White-plumed Honeyeater in Nyngan
This White-plumed Honeyeater looked at me curiously while I figured out what type of bird it was! The name “white-plumed” describes the strip of white between the bird’s head and shoulders:
White-plumed Honeyeaters were reclassified in 2011, moving from Lichenostomus penicillatus to Ptilotula penicillata. The reason was that these birds, along with a few other types of honeyeaters, shared a different ancestor from others in the Lichenostomus group.
Common name: White-plumed Honeyeater
Scientific name: Ptilotula penicillata, formerly Lichenostomus penicillatus
Approximate length: 15-17 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park, New South Wales, Australia: 31°33’33.1″S 147°10’51.7″E
My first Restless Flycatcher
I rather like the background that this bird chose for its portrait! This is my first sighting of a Restless Flycatcher, and only my second of any type of Flycatcher. (The first was a Leaden Flycatcher that I saw at Manly North Head, much closer to home than this sighting.)
I watched this bird for a while. It was quite shy, moving often, and managing always to keep a fair distance away from me. I guess that’s why it’s called “restless”. It’s a neat-looking bird, with a blue-black head and back, brownish tips to the wings, and a white breast and belly:
Common name: Restless Flycatcher
Scientific name: Myiagra inquieta
Approximate length: 16-21 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park, New South Wales, Australia: 31°33’33.1″S 147°10’51.7″E
Red-rumped Parrots, male and female
Red-rumped Parrots are pretty little birds. Their colours are a shimmering mix of blue, green, and yellow. So, why the name “red-rumped”? If you manage to see the male bird at the right angle, you’ll spot a patch of red between his wings, above his tail.
We don’t see Red-rumped Parrots in my area, on Australia’s east coast just north of Sydney. I saw these birds while on a recent trip westwards. Both sightings were on the Barrier Highway, a 1000-kilometre road that leads west from Nyngan to Broken Hill and beyond.
The first two were feeding on the grass at a rest stop between Wilcannia and Cobar. Here’s the female, followed by the male:
The second pair were at Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park, located in the town of Nyngan at the eastern end of the Barrier Highway.
Common name: Red-rumped Parrot
Scientific name: Psephotus haematonotus
Approximate length: 26-28 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Barrier Highway and Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia: 31°33’33.1″S 147°10’51.7″E
Willie Wagtail looking alert
This Willie Wagtail looks serious and alert. Usually, these birds are flitting from place to place, or waving their tails around, or chasing some interloper away from their territory. My camera caught this bird in a moment of reflection. It’s standing on the red dirt of the Outback at Bendleby Ranges in South Australia:
Despite the name, Willie Wagtails are actually fantails (Rhipidura) rather than wagtails (Motacilla). Fantails spread out their tails and wave them from side to side, whereas wagtails waggle their tails up and down. However, Australians chose the name Willie Wagtail and it stuck.
Common name: Willie Wagtail
Scientific name: Rhipidura leucophrys
Approximate length: 20 cm
Date spotted: 20 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Bendleby Ranges in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 32°21’13.7″S 138°47’34.8″E
Southern Whiteface, what a cutie
Look at this little cutie! At first I thought it was a finch of some sort, because of its short stubby beak. But it’s a Southern Whiteface, and it’s my first sighting of any Whitefaces. Australia has three: the Southern, Chestnut-breasted, and Banded Whiteface.
According to BirdLife Australia, Southern Whitefaces are listed as vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. I spotted this one at Bendleby Ranges in South Australia:
Common name: Southern Whiteface
Scientific name: Aphelocephala leucopsis
Approximate length: 10-12 cm
Date spotted: 20 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Bendleby Ranges in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 32°21’13.7″S 138°47’34.8″E
Wedge-tailed Eagle in the Flinders Ranges
With a wing span of two metres plus, Wedge-tailed Eagles are magnificent creatures, even when you see them only high in the sky. I’ve not yet seen one up close. That day will come, I’m sure. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures of one that soared above us as we drove along the tracks at Bendleby Ranges in South Australia.
We were tackling some tough 4WD tracks, which meant that most of us were outside the vehicles, taking videos of each attempt to clamber up a steep hill. At least two of us diverted our cameras to the bird instead! At one stage, it swooped down and flew along a valley below us:
Common name: Wedge-tailed Eagle
Scientific name: Aquila audax
Approximate length: 0.9-1.1 m; wing span 1.8-2.5 m
Date spotted: 19 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Bendleby Ranges in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 32°21’13.7″S 138°47’34.8″E
Crested Pigeons, colours of the Outback
This post describes two Crested Pigeons that I saw in the Flinders Ranges last month. We have Crested Pigeons on Australia’s east coast too, but I haven’t seen any here with colours as vibrant as the two further west.
This Crested Pigeon stands out on the red soil at Bendleby Ranges:
This one glows against the bright blue of the early morning sky at Wilpena Pound:
Common name: Crested Pigeon
Scientific name: Ocyphaps lophotes
Approximate length: 31-35 cm
Date spotted: 19-20 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Bendleby Ranges (32°21’13.7″S 138°47’34.8″E) and Wilpena Pound (31°31’36.5″S 138°36’11.6″E), Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Welcome Swallow studying a puddle
At Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges, a little Welcome Swallow pins its gaze on a puddle. Perhaps something moved in the mud, or perhaps the bird sees its own muddled reflection:
Common name: Welcome Swallow
Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena
Approximate length: 14-15 cm
Date spotted: 18 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 31°31’36.5″S 138°36’11.6″E
Australian Ringneck parrot at Wilpena Pound
During a recent trip out west of Sydney, I spent a night at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. Early the next morning, I went for a walk and spotted this lovely parrot sitting on a fence. It’s an Australian Ringneck.
The name “ringneck” comes from the yellow collar on the back of the bird’s neck. This particular variety of Australian Ringneck is called a Mallee Ringneck. It has a green and blue head, whereas other races have a dark blue head. “Mallee” comes from an Australian aboriginal word meaning water, and is used to describe terrain covered in low-growing scrubby Eucalyptus trees.
Scientific name: Barnardius zonarius barnardi
Approximate length: 34-38 cm
Date spotted: 19 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 31°31’36.5″S 138°36’11.6″E
Apostlebird looking spruce
I was recently at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. A trio of Apostlebirds arrived at our campsite early in the morning and scampered around looking for scraps. Often these birds appear to be a darker, more bluish grey. This one was caught in a ray of sunshine next to the barbecue.
Apostlebirds are chatty, gregarious creatures. I love watching them move and interact with each other. My first recorded sighting of them was near Mungo Lake, NSW, a couple of years ago. That post includes some video footage: Apostle birds nesting and grooming.
Common name: Apostlebird
Scientific name: Struthidea cinerea
Approximate length: 29-33 cm
Date spotted: 18 July 2026 (winter)
Location: Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia: 31°31’36.5″S 138°36’11.6″E
Sydney Birder 