Category: birdlife

Another Swamp Hen

January 31, 2021

This time I tried to really capture the colour in this amazing little bird.

Who me??

Look at my beak.

My feet can walk gently over almost anything.

And from behind I have a fluffy white behind

On a Rainy Day in Summer

January 30, 2021

It’s a….. ???? It’s a Cormorant not enjoying the rain…

I started to make a list of the birds that I have photographed and because it’s a rainy day in summer, (one in very few!), and both grandkids who live here have returned to school, I thought I’d take the time to add the list to the blog.

I’m not happy with how it looks. It looks a bit haphazard. I’ll keep playing around and try to improve it. At least the links seem to work. Please tell me if any redirect you places you didn’t expect.

I soon got tired of all that and took the camera out into the rain.

I don’t get many rainy days to look at birds. They didn’t seem to enjoy the rain even though they were water birds.

This pelican hunkered down as low as he could when the rain started.

I think I might be in danger of becoming a twitcher, as there are lots more birds I would like to add to my list.

Swamp Hens

January 29, 2021

These little guys and many of their friends live along the bank of the lagoon out in front of my house and are constant visitors to my garden. They’re always quiet and well-behaved. They don’t make a mess or scratch around and they’re very cute.

Black or brown duck

January 27, 2021

Today was hot, too hot be be outside so I took to my computer under the air con. I was organising my photos and hadn’t tagged this pic. OK, they’re ducks, but what sort???

They are called Pacific Black Ducks. That’s correct these brown ducks are actually brown. But wait. Look closer there is actually a strip of black on their faces. There is now, after I adjusted the color on the computer! No, really, it just looks black from a distance. That’s why there’re called Black Ducks

Speaking of colors, they also have a very aqua blue spot. It’s sort of hidden under their feathers, but when they spread their wings you can’t miss it. Look at the bottom duck.

And then I read that they’re actually called Grey Ducks in New Zealand. No wonder I get confused with all this bird stuff.

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (2)

January 23, 2021

Here are some more pics of the Spoonbill. Click here to go to more pics.

When the water in this pond fluctuates in depth, fish get trapped, making it an ideal place for birds to feed. However, the big fish in the pond are too much for a Spoonbill to contemplate.

What’s that I see behind me????
The carp, not a native fish, grow quite large
I wonder if this was a successful snap of the bill?
More like two spoons really…

Peaceful Dove

January 17, 2021

This is a Peaceful Dove. It is sometimes called a Zebra Dove because it has black and white stripes around its neck. I often hear it calling, yet don’t often see it around. I must be looking in the wrong spots.

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (1)

January 14, 2021

There are many varieties of Spoonbills. This one is a Yellow-billed Spoonbill. It is notable for its strangely shaped bill. It has black markings on its face and black coloring on its wingtips. It also has some distinctive feathers around its neck. They are not uncommon here in Victoria, Australia.

I saw this Spoonbill fishing in a small. shallow pond nearby my house. It lies adjacent to a lagoon, where the water level is adjusted up and down depending on demand for irrigation water by farmers. It ignored me and continued to fish by sweeping its bill from side to side, presumably catching lots of small fish to eat.

The Darter babies have left the nest..

December 24, 2020

I’ve been following the growth of a nest of little Darter birds. Two have survived and are ready to leave the nest. I was horrified that as I approached the nest this time, the two little ones fell into the creek and disappeared under the water.

Empty nest

I lost sight of one and the other seemed to be very uncertain of itself in the water. It seemed to be looking for a way to get out of the water.

Then I lost sight of it too, and was really sad, thinking that I might have scared them off the nest too early. I went away disheartened.

I returned to the nest a little while later. It was still empty, but I eventually found both of them, enjoying the sun and drying out.

My husband reported that he saw them both in the nest again tonight, so they either clawed their way back up the tree, (have a look at the feet of the ‘baby’ above!) or they might have managed to fly up. I hope they don’t leave for a little while yet.

More photos of the darters. And more. When they were very young. and the rest of the family.