Amazing bats: Flying Foxes near Sydney
Flying Foxes, also called fruit bats, are large bats with grey and red fur. Their bodies are about the size of a kitten, and they look cute and cuddly. Then you add the claws that allow them to hang from trees and street lamps, and the large membranous black wings that allow them to fly at over 20 kilometres per hour, and you have a truly wondrous creature.
A colony of Flying Foxes roosts in a nature patch in Balgowlah, near Sydney. Patches of trees inhabited by these bats are called camps. I walked around the edges of the camp and took a few photos and videos.
While walking around the edges of the camp, I was careful not to get too close or to walk under any branches where bats were hanging. These bats aren’t aggressive but they do carry nasty diseases, so it pays to be wary. Evidently you won’t be infected by any diseases from the bats unless you come into close contact with one of them. Still, cuddly as they look, they’re wild creatures and deserve respect.
Here’s a closeup of one of the bats, neatly wrapped up in its own wings and hanging from a branch by its feet:
In the next photo, a bat decided to change position. Here it’s moving from the upside down roosting position to what we’d call the right way up:
Now the bat is hanging by its front feet, facing away from us, with its ears sticking out sideways:
The next video shows another area of the bat camp. As I was recording the video, there was a short series of bangs, probably from the nearby road. The noise disturbed the bats. They started chittering more loudly than ever, and a few of them took flight:
These are Grey-headed Flying Foxes, one of three types of Flying Foxes in the Sydney area. At dusk, we occasionally see large numbers of bats rising into the air and heading off to feed. They’re nocturnal, and they feed on flowers and fruit. With their large, strong wings, they can travel long distances.
The next video shows one of the animals coming in to land in a tree inhabited by the colony:
The next few pics zoom out to show the size of the colony:
Let’s end with a row of bats neatly lined up:
Pair of White-faced Herons in Sydney Harbour
A pretty pair of White-faced Herons were strutting their stuff at Forty Baskets Beach this morning. They were quite interested in each other, and the feathery plumes on their backs were quite noticeable. It looks as if breeding season has started.
In this video, the pair of herons are on a small boat moored just off the beach. All is peaceful until the seagulls start bullying the herons. After ducking a few incoming gulls, the herons take off and fly past me, landing on some rocks near by. Along comes a small dog (off scene). The dog owner tells the dog to wait. The dog doesn’t threaten the birds in any way, but they decide it’s politic to move to a different spot. They fly past me again, and come to rest in a quiet little bay.
Aside from the noise made by the seagulls and the sea, you can hear some raucous Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in the background. And, if you listen very carefully, you can hear the softer grunting croaks of the herons as they fly past me and then land on the rocks.
Scientific name: Ardea novaehollandiae
Approximate length: 66-69 cm
Date spotted: 5 August 2023 (winter)
Location: Forty Baskets Beach, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’15.8″S 151°16’13.9″E
Grey Goshawk in quiet contemplation
On a walk through the Australian forests near Sydney, I stopped on a rocky ledge to take in the view. Then I noticed a Grey Goshawk on a branch close by, also gazing out across the valley.
These beautiful birds of prey are quite sturdy, about 55 cm in length from head to tail, and have a wingspan of about one metre. Their chest and belly feathers are white with light grey horizontal bars. The head is grey, with large dark eyes outlined in yellow, and a yellow beak tipped in dark grey. Add the dark grey wings and tail feathers, and you have a very striking bird.
The goshawk was standing on one leg, with the other foot tucked under its belly feathers. The bird turned its head to see whether I posed it any danger, then went back to quiet contemplation of the view.
After five minutes or so, it hopped off the branch and glided away.
This is only the second time I’ve managed to snap some photos of a goshawk, though I’ve seen them a couple more times.
Common name: Grey Goshawk
Scientific name: Accipiter novaehollandiae
Approximate length: 40-55 cm. Wing span: 70-110 cm.
Date spotted: 4 August 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’54.8″S 151°15’03.5″E
Pardalotes nesting on a Sydney beach
Pardalotes are unusual in that they build their nests underground, usually at around ankle height. This morning I spotted a couple of the birds flitting around a grassy bank on a beach in Sydney Harbour. With a bit of patience and the benefit of my camera’s super zoom, I was able to see the birds going in and out of their nesting tunnel.
The next video shows the male bird waiting on a tree branch until the coast is clear, then flitting off towards the nest:
Here’s the female, also checking for danger near the nest:
These are Spotted Pardalotes, also called Diamondbirds. They’re one of the smallest of Australian birds, at approximately 10 cm from head to tail. I’m often surprised at how unbothered they seem by my presence.
The female has a pale, faun-coloured chest. Her head and back are prettily dotted with spots, and her tail is aflame with red and yellow.
The male has an orange-yellow chest. The white stripes across its eyes are more pronounced than those of the femail, and there’s more black on the head and back, making the white spots stand out.
Common name: Spotted Pardalote or Diamondbird
Scientific name: Pardalotus punctatus
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 29 July 2023 (winter)
Location: Reef Beach in Sydney Harbour
Spitfire grubs and Kookaburras
While wandering along a bush path, I came across a curious collection of grubs:
They’re spitfire grubs, which are the larvae of a type of wasp called a sawfly. The grubs look quite a lot like caterpillars with a don’t-mess-with-me attitude. They’re black and shiny, with white bristles, yellow feet, and a yellow tail. They’re quite long and fat: about the size of my little finger.
Despite the name “spitfire”, the grubs don’t actually spit anything, but if you touch them you can get a burning sting from the spikes. The grubs also spew out a thick yellow liquid from their mouths when threatened, but the liquid isn’t harmful to people. It’s made from eucalyptus oil, since the grubs feed on eucalyptus leaves.
In the video, you can see them tapping their tails on the rock. They do that to communicate their whereabouts with each other.
Here’s a close-up of some of their heads:
There were ten grubs in the clump:
Next on the scene was a riot of Kookaburras! The birds gathered above me while I was bent over the clutch of spitfire grubs. I was worried that the Kookaburras might swoop down and grab a grub as a snack!
The Kookaburras left the grubs alone. I guess they don’t taste great!
Common name: Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae
Approximate length: 47 cm
Date spotted: 18 July 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’56.0″S 151°15’05.4″E
Spiffy little Red-browed Finches and a Pardalote
In the muted tones of a wintry day in the bush after rain, the green and red colouring of the Red-browed Finches stands out cheerily:
Red-browed finches are small (about 12 centimetres from beak to tail) and fast-moving. The red on their brow and tail can be quite vivid, as in this little one.
Common name: Red-browed Finch
Scientific name: Neochmia temporalis
Approximate length: 12 cm
Date spotted: 17 July 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam park, near Sydney: 33°46’48.7″S 151°15’03.9″E
There were a couple of Pardalotes hopping around too:
I’ve shown better pics of Pardalotes in earlier posts.
Common name: Spotted Pardalote
Scientific name: Pardalotus punctatus
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 17 July 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam park, near Sydney: 33°46’48.7″S 151°15’03.9″E
Yellow-faced Honeyeater at entrance to Manly Dam
As I was walking through the gates at Manly Dam park, I heard this little Yellow-faced Honeyeater in the bushes at the roadside:
These birds move very fast, as you can tell from the video. It was only a few months ago that I saw my very first one. Now that I know what they are, I’ve seen a few of them. They have a distinctive yellow stripe running under the eye.
Here’s a still photo of the bird:
Common name: Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Scientific name: Lichenostomus chrisops
Approximate length: 16-18 cm
Date spotted: 10 July 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’58.0″S 151°15’21.0″E
Another gorgeous Red-bellied Black Snake
This was my third encounter with a Red-bellied Black Snake in three months! And that after never seeing one before.
The snake was lying in the sun on the side of the walking track. I stopped to wait for it to move away. It was a big snake!
Red-bellied Black Snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) are quite large in comparison with other snakes I’ve seen. They’re a dark, shiny black on top, with a glowing red tinge underneath. You can see a bit of the red under-belly in this close-up of the snake’s head:
This snake was at Manly Dam (location on the map) where I often walk. My first encounter with a red belly happened near the Turon River, quite a way from my usual haunts. I posted a photo and video of that snake in another blog post. My second encounter was just a couple of weeks ago, a few hundred metres away from today’s snake at Manly Dam. It might have been the same snake.
Evidently the venom of Red-bellied Black Snakes isn’t as harmful to humans as some of the other snakes in these parts, but it can still make you quite ill. So it’s a good thing to give the snake its space. This one just watched me carefully. When I moved back, it slowly crossed the path in front of me and took shelter in the undergrowth. As I passed, I could see its head and flickering tongue as it watched me go.
My first Lewin’s Honeyeater
Australia hosts several types of honeyeater, and I’ve spotted a few of them over the lifetime of this blog. Recently I saw my very first Lewin’s Honeyeater:
Lewin’s Honeyeater is a medium-sized bird. As is the case with other honeyeaters, nectar forms a major part of their diet. They also eat fruits and insects. They have a distinctive, crescent-shaped yellow ear patch as well as a light yellow stripe under each eye.
According to my bird book, they’re “abundant”, especially in the wetter areas of eucalypt forests. I’ll keep a look out now that I know they’re around.
Common name: Lewin’s Honeyeater
Scientific name: Meliphaga lewinii
Approximate length: 19-22 cm
Date spotted: 5 June, 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’47.6″S 151°14’53.2″E
Female Golden Whistler?
It’s taken me ages to identify this bird. At first I thought it was a robin of some sort, but the colouring isn’t quite right. My best bet is a female Golden Whistler:
The bird is small and neat, with large dark eyes. It’s mostly grey in colour, with a striking yellow patch under the tail and olive hints on the wings. The bird was quite inquisitive, and perched not far off to examine me, with a green twig in its beak.
I’ve filmed male Golden Whistlers before: pictures and videos of the Golden Whistler’s song.
Common name: Golden Whistler
Scientific name: Pachycephala pectoralis
Approximate length: 16-18 cm
Date spotted: 16 June, 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’52.4″S 151°15’07.2″E
Sydney Birder 