Category Archives: Birds
A tree full of Pink Cockatoos at Lake Mungo
I came across a tree full of Pink Cockatoos at Mungo Lodge, on the outskirts of Lake Mungo in the Australian Outback. The alternative name for these birds is Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo and they were also previously known as Leadbeater’s Cockatoo.
Here’s a portrait of one of these spectacular birds:
They’re gregarious and chatty birds. This video shows them in a quieter moment, enjoying the early sunlight at the top of a tree:
It was exciting to see these birds. Pink Cockatoos are uncommon, and are considered endangered. Here’s a still picture of part of the tree full of birds:
In September 2023, Birdlife Australia published an intention to change the common name of these birds from Major Mitchell’s to Pink Cockatoo, because Major Mitchell played a major part in the massacre of Aboriginal people in the 19th century.
It’d be a pity to taint the beauty of these birds with such a memory. The birds have a delicate beauty, the pink colour changing in the light from soft pink to quite dramatic colouring:
At 35-40 centimetres from head to tail, these birds are about the same size as a Galah. They’re smaller than the well-known Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (45-50 cm).
A final shot of a group of birds coming in to land:
Common name: Pink Cockatoo (alternative name: Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo)
Scientific name: Cacatua leadbeateri
Approximate length: 35-40 cm
Date spotted: 20-21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
Pied Butcherbird makes 3 out of 4
There are four types of Butcherbird in Australia: Grey Butcherbirds, Black Butcherbirds, Black-backed Butcherbirds, and Pied Butcherbirds. Grey Butcherbirds are common on Australia’s east coast, where I live. I’ve seen a Black Butcherbird when travelling in the far north of Australia. And now, travelling west of Sydney into the Outback, I spotted a Pied Butcherbird. Three out of four ain’t bad!
The white collar of this bird extends in a straight line, all the way round the back of the neck, whereas the Grey Butcherbird’s collar is narrower and doesn’t go all the way round.
Common name: Pied Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus nigrogularis
Approximate length: 33-36 cm
Date spotted: 21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
Yellow-throated Miners see off a Noisy Friarbird
At first, I thought these birds were Noisy Miners, which are very common on the east coast of Australia where I live. However, we were out west at Mungo National Park, and the birds were Yellow-throated Miners.
Common name: Yellow-throated Miner
Scientific name: Manorina favigula
Approximate length: 26-28 cm
Date spotted: 20-21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
As you’d expect from the name, this bird has more yellow around its face and head than does the Noisy Miner. Here’s a Noisy Miner for comparison:
Just like their noisy cousins, it seems that the Yellow-throated Miners are territorial and fear nothing. These two were seeing off a Noisy Friarbird:
I have better pictures of Noisy Friarbirds in another post.
Blue Bonnet: a new parrot for me
I love parrots, and it’s always exciting to see a new type. This is my first sighting of a Blue Bonnet. It was at Mungo Lodge, during our recent Outback trip.
Of course, as so often happens with birds, it was difficult to get a good shot. For the above photo, the bird turned its back. The next one is totally out of focus, but gives a good idea of the colouring around the bird’s face:
Common name: Blue Bonnet
Scientific name: Northiella haematogaster
Approximate length: 27-34 cm
Date spotted: 20 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
Little Crow at Mungo National Park
I think this handsome bird is a Little Crow. Its proportions and stance don’t look quite right for an Australian Raven or a Little Raven. But I’m open to correction!
Common name: Little Crow
Scientific name: Corvus bennetti
Approximate length: 45-48 cm
Date spotted: 20 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Vigars Well Picnic Area, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°41’32.6″S 143°06’20.0″E
Zebra Finches at Lake Mungo
This is my first sighting of these pretty little birds. A male and a female Zebra Finch were flitting around a bush at Red Top lookout, near the Walls of China in Mungo National Park. The male is hidden behind the twigs on the left, while the female is more visible on the right of the photo.
These birds like to hang around scrublands and salt marshes, but they also like to have water close by. I was surprised at how much water and greenery there was in the Outback areas that we visited. Lake Mungo itself is pretty much dried out (has been so for more than ten thousand years), but there were even puddles of water next to the sand dunes of the Walls of China.
Common name: Zebra Finch
Scientific name: Taeniopygia guttata
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 20 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Red Top lookout, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°47’19.2″S 143°06’47.9″E
Apostlebirds nesting and grooming
It’s been a long-time wish of mine to see an Apostlebird. In our recent Outback trip, my wish came true. Several of these birds congregated around Mungo Lodge, where we stayed during our two-day exploration of Lake Mungo and surrounds.
The birds have a characteristic dark mask around the eyes, which isn’t showing up as clearly as in some photos of these birds, because of the excellent mid-morning light. Here’s a half-profile shot, where you can just make out the mask leading from the beak and narrowly circling the eyes:
Two of the birds were nesting. I took the next shot in the early morning, when the sun was low in the sky. The photo shows one bird on the nest. Apostlebirds build their nests out of mud and clay. Since the soil is red in this area of the Outback, the nest is red too. It looks as if someone has put a round bowl in the tree, and the birds have hijacked it for a nest:
An early-morning grooming session was communal and chatty:
In the background sound of the above video, there’s a mournful falling whistle. This sound followed me around the area. I think it’s a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. I’ll blog about that bird soon.
The next video shows the two nesting birds again. It’s rather shaky and fuzzy, I’m afraid, due to my excitement and the poor light:
Common name: Apostlebird
Scientific name: Struthidea cinerea
Approximate length: 29-33 cm
Date spotted: 20-21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
Welcome Swallows at White Cliffs
I was recently at the small opal-mining town of White Cliffs, in central New South Wales. Two Welcome Swallows perched on an old tin drum, which was serving to warn people about an open mine shaft:
Common name: Welcome Swallow
Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena
Approximate length: 14-15 cm
Date spotted: 19 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: White Cliffs, New South Wales, Australia: 30°50’13.9″S 143°05’24.2″E
This photo shows more of the landscape surrounding the birds. The white mounds are earth take up from underground, in search of opals:
If you’d like to see more of the town and surrounds, take a peek at my bookmark’s blog post: White Cliffs opal mines and underground motel.
Wedge-tailed Eagle soaring over the Cobb Highway
We were driving along the Cobb Highway in central New South Wales, between Wilcannia and Ivanhoe. I spotted this eagle during a stop for lunch. Unfortunately, my camera settings weren’t properly adjusted for the light. Still, it’s worth recording this sighting as I don’t often have the opportunity to see a Wedge-tailed Eagle. In fact, this is only my second sighting ever.
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 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Cobb Highway near Ivanhoe, New South Wales, Australia: 32°23’55.4″S 143°54’02.0″E
Australian Ringneck parrot at Cobar
First sightings are rolling in for me, thanks to my recent trip into the Australian Outback. We stopped for lunch at a town called Cobar in central New South Wales. A couple of Australian Ringneck parrots hid in the shade near our picnic place.
The shots are a little fuzzy, due to the lighting. Still, it’s worth sharing these shots as I’m unlikely to see these birds again for a while.
This particular variety of Australian Ringneck is called a Mallee Ringneck. The name “ringneck” comes from the narrow collar that this parrot shares with other varieties in the same species.
Common name: Australian Ringneck, subspecies Mallee Ringneck
Scientific name: Barnardius zonarius barnardi
Approximate length: 34-38 cm
Date spotted: 18 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Cobar, New South Wales, Australia: 31°29’53.6″S 145°50’21.7″E
Sydney Birder 