Song of the Currawong
Currawongs gather in a tree during a rain shower at dusk, chatting to each other. Their calls vary from bell-like chimes to whistles and peeps. For most of this video, the birds are just silhouettes flitting from branch to branch. I zoomed in on one bird at around the two-minute mark, and you can see it uttering its calls.
Here’s a still image of one of the Currawongs:
Common name: Pied Currawong
Scientific name: Strepera graculina
Approximate length: 45 cm
Date spotted: 10 January 2015
Season: Summer
Location: Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Approximate latitude/longitude: 33°46’19.2″S 151°15’25.2″E
Pelican at Long Reef Headland, New South Wales
The closer you get to a pelican, the more beautiful it is. Those eyes are so huge and seem so wise. Then there’s that appealing fuzz of fine feathers on the back of the head and down the neck.
For more about these pelicans, see my post from March this year.
Common name: Australian Pelican
Scientific name: Pelecanus conspicillatus
Approximate length: 170 cm
Approximate wingspan: 2.5m
Date spotted: 1 January 2015
Season: Summer
Location: Long Reef Headland, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°44’15.2″S, 151°18’44.1″E
Black Swans calling
Black swans are native to New South Wales, Australia. This morning I saw four of them swimming amongst the other water birds.
Two of them were calling to each other and raising their necks up and down in a stately dance. They make a slightly funny, bugling call, a bit like a child’s party tooter, as you can hear in this video:
Common name: Black Swan
Scientific name: Cygnus atratus
Approximate length: 120 cm
Date spotted: 27 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’58.4″S 151°15’18.6″E
Tawny Frogmouth eyeing me carefully
Tawny Frogmouths are irresistibly picturesque. They’re nocturnal birds, members of the nightjar family, so they’re a bit dozy by day. This one was very aware of me as I moved quietly around below it.
Click the image to open in a new tab, and zoom in to take look at its plumage. The bird’s eye is almost entirely closed in this image.
Here’s a close up view of the bird’s head. It’s eye is now half open, keep a watch on me:
There’s not much happening in the videos, but you can see the careful, slow movements that the bird makes, trying to preserve its disguise as a dry branch:
There’s even less happening in the next video, but it gives a nice view of the bird itself. The harsh chirring noise is the cicadas, which dominate the bush at this time of year.
Common name: Tawny Frogmouth
Scientific name: Podargus strigoides
Approximate length: 40 cm
Date spotted: 26 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’26.7″S 151°15’08.7″E
Dollarbird in Sydney
Update on 25 December 2014: It’s a Dollarbird, also called a Broad-billed Roller. Thanks to Hamish Robertson for identifying this bird! They’re migratory, arriving in Australia in September/October every year and leaving again in March. They spend the winter in New Guinea and other northern islands.
Does anyone know what bird this is? I heard it making an insistent chattering noise the other day. It was high up on an electric cable, so I couldn’t see it very well. It’s dark in colour, with a red beak. I’d guess its size to be roughly that of a magpie. Here’s the best shot I got of it:
Here’s a video, useful mainly for the sound. I had the camera on high zoom without a tripod, so it’s quite shaky, but you can hear the sound very well.
Common name: Dollarbird (Thanks to Hamish Robertson for identifying this bird!)
Scientific name: Eurystomus orientalis
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 21 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’36.4″S 151°15’16.1″E
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are sociable creatures, often travelling in large groups. This one was with four others, but sat apart looking a bit grumpy.
It can be difficult to get a good photo of a cockatoo, because they’re so white that the sun gleams off them and the resulting glare removes all detail. So I was pretty please with these shots. Here’s a rear view:
Common name: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Scientific name: Cacatua galerita
Approximate length: 50 cm
Date spotted: 20 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’45.6″S 151°14’59.2″E
Jaded Kookaburra
I spent a fair bit of time today watching this kookaburra, hoping it would burst out laughing. (It’s my dream to video one of them laughing.) Instead, she just watched me back. I think this bird is a female, because she has only a small amount of blue marking on her wings, and none on her tail.
Her rear view makes me giggle, with that top knot of feathers:
And the other profile:
I think she’s wishing I’d fade into the sunset:
Common name: Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae
Approximate length: 47 cm
Date spotted: 14 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam National Park, Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’37.4″S 151°14’50.1″E
Ibis raiding the trash
Australian White Ibises are a common sight in the city, raiding the trash or swooping between the buildings. Their natural habitat is near water, nesting in colonies on trees and bushes on the water’s edge.
This video shows an ibis in Pyrmont, Sydney, guarding its booty from other raiders: screaming, strutting Silver Gulls and a curious but cautious Common Myna.
Here’s a close-up of the ibis.
Common name: Australian White Ibis
Scientific name: Threskiornis molucca
Approximate length: 70 cm
Date spotted: 4 December 2014
Season: Summer
Location: Pyrmont, in Sydney, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°51’56.4″S 151°11’46.6″E
Noisy Miner attacking a Brush-turkey
It’s a common sight in Australia, especially in spring: a small bird dive-bombing a larger one. The small bird is usually a Noisy Miner, although other types do it too. The larger bird can be a kookaburra, a raven, a cuckoo – you name it. In fact, Australian birds are likely to attack anything, including people.
On Thursday morning this week, I saw a Brush-turkey under attack from a Noisy Miner. The first couple of videos are in a fairly low resolution, because I was using my phone camera.
Late that afternoon I passed by the same spot, and the miner and turkey were still at it! Two very stubborn birds. This video shows why Australians who are fond of their gardens tend not to be so fond of the Brush-turkeys. You’ll see a cunning dive from the miner at one point too:
Eventually, the Brush-turkey decided discretion is the better part of valour and headed out into suburbia. I had my Canon camera with me this time, so you can see the turkey in full splendour:
Peace at last, although you can still hear the Noisy Miners heckling:
The Noisy Miner:
Common name: Noisy Miner
Scientific name: Manorina melanocephala
Approximate length: 26 cm
The Brush-turkey:
Common name: Australian Brush-turkey
Scientific name: Alectura lathami
Approximate length: 60 cm
Date spotted: 27 November 2014
Season: Late spring
Location: Allambie, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’18.0″S 151°15’42.6″E
Red-browed Finch in nest
Here’s a little Red-browed Finch putting the finishing touches to its nest. While I was there, I saw both partners in action, although this video shows only one bird.
The Red-browed Finch I blogged about in September was reasonably close to this nest. It may even be the same bird!
Common name: Red-browed Finch
Scientific name: Neochmia temporalis
Approximate length: 12 cm
Date spotted: 29 November 2014
Season: Late spring
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’32.9″S 151°15’09.9″E
Sydney Birder 