The story starts with a small and inconspicuous hole in a River Red Gum …
from which the colourful head of a Rainbow Lorikeet emerges …
It’s a tight squeeze …
and there’s limited space on the veranda.
Which won’t stop another one making their debut …
but one of them will have to make way.
I knew they were in there because I saw them go in. Given the size of the hole I was surprised when the first one disappeared. Even more surprised when the second one disappeared. The cavity inside must be bigger than the opening suggests. There may be a nest full of baby lorikeets in there. It was a good five minutes before the adults reemerged.
Here they are again in a gallery that you can run through at bigger scale. Enjoy.
I was born in a big city, I’ve lived most of my life in a big city but me and the big city are not a match made in heaven. I’m currently dagging about in Melbourne looking forward to the day when I can set off home to Broome.
My spell checker is objecting to dagging and some of my non-Australian readers are probably equally mystified – in this context just substitute hanging. It’s complicated. The noun dag refers to the lump of wool and feces that tends to form at the rear end of a sheep, best removed if you want to avoid fly strike. It’s also used, affectionately, believe it or not, for someone who is not smartly dressed or a little odd, your wife or husband may be a bit of a dag. If you’re working you are not dagging about, if you’re bored you probably are.
To relieve the boredom this morning I headed off bright and early to Braeside Park, one of the best places for bird watching in the eastern suburbs. I made a circuit of the main lake. The birding was good.
Long term readers will know that this blog is a strange eclectic mix. I do the research largely to satisfy my own curiosity, the photography because I just can’t help it. Travel, variety, novelty all help to push up the output. When I’m not on the move the output falls off. The blog is not monetised in any way, I just enjoy doing it. That anyone reads it is a bonus … and, amazingly, it does get read. There were 2,591 page views in 2023. And not all of you are my aunts and uncles – the USA and China figure prominently in the readership.
So to all of my readers I say “Thank you” and I wish you all a safe and successful New Year.
I was lucky enough to come across this Great Egret in all its breeding finery the other day. I don’t know whether this is the bride or the groom but the dress is absolutely splendid.
Regular plumage is devoid of the lacework, the bill is yellow and the bare parts of the face are also mostly yellow. You can see this in a photo that I took in WA a few months ago. The remaining photos were taken at Braeside Park, Melbourne, Victoria. The sufficiently obsessed can confirm the ID by looking at the angle of the mouth, it is behind a line dropped from the back of the eye.
non-breeding plumage
Great Egrets nest in trees over water often in association with other egrets, Ibis or cormorants. They lay two to six eggs.
A few months ago this little guy hatched in the Siberian tundra. He or she started feeding themself almost immediately, grew fairly quickly and soon outfitted themself in their first suit of feathers. The parents provided some measure of protection at first but then abandoned it. Our little hero then flew 12,000 km to Australia’s south coast. It weighs about 30g. (Barely more than an ounce for American readers).
Red-necked Stint (juvenile)
When overwhelmed by the need to procreate it will fly all the way back again. What a crazy strategy but it’s one that millions of migratory shorebirds will pursue. Thirty-seven species regularly spend the northern winter in the Australian summer sun.
The route these birds follow is the East Asian Australian Flyway or EAAF for short. There are other flyways in the Americas and Europe to Africa. The birds that do this perform amazing feats of endurance. Read about the Bar-tailed Godwit that holds the record non-stop 13,500 km flight Alaska to Tasmania <HERE>. That tiny Red-necked Stint will overwinter in Oz this year but after that it will do the 24,00 km round trip every year for the rest of its life. And its life span may well be as much as 18 years.
How do we know this? The answer to that is that interested people have caught them and put bands on their legs and caught them again in subsequent years, sometimes numerous times. Scientific bird banding started in Denmark in 1899 when bands were placed on 162 young Starlings. The first recovery of a banded bird in Australia predates that and has nothing to do with science. In 1887 an albatross was found near Triggs Island, Western Australia, with a tin collar around its neck carrying the message “13 naufrages sont refugies sur les iles Crozet 4 Aout 1887′. (13 shipwrecked sailors have taken refuge on the Crozet Islands, August 4 1887). Sadly they perished about a month before the help summoned by their ingenuity reached them.
One drawback of numbered metal bands is that you need to catch the bird to read it. In recent years engraved flags enable birds to be identified in the field. That’s handy for life span studies. Not so handy over the horizon on their long journeys but advances there mean that our 30g stint can now be followed by means of 0.3g geolocator.
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in Port Fairy on Australia’s south coast and I’ve come across a number of flagged birds. I photograph these when I can and report them, a minor contribution by way of citizen science.
Bird banding is heavily regulated. In Oz it’s by the Federal Government through the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme and it’s to them that you report your observations – online <HERE>. Similar bodies exist in other countries and these too can be found online. A photograph is nice but isn’t essential just a sight record will do. If you come across a dead bird with a band on make a note of the numbers on it and submit that. Use the same form.
The ABBBS will eventually get back to you with a report. The scientist that placed the band will also get details of your interaction. In the case of the Sanderling, the only migratory wader in the gallery above – the other two breed locally, I now know that it was banded at Killarny, Victoria 11 months ago. It was 2+ at the time meaning it was in its second year of life or older (in other words an adult). I found it at Yambuck 26 km away. It may have flown a lot further than that given that it is an adult and there has been a breeding season between banding and sighting. Sanderling breed in the arctic as far north as they can get before finding themselves in the sea.
Many birds can be aged accurately from their plumage in their first year of life, some even into their second or even third year. If a flag is placed on a bird of known age its age at subsequent sightings can be determined. The Pied Oystercatcher was judged to be in its third year when it was banded 12.5 years ago which makes it 15 years old now. It was banded by the Victorian Wader Studies Group 286 km east of where I found it. Long may it prosper.
I haven’t received the report for the Red-capped Plover yet.
It’s impossible to mount an argument for conservation without data. A sighting you make on an ordinary day out is a valuable contribution but only if you submit it.
Not far from Portland, near the western end of Victoria’s coast, you can find a nesting colony of Australasian Gannets on the mainland. All the others are on offshore islands. This one began in 1996 and is the extension of a large colony on the nearby Lawrence Rocks. Seabirds tend to return to their birthplace to mate and there was simply no more room at the inn.
In its first year the colony failed to get a single chick into the adult population. Foxes, feral cats and human disturbance seemed to be the problem so the colony was fenced off. I’ve heard it said that it’s now grown to about 3000 birds and is fairly successful. I doubt the true figure is that high but here’s what it looks like from the carpark. By my count that’s 257 birds but feel free to count for yourself.
An adult drops Into that crowded space with a beak full of seaweed. Building material for the new nest.
I suspect the cement is simply guano. All going well a big fluffy chick will come into being.
The parents will range up to 50km from the nest to bring back food for the youngster. They are spectacular plunge divers. It’s great entertainment when a squadron of gannets gets onto a school of fish.
John Griffiths built a house on the island in 1837 as a base for his whaling activities. Port Fairy is in the background with its trademark Norfolk Island Pines. It’s connected to the island by a causeway. On the right of the picture you can see the breakwaters that have improved access to the port, a byproduct of the improvements has been the silting up of shallow waters between three islands, Griffiths, Rabbit and Goat to create the enlarged Griffiths Island we have today.
The lighthouse was built in 1859. The lighthouse keepers cottage has been removed since the light was automated. However the hardier plants in the garden hold on defiantly.
The island is home to a nesting colony of Short-tailed Shearwaters. They return to breed here every spring. They clean up their burrows, usually renew their relationship with their mate of last year and work diligently to raise a single chick. In the autumn they turn their backs on the young shearwater and head for the northern hemisphere to avoid the winter. After a few weeks the chick realises that if it wants to eat it will have to fend for itself and follows.
Along the breakwaters you can often find Ruddy Turnstones and Common Sandpipers that have the same strategy but in reverse, breed in the northern hemisphere and head south for the sunshine (quite why they choose Port Fairy is a mystery).
A morning walk will often bring you close to the Swamp Wallabies that live on the island. They are fairly well habituated and will pose for pictures. This one was munching on whatever it is that passes for leaves on Norfolk Island Pines.
Victoria was our home for most of our lives. Our return is mostly about catching up with family and friends. They are well worth traveling 5000km for but are not riveting material for a blog.
After two weeks here I am beginning to cope with the cold. It’s 2:30pm and just 17° (it could be worse, it could be Fahrenheit). We’re in Port Fairy. It’s raining. Of course it’s raining, we’re in Port Fairy. It is one of my most favorite places in all the world despite its weather.
I was out before the rain. An overcast sky is actually very good for the bird photographer. Colours are vivid, there are no harsh shadows. The light is kind. And processing the files is something you can do to pass the time while it’s raining. Did I mention the rain?
Australian MagpieLittle Pied CormorantLittle Pied CormorantWhite-faced Heron
Do click on the gallery.
Friends back in Broome are finding the Build Up a bit oppressive. Between the Dry and the Wet seasons temperatures and humidity soar and begin to wear on you. The nights are uncomfortable. Tempers fray. The Build Up is a season of black eyes and broken jaws . Rain and the relief it brings will be more than welcome when it comes. Meanwhile they have cloudy skies and lightning shows.
The heatwave was a one day affair. A cold change came through overnight bringing a light shower with it. The journey took us to Wirreburra with its beautiful silo art, one of my favorites.
Then on through the South Australian Riverland, irrigated farmland under fruit trees and grapevines to the northwest corner of Victoria and our campsite near Mildura. A couple of pleasant nights on the banks of the Murray then to the Goldfields to catch up with some friends.
The Victorian Goldfields were as always at this time of the year, the winter crops were coming in, the grass had turned to gold and the sheep were in fine condition. And the night sky was clear.
Arid scrub and rich farmland, amazing coastal scenery, mineral wealth, seafood, fascinating ornithology and the occasional ferocious bushfire. It’s interesting. On this occasion our journey took us around the triangle. If we weren’t traveling with a dog it would have included the Lake Gillies conservation park. We spent two nights at Streaky Bay and two at Coffin Bay. Port Lincoln has a population between 16 and 17 thousand, Whyalla is a mining town, the rest of the place is lovely!
No trip to Streaky Bay would be complete without driving the Cape Bauer Loop and another trip to the Sealion colony at Cape Labatt. You could throw in Murphy’s Haystacks if you’re geologically inclined.
White-fronted Chat
A short diversion at Elliston takes you on the Elliston Clifftop loop. If you are impressed by Victoria’s Great Ocean Road prepare yourself for something even more splendid. There are also some sculptures that can be seen along the way … they don’t stand a chance against the scenery.
Coffin Bay sounds like a place with a story attached and there is one, but it’s very tame. Matthew Flinders put the bay on the map in 1802 and named it after his friend Sir Isaac Coffin, later a rear admiral. It is famous for its oysters and a wonderful national park. Emus roam the streets and remarkably photogenic they are.
The Eyre Peninsula is very interesting ornithologically. It is a thousand kilometers around the Great Australian Byte to Esperance in Western Australia and there is some very inhospitable country in between yet there are a number of birds that are found in southwest WA and the Eyre Peninsula and not further east. They include birds from quite different genera, the Blue-breasted Fairywren,Rufous Treecreeper and Western Yellow Robin. The Western Whipbird, Western Whistler, Rock Parrot and Elegant Parrot almost qualify but their ranges stretch a little further east. There must have been a time when Australia’s climate permitted suitable habitat for these birds to extend right across the Nullarbor. Somehow the Laughing Kookaburra failed to make that journey. They are common in southwest WA now but were introduced deliberately about 120 years ago. It’s a similar story for Rainbow Lorikeets but they are much more recent aviary escapees.
Birding around Coffin Bay was most productive and some of the wildlife even posed for a photo.
Grey FantailWestern Grey KangarooPacific GullSpotted ScrubwrenPort Lincoln ParrotSouthern Scrubrobin
We left Coffin Bay on a hot and windy day, 43°C, gale force winds, extreme fire danger.
We passed a couple of silo masterpieces on the way north.
Tumby BayCowell (photo G H D’A)
Tonight we are at Wilmington. It was originally called Beautiful Valley. I can understand why they changed the name.
bobmcgee 