Grey Fantail waving its tail
Grey Fantails are fairly common around my neck of the woods. The problem is that they move so fast, it’s hard to get them in a camera frame. A couple of days ago, one of the little birds kept going back to the same tree to show off its skills. So, with a bit of patience, I was able to get some video footage:
In the video, you can see the bird’s typical behaviour pattern: it makes its way up a tree trunk, waving its tail, then it drops suddenly down to ground level, before starting again. In the background, the orange Banksia flower heads glow in the sunlight.
Here’s a still picture of that fanned tail catching the light:
A couple of slightly-fuzzy images give you a better idea of what the bird looks like:
It’s a small bird (about 15 cm from head to tail). This one is quite dark in colour, with its black head and collar markings below the white throat.
A few weeks ago, I saw another Grey Fantail in a location close to this one. Both birds were on the shores of Manly Dam, about 700 meters apart. This one is quite a lot lighter in colour:
If you’d like to hear what Grey Fantails sound like (squeaky) or see other videos and photos of these birds, check out the list of my fantail blog posts.
Common name: Grey Fantail
Scientific name: Rhipidura fuliginosa
Approximate length: 14-17 cm
Date spotted: 16 June and 10 June, 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’52.4″S 151°15’07.2″E and 33°46’37.9″S 151°14’48.5″E
Post-fire scenes from the Australian bush
The National Parks and Wildlife Service recently conducted a hazard reduction burn in one of my favourite bush-walking areas. The NPWS lights these controlled fires to burn away excess vegetation, which reduces the chance of a more severe fire raging out of control during fire season.
Many of the plants in the Australian bush are adapted to cope with fires. For example, these Hakea seedpods popped open after the fire, allowing the seeds to escape:
The above seed pods have both seeds still in place — the seeds are black and oval-shaped. Each seed is attached to a thin membrane, which acts as a wing: when the seed is released, it spirals gently to the ground. If there’s any wind around, the seed can travel a short distance from its parent bush.
In the next photo, only one of the seeds remains in the pod:
The next photo shows the seed head of a Banksia bush, also popped open to release the seeds. The open pods look like smiling mouths:
An Australian Brush-turkey wanders over the ashes, looking for pickings. A discarded can echoes the bird’s colouring:
Nearby, Australian Ravens look for insects and other goodies:
A Currawong keeps a watchful eye over the proceedings:
A Rainbow Lorikeet adds a splash of colour, hoping to snag a Casuarina seed or two:
It’s much easier to grab a seed now that the fire has dried out the seedpods!
A week later, a Swamp Wallaby shared the browns and greys of the burned area too:
Here’s a video of the wallaby. At one stage, a plane flies overhead and a group of birds squawk loudly. The wallaby looks at me, checking whether I’m the cause of the disturbance, then goes calmly about its business:
To close, here’s a restful scene of the post-fire forest in the early morning light:
Date spotted: Early June, 2023
Location: Dobroyd Head, Sydney Harbour, NSW, Australia; between this point and this point on the map.
Territory! Ravens vs Lorikeets
The National Parks and Wildlife Service recently did a hazard reduction burn in the area where I often go for a walk. This morning, a group of Rainbow Lorikeets occupied some bare branches with a strategic view of the newly cleared area. Right next door, a collection of ravens had the same idea. They viewed each other for a while, then all hell broke loose.
Turn up the volume to get the full effect! Listen to the bawling ravens and the scolding parrots. When things really get hectic, hear the whop-whop-whop of wings swooping overhead.
Here’s a closeup of some of the ravens, in their best villain pose:
Common name: Australian Raven
Scientific name: Corvus coronoides
Approximate length: 50 cm
Date spotted: 10 June 2023 (winter)
Location: Dobroyd Head, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’36.6″S 151°16’23.9″E
And the I’m-so-pretty, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth pose of the lorikeets:
Common name: Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific name: Trichoglossus haematodus
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 10 June 2023 (winter)
Location: Dobroyd Head, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’36.6″S 151°16’23.9″E
Darter with cream-coloured neck
This lovely light-coloured Darter took me by surprise!
The only Darters I’ve seen up to now have been very dark in colour, with black necks and bodies. You can see them in my posts about the sinuous neck of a Darter and a Darter drying its wings then taking off.
Evidently it’s the males that are dark in colour, whereas the females and juveniles are lighter. Judging by the overall state of dishevelment of this bird’s feathers, I’d say it’s a juvenile.
This video shows the impressive length of the bird’s neck when the bird lifts its head to listen to an unusual sound:
The next video shows another neck stretch, with the bird looking in the direction of the camera:
Common name: Darter
Scientific name: Anhinga melanogaster
Approximate length: 90 cm; wing span: 1.2 m
Date spotted: 2 June 2023 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’34.7″S 151°14’48.9″E
White-bellied Sea-Eagle at Manly Dam
For the third time ever, I’ve seen a White-bellied Sea-Eagle at Manly Dam. These are very large birds, and it’s quite awe-inspiring to see them in the skies above the dam. As usual, the eagle was very far away. I managed to get this picture of it:
The eagle flew rapidly along the northern shore of the dam. I was far away on the opposite shore. The bird flew east to west, then disappeared into the trees on the north western shore — in the area that’s approximately in the middle of this photo:
Common name: White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucogaster
Approximate length: 85 cm. Wing span: 2.2 m
Date spotted: 26 May 2023 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’30.0″S 151°14’54.7″E
Two more Yellow-faced Honeyeaters!
A few weeks back, I saw my first ever Yellow-faced Honeyeater (recorded in this blog post). At that time, I was near the little town of Capertee, out west of Sydney. Since then, to my surprise, I’ve spotted two of them at my frequent haunt: Manly Dam on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The first occasion was when I was filming an Eastern Spinebill that was dipping itself into a quiet pool in the creek that feeds Manly Dam. Towards the end of the video, another bird flutters into view. It’s a Yellow-faced Honeyeater:
A couple of weeks later, I saw another Yellow-faced Honeyeater, this time in the forest on the southern shore of the dam (33°46’50.5″S 151°14’54.1″E):
Common name: Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Scientific name: Lichenostomus chrisops
Approximate length: 16-18 cm
Date spotted: 14th and 26th May 2023 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’50.5″S 151°14’54.1″E
Dinner? Red dragonfly looms over fly
“Come into my parlour,” said the dragonfly to the fly:
In the beautiful area of Cedar Creek yesterday, near Pokolbin State Forest, a red dragonfly sat on a rock. I took a couple of photos. When I zoomed in, I saw the fly almost under the dragonfly’s wings. The fly’s shadow gives it away. Another, smaller, fly, sits seemingly unaware on a nearby rock.
Here’s the dragonfly in a different pose:
Rainbow Lorikeet practising its dance
A Rainbow Lorikeet swooped down onto the branch of a Casuarina tree and treated me to a little dance. I think it was practising, because there were no other lorikeets around, and the bird’s movements weren’t as fluid as others I’ve seen. A little practice was needed before trying out the dance on a potential breeding partner!
Common name: Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific name: Trichoglossus haematodus
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 28 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’38.6″S 151°14’55.6″E
Royal Spoonbill at Manly Dam
This is only the second time I’ve ever seen a spoonbill, and the first time I’ve seen one at Manly Dam. This picture shows the wide, flattened end of the beak that gives the bird its name:
Royal Spoonbills are large birds, about 80 cm tall. In the breeding season, they have long white feathers trailing from their heads and can look quite magnificent. This bird, though, doesn’t have its breeding plumage. It was quite sleepy, dozing in the autumn sun, and I was lucky to catch it moving around.
Here’s another picture showing the head and beak in profile:
A while ago, I saw my first spoonbill at Manly Beach. That one did have its breeding plumage, and its feathers were a brighter white than today’s bird. Take a look at my post from October 2020. Today’s bird also lacks the white spot above the eye that adults have. It could be a juvenile, still to come into full plumage.
Common name: Royal Spoonbill
Scientific name: Platalea regia
Approximate length: 75-80 cm
Date spotted: 28 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’34.8″S 151°14’48.1″E
Yellow-faced Honeyeater near Capertee
Yet another first sighting for me: a Yellow-faced Honeyeater that I spotted during last week’s trip out west of Sydney. I was taking an early-morning walk in the countryside near the little town of Capertee. It’s gorgeous out there. Rolling hills, vistas of the Blue Mountains, Eucalypt forests, and green grassy clearings.
Yellow-faced Honeyeaters feed on manna, nectar, and small insects. They get their name from the yellow streak that runs across the face below the eye. The streak is bordered in black. Other colours on the bird range from off-white to grey-brown, with olive-yellow edges on the wings.
Common name: Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Scientific name: Lichenostomus chrisops
Approximate length: 16-18 cm
Date spotted: 23 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: Long Ridge, Capertee, New South Wales, Australia: 33°09’53.9″S 150°00’06.2″E
Sydney Birder 