Alex, the Hearth Fire
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A male Variegated Fairywren for #FairywrenFriday.
A male Variegated Fairywren for #FairywrenFriday.
Birds on the veranda today.
One of the local, very cheeky, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (who are definitely not allowed any seed).
And our regular pair of Australian King Parrots (who are allowed some seed).
#bird #AustralianWildlife#WildOz#AustralianKingParrot #SulphurCrestedCockatoo
Two King Parrots on the veranda floor. The male is in the foreground and is red with green wings. It has a yellow iris, and in this photo, its pupil is huge. The female is behind the male, mostly obscured and nearly completely green.
A large white parrot with yellow crest and large powerful beak sitting on a wooden veranda railing. Its body is facing to the right, but has turned its head to face left, with its right eye firmly fixed on the camera.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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Went out birding this afternoon and ended up at the Samsonvale cemetery, by Lake Samsonvale. I spotted a few birds there, and then this lone Green Catbird, which was most unexpected as they are usually rainforest birds and this was very much scrubby bushland.
Went out birding this afternoon and ended up at the Samsonvale cemetery, by Lake Samsonvale. I spotted a few birds there, and then this lone Green Catbird, which was most unexpected as they are usually rainforest birds and this was very much scrubby bushland.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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It was slightly warmer this morning on campus (12潞C) so some of the frogs were out (they tend not to come out when it's colder than that).
Here's one of the two I found (the other was in a bad spot, photographically).
#AustralianWildlife#WildOz#EasternDwarfTreeFrog #frog#TinyFrogThursday
The same frog, now shot from higher and to the left. The frog is facing obliquely right and from this angle, in the sun, looks more brown than green.
A very small frog on a guinea grass stem, shot face on. It has its legs tucked up under itself and is mostly a brownish-green.
It was slightly warmer this morning on campus (12潞C) so some of the frogs were out (they tend not to come out when it's colder than that).
Here's one of the two I found (the other was in a bad spot, photographically).
#AustralianWildlife#WildOz#EasternDwarfTreeFrog #frog#TinyFrogThursday
The same frog, now shot from higher and to the left. The frog is facing obliquely right and from this angle, in the sun, looks more brown than green.
A very small frog on a guinea grass stem, shot face on. It has its legs tucked up under itself and is mostly a brownish-green.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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A Noisy Miner on a red flower on campus last week.
A Noisy Miner on a red flower on campus last week.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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Big crops for a little bird. These White-headed Sittella (now classified as Varied Sittella) were high up in one of the trees in my front yard a few minutes ago, searching for grubs and bugs in the bark.
A small grey bird with white head, completely upside down, hanging from the end of a broken branch. It is looking for bugs and grubs.
A photo of a small grey bird with a white head and short pointy black beak. It is mostly upside down, clinging to the side of a rough barked tree, searching for insects in the bark.
Big crops for a little bird. These White-headed Sittella (now classified as Varied Sittella) were high up in one of the trees in my front yard a few minutes ago, searching for grubs and bugs in the bark.
A small grey bird with white head, completely upside down, hanging from the end of a broken branch. It is looking for bugs and grubs.
A photo of a small grey bird with a white head and short pointy black beak. It is mostly upside down, clinging to the side of a rough barked tree, searching for insects in the bark.
Anke
and 1 other
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I had a hot tip from someone at work that there was an "eagle type bird nesting in a tree by the AFL fields".
Sure enough, upon checking this morning, I found a nest, and its owner, a Brahminy Kite, high in a Kauri Pine.
A substantial nest, hidden in the branches of a Kauri Pine. It looks to be approximately 1m or so in diameter, and about 40-50cm tall and is made of sticks.
A medium sized bird of prey perched in partial shade in a Kauri Pine. It has a shite chest and head, brown wings, tail and rump. It is staring down at the camera.
I had a hot tip from someone at work that there was an "eagle type bird nesting in a tree by the AFL fields".
Sure enough, upon checking this morning, I found a nest, and its owner, a Brahminy Kite, high in a Kauri Pine.
A substantial nest, hidden in the branches of a Kauri Pine. It looks to be approximately 1m or so in diameter, and about 40-50cm tall and is made of sticks.
A medium sized bird of prey perched in partial shade in a Kauri Pine. It has a shite chest and head, brown wings, tail and rump. It is staring down at the camera.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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A pair of Willie Wagtails I came across yesterday.
A small round black and white bird (black on top, white underneath), perched on a barbed wire fence. There are a couple of long grass stems nearby, but otherwise the background is smoothly blurred.
A small black and white bird (black on top, white underneath) that is mostly round. It has white brows and angled stripes on each cheek such that when it looks directly at you (as it is in the photo), there is a white cross that centres on the beak,.
A pair of Willie Wagtails I came across yesterday.
A small round black and white bird (black on top, white underneath), perched on a barbed wire fence. There are a couple of long grass stems nearby, but otherwise the background is smoothly blurred.
A small black and white bird (black on top, white underneath) that is mostly round. It has white brows and angled stripes on each cheek such that when it looks directly at you (as it is in the photo), there is a white cross that centres on the beak,.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
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Every year when I'm able, I take part in the annual Glossy Black Cockatoo survey. These birds are classified as Vulnerable to Endangered. Each year, I find evidence of the birds but no birds. The survey is usually Sept.
So this year, I decided to head out a month and a bit earlier than the official survey, and it paid off. I spotted a small flock of 6 birds, and managed to have a close encounter with a male/female pair feeding.
Another pair (maybe the same) way off in the distance, just perched on a dead branch. Even at a distance, they aren't particularly black, or glossy.
The male and female pair feeding. Female is higher in the tree and behind the male. Both are nibbling on casuarina cones.
Male Glossy Black Cockatoo, holding a casuarina cone in one cone, nibbling at it. His body is facing the camera, but head is turned to the right. He's a more uniform black-ish colour (also not glossy), with red tail feathers visible.
Female adult Glossy Black Cockatoo feeding on casuarina cones. She is blackish (but not glossy), with a yellow neck, and formidable slate coloured beak. In this shot, she's holding a cone in one claw, and looking directly at the camera.
Every year when I'm able, I take part in the annual Glossy Black Cockatoo survey. These birds are classified as Vulnerable to Endangered. Each year, I find evidence of the birds but no birds. The survey is usually Sept.
So this year, I decided to head out a month and a bit earlier than the official survey, and it paid off. I spotted a small flock of 6 birds, and managed to have a close encounter with a male/female pair feeding.
Another pair (maybe the same) way off in the distance, just perched on a dead branch. Even at a distance, they aren't particularly black, or glossy.
The male and female pair feeding. Female is higher in the tree and behind the male. Both are nibbling on casuarina cones.
Male Glossy Black Cockatoo, holding a casuarina cone in one cone, nibbling at it. His body is facing the camera, but head is turned to the right. He's a more uniform black-ish colour (also not glossy), with red tail feathers visible.
Female adult Glossy Black Cockatoo feeding on casuarina cones. She is blackish (but not glossy), with a yellow neck, and formidable slate coloured beak. In this shot, she's holding a cone in one claw, and looking directly at the camera.