

My own embarrassing moment was spotlighting with a group from Canberra at Kingfisher Park, Far North Queensland a few years ago. We were asked to sing out if we see any eyeshine, which I dutifully did – it was a cow.

Mind you, the mistake is easily made. A cow does look vaguely similar to an owl or frogmouth. Or even a possum.

My thanks to another “Anonymous” contributor who gave me permission to publish this.

Question for readers:

When did you experience an embarrassing birding moment? Perhaps it was a mistaken identification. Perhaps you didn’t look carefully enough and were later proved wrong. Maybe the bird itself fooled you in some way.
I invite readers to submit their birding bloopers in the comments section below. If it’s good enough I might just feature it in a post of its own, with a link back to your blog (if you have one).

Restless Flycatcher

4 Comments »26th February, 2007; Category: Bird baths, Flycatchers, Garden birds

The Restless Flycatcher would have to be one of my favourite Australian birds. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it is the clean, beautiful lines of its plumage. Perhaps it’s the quite distinctive calls, the harsh “zeeep” contact call or the fascinating grinding, churring sounds it makes when hunting for a feed. Or perhaps it is the vernacular name of “scissors grinder” that really appeals to me. Whatever the reason, it is always a delight to see and hear.

Restless Flycatcher

Restless Flycatcher

The Restless Flycatcher can easily be mistaken for a Willie Wagtail. Unlike the Willie Wagtail this species has a white throat, not black. The call is quite unlike the Willie Wagtail but the habits are similar with both flitting about seeking a feed, tail wagging all the time.

Distribution:

The Willie Wagtail is found throughout most of Australia. The Restless Flycatcher on the other hand is widespread through northern, eastern and southern Australia and tends to avoid the hotter, drier inland regions. Where I live in the Murray Mallee districts of South Australia it is widespread but nowhere common.

Habitat:

The Restless Flycatcher is found in a variety of habitats, including parks and gardens, farmlands near vegetation, roadside verges, open woodlands and forests, mallee scrubs, golfcourses and orchards.

Our garden:

We have a resident pair of breeding Willie Wagtails in our garden. I have seen the Restless Flycatcher in a number of places around my home town but only once have we seen it in our garden until recently. The first time was about five years ago and a single bird passed through the garden one morning. It stayed less than two minutes. I happened to be having breakfast and heard its distinctive call and quickly raced out to see it fast disappearing down the road.

Until last week.

This time I was working at my computer in the office trying to concentrate on my writing. A sudden, harsh “zeeep” call and I was racing out with my camera in hand. (It was on the desk alongside of me after downloading some photos of Galahs.) Sure enough, a single Restless Flycatcher was at the birdbath and it posed for me for about ten seconds. (Pity about the twig of the branch in the way.) It was having a confrontation with the resident, bossy Willie Wagtail who didn’t want to share the water. After a few seconds it flew off into the nearby mallee scrub. I tried to track it down and found there were two of them. I gave up as they flew off over the neighbour’s house.

To read more about Flycatchers click here.

Restless Flycatcher

Restless Flycatcher

Birding Bloopers #8

4 Comments »25th February, 2007; Category: Birders, Birding bloopers

Here is another birding blooper – a misidentification of an object thought to be a bird. This one comes from ‘Anonymous’, an Australian birder on a visit to South Africa.

My worst moment came whilst on a twitchathon in South Africa, I called a White Stork soaring in the thermals above the car……turned out to be a hang-glider!

I would have though that the size and shape would have given it away, but then I’ve been fooled by thinking a banana skin was a Golden Whistler dead on the road (click here).

Thanks to the birder from the Birding-Aus forum who gave permission to use this blooper.

For more in this series click here.

Question for readers:

When did you experience an embarrassing birding moment? Perhaps it was a mistaken identification. Perhaps you didn’t look carefully enough and were later proved wrong. Maybe the bird itself fooled you in some way.
I invite readers to submit their birding bloopers in the comments section below. If it’s good enough I might just feature it in a post of its own, with a link back to your blog (if you have one).

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