Monthly Archives: July 2019
Kookaburra in a mess after hollowing out termite nest
“Don’t look at me! I’m a mess.
Been hard at work hollowing out a termite nest.”
That’s what this kookaburra seems to be saying:
“What, you don’t think termite gunge is the right look for me?”
“OK then. Here’s what I’ve been doing for the last half hour:”
“That’s a big termite nest, high up in a tall tree.
And soon it’ll be a home for my family and me:”
Common name: Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae
Approximate length: 47 cm
Date spotted: 28 July 2019 (Winter)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’48.1″S 151°14’52.5″E
Not all robins have red breasts
The Eastern Yellow Robin is a reasonably common sight in the bush around Sydney, Australia. This one was perched on a twig in a marshy area around a creek:
Common name: Eastern Yellow Robin
Scientific name: Eopsaltria australis
Approximate length: 15 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2019 (Winter)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’24.2″S 151°15’05.8″E
Who said a Pardalote isn’t a dinosaur?
Well, I guess maybe nobody has ever said “a Pardalote isn’t a dinosaur”. I mean, why would you? Still, this little Pardalote’s plucky pose made me think of a dinosaur in a Spielberg movie. At the very least, it was considering auditioning for the role:
Although they’re only 10 centimetres tall, Spotted Pardalotes don’t seem to be daunted by huge creatures like me standing close by. This one was on a twig a few metres away, singing its heart out with a pause to grab a bite to eat:
It seemed to find me as interesting as I found it:
Did any dinosaur ever catch the sun as prettily as this?
Common name: Spotted Pardalote
Scientific name: Pardalotus punctatus
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 22 July 2019 (Winter)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’24.4″S 151°15’03.6″E
Hybrid Spotted Turtle-Dove with Crested Pigeon?
Today I spotted a couple of interlopers in an area that’s the regular hangout for a group of Crested Pigeons. One of the interlopers looks like a regular Spotted Turtle-Dove. Here’s a Crested Pigeon on the left and the interloper on the right:
But nearby, on the same wire, is this rather interesting individual:
The bird looks like a Spotted Turtle-Dove but has a bit of feathery decoration on its head. Could it be a cross-breeding of a Spotted Turtle-Dove with a Crested Pigeon? Or is it just a Spotted Turtle-Dove having a bad hair day?
Here’s another pic of the same Crested Pigeon as in the first photo:
Crested Pigeons are native to Australia. When they take off, you hear the distinctive whistling noise from their wings that is characteristic of many pigeon types. When I first saw these birds, I thought how typical it is that even the common pigeons in Australia are different from those I’ve seen in other part of the world.
The group of birds later moved down to forage on the ground. Here’s one of the Crested Pigeons:
There was only one bird that looked like a Spotted Turtle-Dove with a vestigial crest. Here’s another pic of the same bird:
Spotted Turtle-Doves are not native to Australia. They were introduced in the late 1800s, and are seen as a pest in some regions of the country.
Pigeon or dove? The names “Crested Pigeon” and “Spotted Turtle-Dove” led me to wondering, not for the first time, what the difference is between a pigeon and a dove. I’ve asked various people over the years. Some say doves are white whereas pigeons are not. Other say that doves are smaller than pigeons. According to much of the internet, the two terms are interchangeable.
Here’s another view of the same bird with the miniscule crest (or perhaps it’s just a feather expressing its individual identity):
A wink, almost as if the bird knows that it’s presented me with a puzzle:
Spotted Turtle-Dove | Scientific name: Streptopelia chinensis | Approximate length: 30-32 cm
Crested Pigeon | Scientific name: Ocyphaps lophotes | Approximate length: 31-35 cm
Date spotted: 5 July 2019 (Winter)
Location: Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Sydney Birder 