Water dragon chillin’ in a tree
This Australian Water Dragon has draped itself over a tree branch, catching some sun on a cool wintry morning:
Here’s a close-up of that lovely head, eye closed in a lazy doze:
Australian Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) are large dragon lizards, reaching a length of more than two metres. During the cold winter months, they burrow a hole for themselves, then slow down their metabolism and go into a state of brumation. We’re in the middle of autumn now — it must be about time for this one to head underground! They eat insects, flowers, and fruits such as figs and Lilly Pilly berries.
I spotted the Water Dragon at Manly Dam, north of Sydney, Australia. Here’s a zoomed-out view of the scene. You can see the lizard’s tail hanging down from the bush on the right-hand side of the dam:
Juvenile Crimson Rosella in Hazelgrove, NSW
A group of four young Crimson Rosellas gathered around a cabin that I was staying in this weekend, in the region of Hazelgrove. That’s west of the Blue Mountains, about three hours’ drive from Sydney.
At first, it was difficult to identify the birds. Other Crimson Rosellas that I’ve seen are red and blue, like the one in my earlier post. After some research, I discovered that the juvenile birds are mostly green instead of red, though they do have the characteristic red and blue markings on their heads.
Here are two of the birds that I saw this weekend:
They were posing nicely on a rusty shed roof, for maximum warmth of colour!
Common name: Crimson Rosella
Scientific name: Platycercus elegans elegans
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 15 April 2023 (autumn)
Approximate location: Hazelgrove, New South Wales, Australia (map)
Red-bellied Black Snake at Turon River
This post is not about a bird. Instead, it’s about a large and beautiful snake that I encountered near the banks of the Turon River in New South Wales. We were travelling along Upper Turon Road, on the way from Capertee to Sofala. I brought the car to a quick halt when I noticed the snake in the middle of the road:
It was close on two metres long, and very lively indeed. We jumped out to take some pictures. The snake moved off the road onto the grass and came over to have a look at us:
It’s a Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus). Evidently their bites are rarely fatal, although the venom can cause quite severe illness. Usually, these snakes move away from humans. This one was an exception. It appeared to be very interested in us, and we kept well clear of it while admiring its beauty.
This video shows the snake making its way off the road onto the grass:
It felt like a great privilege to encounter this creature as it went about its daily life.
Musk Lorikeet drops by
Very occasionally, we’re lucky enough to see Musk Lorikeets in the gum trees around our house. Today was such a day:
They’re pretty little parrots, with a clearly-defined red mask around their eyes. Their predominant colour is green, with tinges of red, blue, and yellow.
The more boldly-coloured Rainbow Lorikeets are frequent visitors. It’s a treat when I hear the slightly different trilling call of the Musk Lorikeets, grab my camera, and am rewarded with a view like the ones in this post.
The lorikeets come to drink the nectar from the gum tree flowers. Here’s another view of the same Musk Lorikeet:
Common name: Musk Lorikeet
Scientific name: Glossopsitta concinna
Approximate length: 23 cm
Date spotted: 3 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia
White-faced Heron in Sydney Harbour
This White-faced Heron sat on a branch overlooking a Sydney Harbour inlet. I think the bird is a juvenile, judging by its soft colouring:
Common name: White-faced Heron
Scientific name: Ardea novaehollandiae
Approximate length: 66-69 cm
Date spotted: 1 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: North Harbour Walk, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia: 33°47’59.9″S 151°16’04.0″E
Soft colours of a young Little Wattlebird
This bird was busy gathering food on an Old Man Banksia tree (Banksia serrata). It has a small insect in its beak:
I think the bird is a Little Wattlebird, though others that I’ve seen have been darker and greyer in colour. Perhaps it’s a juvenile. I considered an oriole, but the stripes on this bird’s chest are more like those of a wattlebird than an oriole, and the shapes of the beak and head are closer to those of a wattlebird too.
Little Wattlebirds don’t have the red wattles that give this genus its name. These birds are classified as honeyeaters, but like most honeyeaters they’ll grab a passing insect too. This bird was at Dobroyd Head, one of the pieces of land that jut into Sydney Harbour.
Here’s a view that shows more of the wings and back:
Common name: Little Wattlebird
Scientific name: Anthochaera chrysoptera
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 11 March 2023 (autumn)
Location: Dobroyd Head Track, Balgowlah, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’33.2″S 151°16’14.1″E
Six kookies a-cackling
This morning I was treated to the sight of six kookaburras in a row, perched on the horizontal bar of an outlet pipe, all cackling away to each other. Australians fondly call these birds “kookies”. So, here you go, six kookies a-cackling:
Towards the end of the video, you’ll hear a jogger running up to me in excitement, exclaiming that she wished she had a camera. She obviously didn’t realize I was videoing!
After the birds flew off, I spotted two perched on a nearby TV antenna. It’s probably two of the six in the video, but not necessarily — there were quite a few kookaburras around:
Common name: Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae
Approximate length: 47 cm
Date spotted: 28 January 2023 (summer)
Location: Balgowlah, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’01.4″S 151°15’53.0″E
The quiet of the duck
It’s early morning on New Year’s Day in the park. The air is still, the crowds haven’t yet arrived. The ducks putter around as only ducks can do.
I’m at Manly Dam park near Sydney. On a quiet morning, the dam water reflects the hills and forest all round. The oranges, browns, and reds in this scene aren’t seasonal, though they do bring autumn to mind. They show the path of a recent fire — a hazard reduction burn conducted to reduce the risk of more damaging fires as summer draws on.
Among the ducks were this Pacific Black Duck:
A male Australian Wood Duck:
A female Australian Wood Duck:
And a female Mallard with a gorgeous yellow-green beak:
For me as watcher, the meanderings of the ducks enhanced the quiet of the early morning scene.
Oh yes, and there’s a Brush Turkey on the right too!
Young Channel-billed Cuckoos fed by currawongs
What’s that caterwauling? It’s a couple of young Channel-billed Cuckoos, awaiting their food. Are the patient bringers of food the parents of the young birds? No, they’re Pied Currawongs. Because, like other parasitic cuckoos, Channel-billed Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and leave it entirely to the adoptive parents to care for the youngsters.
The other ongoing noise that you hear in this video are the Cicadas. It’s the season of noisy beetles and noisy birds!
This is the second time that I’ve seen two young cuckoos being fed by currawongs, instead of just one. Evidently it’s quite common for these birds to lay more than one egg in someone else’s nest.
Here’s a still photo of the young cuckoo. What a big baby. It’s far larger than the currawongs that are taking care of it.
Here’s the youngster flapping its wings to make sure its carers don’t miss it:
Channel-billed Cuckoo | Scythrops novaehollandiae | Approximate length: 58-65 cm
Pied Currawong | Strepera graculina | Approximate length: 45 cm
Date spotted: 28 December 2022 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’50.1″S 151°14’59.6″E
Mother wallaby with baby in pouch
Swamp Wallabies are a type of small kangaroo (macropod) found in eastern Australia. I see them relatively often when I’m out walking through the bushland areas in the early morning. Recently, the number of wallabies in my area of Sydney seems to have grown: at any rate, I see them more often I did than a few years ago.
This morning, I saw this mother at Manly Dam park, with a little one in her pouch:
Swamp Wallabies are also called Black Wallabies. They’re relatively small, reaching up to my chest when they stand on their haunches. Their colour ranges from very dark grey to a lighter grey, with reddish patches around the ears and on the underbelly.
They’re marsupials. The little one, called a joey, stays in the pouch for around eight months, until it can live independently. In the picture above, you can see its head peeking out of the pouch.
In the next picture, the joey was withdrawing into the pouch. Only one ear and part of its face are visible:
Here’s a short video showing the mother moving around and eating leaves while the youngster looks out at the world:
Generally, wallabies are quite timid and will move away when you approach them along a path. A few days ago, though, I came across one individual who squared up to me and held his ground. This was in a different area of Sydney, on a harbour walk near Balgowlah. The path passed within four metres of the wallaby. It’s breeding season at the moment, and I was probably getting a little close for comfort. I certainly felt a little uncomfortable too, as the animal rose up, turned to face me, and swished its strong tail through the undergrowth to get purchase for a potential fight:
Sydney Birder 