View allAll Photos Tagged nativebirds
It was pouring down relentless sheets of rain and a small group of band-tails landed in the buckeye. As the rain got even harder several of these native birds began to raise and open their wings fully to take in the opportunity for a complete bath....it was a truly remarkable sight to see this behavior in a complete downpour up in the trees on the greyest of winter days
many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa
I tend to see the towhees late in day when all that is left are shadows...my favorite towhee behavior to watch is their courtship when they seem to move together in an avian dance and relate with a lot of squealing. I've read that they may mate for life.
Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!
A juvenile Double-crested Cormorant seen standing along the Lake Erie shoreline in Rock Point Provincial Park, Ontario.
(Phalacrocorax auritus)
This was one of a pair of Trumpeter Swans feeding in this marsh pond in the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, part of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington Ontario.
(Cygnus buccinator)
A patient Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) waits for me to appear with bird seeds for the hungry flocks of doves and parrots who gather in my yard every day.
Disturbed by my presence, a Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) waits on the gutter while I put out more seeds for the hungry throng.
A Trumpeter Swan resting peacefully in Burlington Bay seen during a winter afternoon hike at LaSalle Park, Burlington, Ontario.
(Cygnus buccinator)
Buses have replaced trains on our line this week which means it's impossible for Miss to get to University. Since her classes this week have only been an hour and a half, there is no point in me returning home. As I haven't been well, I grabbed a coffee, my current novel and parked in Bundoora Park near by the Uni to wait with the hopes of alittle snooze as well.
There were so many birds around, mostly parrots with their loud chatter, I was enjoying the sounds and view from the car. It was then that I spotted this incredible red and green iridescence that I knew belonged to the gorgeous male King Parrot. These are the only Australian parrots with a completely red head.
How lucky was I to spot them right where I chose to park and to have the camera in the back ;-)
I am sure they around but I haven't seem them down this far before so it was quite a thrill.
A beautiful sulphur crested cockatoo that flew in to visit our friend's house down at Apollo Bay on Victoria's south coast.
To be fair, these Rainbow Bee-eaters were sitting less than 1.5 m apart BEFORE the Covid-19 social distancing bans were in place ;-)
Spent a mesmerizing hour or so with a family of Brolgas at the Western Treatment Plant yesterday (otherwise known as the Poo Farm-a birders paradise). These birds are listed as Vulnerable in Victoria and are often spotted at the treatment plant. Despite having seen them a number of times, it always feels so special, like the birds are sharing a secret, just for you.
The treatment plant has a series of ponds, with tracks around them that you can drive along. The grass was long and mostly all I could see was their striking red and grey heads pop up from the grasses. I got out of the car and walked along the road a way in front, hoping they would walk in my direction to this little pond.
That way it was their choice as to whether they were OK with me being there.
Turns out it was my lucky day!
Fairly common and easy to photograph, so I'm told. My usual experience has been of them disappearing as soon as I even think of opening the camera bag. This one was hunting breakfast and happily ignored us watching on.
Taken with the SMC Takumar 150mm f/4 wide open.
....."Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!".......(Marion Sinclair)
A juvenile Black-shouldered Kite hovers like a dancer in the sky, scanning the sky for other birds that may be competitors for the meal he has spotted in the grassland below.
As part of my rehabilitation, I have to walk several times a day with my walker. Up until relatively recently, I could only make it to the end of the street and back. I am now building up stamina and can do the “big block” most of the time quite well.
On these walks, I noticed a pair of young magpies pottering about in the local streets. I began chatting to them and then decided to bring some food with me. They started to recognise the crazy lady with the bright red walker would fly down to me.
I named them Remmy and Claire.
Remmy is the bravest and comes down straight away. Claire is shy, hangs back but eventually comes over. They have been my biggest reason for ensuring I do these walks. I worry they will be looking for me if I don’t go. One day, I didn’t see them on my walk but found them waiting for me at my letterbox. A few days later, I heard them chortling and found them in my bird bath in the front yard. I heard them again yesterday and they were calling for me on the antenna on the house across the road. I called Remmy and he flew straight over and landed in front of me, waiting for some goodies.
The Sherpa teased me for naming them but now they know their names.
This morning, I went into the backyard as I thought I heard their musical warbling off in the distance. I couldn’t see them. I started calling out “Remmy”, sheepishly at first as I was abit embarrassed realising how ridiculous it seemed and then, out of nowhere, he came and landed near me in the backyard. Clair joined him not long after. The image is of Remmy, coming right up to me after he flew down this morning.
Maybe it sounds silly but I feel like these birds have come along to help me heal and have become an important part of my journey.
A family of New Holland Honeyeaters (you may recall Neville and Nigella from last year) are constant visitors to my yard. They are a family of 5 with three cheeky siblings, one of which is pictured here. The there are always dashing about together, tumbling over each other and either bickering or cuddling.
The perfect family.
The Silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, and particularly at or near coastal areas. The silver gull should not be confused with the Herring gull, which is called "silver gull" in many other languages, but is a much larger, robust gull with no overlap in range.
Masked Lapwings are large, ground-dwelling birds that are closely related to the waders. The Masked Lapwing is mainly white below, with brown wings and back and a black crown. These birds have large yellow wattles covering the face, and are equipped with a thorny spur that projects from the wrist on each wing. The spur is yellow with a black tip.
the band-tailed pigeon and California Buckeye are two of our loveliest natives
many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa
two male bandtails in the treetop
Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!
The magnificent male Flame Robin.
Flame Robins are native to Australia. They are winter visitors to the lowlands in south-eastern Australia. In the warmer months they breed in upland forests. As autumn approaches, most move to lower elevations.
Spent a lovely day at the Western Treatment Plant with Andrew www.flickr.com/photos/ajhaysom/
and Colin (Cheezels were involved !). The beautiful male was conspicuous against the green and we were able to follow him around quite abit without him worrying too much about us.
We all delighted in the recognition of how lucky we are to have such a wonderful birding refuge so close by.