About
My name is Sarah Maddox. I am an author, blogger, and explorer of the natural world.
Birds keep hopping out and strutting their stuff in front of me. So I’ve decided to take some pictures and videos and share them with you. I hope you enjoy them!
Finding me online
Instagram: @sarahmaddoxoz
Reddit: u/sarahmaddox
Mastodon: aus.social/@sarahmaddox
X: @SarahMaddox
My books: About my books
My blogs:
- Sydney Birder (the blog that you’re reading now)
- ffeathers, a technical and fiction writer’s blog
- Travelling Worm: A bookworm’s travelogue
Sydney Birder 
Hi Sarah nice meeting you this morning I am now following your blog. I love birds.
Regards Helen
Hallo Helen
It was great meeting you too. Thanks so much for all the information about Manly Dam Reserve!
Cheers
Sarah
Hello Sarah
I think I have from this morning a recording of noisy miner dawn chorus. It has male and female reply…I have listened to as many online versions as I can find but none have the reply. Would you be interested in hearing it? It is basically the one you post ..but then a reply.
I love your pictures..great colors. My video has no picture as it was still dark when I heard the song.
Rose
Hallo Rose
It’d be great to hear your video (even dark as it is)! Do you have a link you can share?
Cheers
Sarah
My brother (Bernie O’Leary) in Perth put me on to you because I asked his advice. We have crested pigeons here in the area that we live in Rowville in Melbourne. We also have spotted turtle doves. I have recently seen a young spotted turtle dove, which visits our garden regularly and it has a sort of small bunch of feathers sticking up from its head. Haven’t been able to get a photo yet because it moves around so much. Anyhow, I asked Bernie if he thought they could hybridise and he said he thought it may be possible. Anyhow, I thought that you might like to know.
Hallo Maureen
That’s very interesting. Thanks for dropping by to let me know you’ve seen a possible hybrid too! Let me know if you do manage to get a photo!
Cheers
Sarah
hi I live in Cronulla. I just saw some type of Honey Eater in a group of Noisy Miners. It looked like the Lewin Honey Eater or Blue Faced Honey Eater except it had a red band around the eye, kind of like eyeshadow, not a full red head. It was a light olive colour otherwise. Do you know what this bird was?
it had much more red on it than a Bell Miner, much like a Blue Faced Honey Eater but the blue was red, and the entire plumage was the same as the Lewin Honey
Hall Michael
That sound interesting! Could it be a male Figbird? https://sydneybirder.com/2017/08/26/figbirds-in-pyrmont-sydney/
yes that would be it! Thank you for your help!
Excellent! Nice to be able to ID a bird. 🙂
Hi. Loved the blog. I live in Melbourne and I never see Butcherbirds round anymore, so your blog was very informative. Currwongs, like Butcherbirds do have a curved beak. This is more evident in the males than the females.The hook on the males is less pronounced in the juvenille then gets more prominent as they age.🙂
Hallo Amanda, it’s nice to meet you! Thanks for the information about the Currawong’s hooked beaks, that’s good to to know. I’ll take a close look next time I get a good photograph. It’s a pity there aren’t any Butcherbirds in your area — they’re such character-filled birds.