Kingfisher at Manly Dam near Sydney
A bright kingfisher dashed in and out of a termite nest high in a tree. I caught a couple of photos of the bird perching on branches, and made a video of a lightning-fast dash at the termite nest. I think it’s a Forest Kingfisher, after careful scrutiny of the photos and my bird book. But it may be a Sacred Kingfisher instead. It was exciting to see this bird, as I didn’t know we had any kingfishers in the area apart from kookaburras.
Update on 25 June, 2022: I’m revising my opinion. I now think this is a Sacred Kingfisher.
Here’s the video, at actual speed (very short):
Here it is again, slowed down to quarter speed:
A still photo:
And another:
Common name: Sacred Kingfisher
Scientific name: Todiramphus sanctus
Approximate length: 20 cm
Date spotted: Saturday 22 November 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, Sydney, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’57.5″S 151°15’20.2″E
Little Wattlebird croaking
This Little Wattlebird appears quite drab when seen from afar, but from close up has a sleek coat of streaks with chestnut touches on its wings. Wattlebirds are one of the many types of honeyeaters found in Australia. As well as nectar, they eat berries and insects. And they’re noisy and argumentative.
In the video, the bird is uttering its characteristic scratchy croak.
From behind:
In full song:
Common name: Little Wattlebird
Scientific name: Anthochaera chrysoptera
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: Saturday 22 November 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, Sydney, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’40.3″S 151°14’58.5″E
New Holland Honeyeater at Wineglass Bay Lookout
Not in Sydney this time, I was at Wineglass Bay Lookout in Tasmania when I saw a bush full of New Holland Honeyeaters. This video focuses on one of them, then draws back to show the gorgeous location it’s chosen for its foraging.
Here’s a still picture. Click on it to open it in a new window where you can zoom into the detail.
Common name: New Holland Honeyeater
Scientific name: Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Approximate length: 17-19 cm
Date spotted: Sunday 9 November 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Wineglass Bay Lookout, Tasmania
Approximate latitude/longitude: 42°08’60.0″S 148°17’20.2″E
Pardalote eating lerp
Pardalotes are very small, compact birds. They move fast, so it’s hard to catch one on film. This one is hanging upside down, snapping up lerp (I think) off a leaf.
Update on Tuesday 11 November: I originally wrote that the bird was snapping up insect eggs. But since then I’ve started reading Where song began by Tim Low. He describes how Pardalotes and other Australian birds scrape lerp off leaves. Lerp is a sweet carbohydrate excreted by tiny insects called psyllids.
I couldn’t get a good angle to see the whole bird all at once, but this short video gives a good idea of what it looks like.
Common name: Spotted Pardalote
Scientific name: Pardalotus punctatus
Approximate length: 10 cm
Date spotted: 2 November 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’36.3″S 151°15’14.9″E
Water dragon in a tree
Not a bird this time. This is an Australian water dragon – a reasonably large lizard that climbs trees and loves water. This one is about 60 cm long, the length of my arm without my hand.
I first spotted it when walking underneath the branch it was on. See the impressively long tail:
Here’s a side-on view. Apologies for the silhouette. The lighting was difficult:
This is a close-up of its head and hands:
Common name: Eastern water dragon
Scientific name: Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii
Approximate length: 60 cm
Date spotted: 25 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’24.1″S 151°15’05.5″E
Rainbow Lorikeets courting
These two Rainbow Lorikeets looked pretty interested in each other. They started with grooming and crooning, then they did a bit of a courtship dance. But it didn’t seem very serious, and they seemed to part as just good friends.
Common name: Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific name: Trichoglossus haematodus
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 19 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’51.2″S 151°15’00.4″E
Juvenile Powerful Owl with two adults
Today I went back to a spot in the bush where I’ve seen a Powerful Owl a few times. This time, there were three owls, one of them a juvenile: white and fluffy, with dark patches around its eyes. It heard me, and checked me out:
It’s hard to get a good day’s sleep when you’re an owl. Listen to all the noise they have to put up with from the other birds:
Here’s a still photo of the three owls:
And here’s a rear view of the juvenile:
Common name: Powerful Owl
Scientific name: Ninox strenua
Approximate length: 65 cm
Date spotted: 6 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’51.0″S 151°14’52.1″E
Black Cockatoos social grooming
A flight of Black Cockatoos swooped in over my head and landed in a big old gum tree, screeching their wild call. Two of them immediately started a careful and fond session of mutual grooming. As far as I can tell, both birds are female as they both have pale bills and grey (not red) rings around their eyes. You can hear their soft squawks as well as their characteristic wild shrieks on the video.
Here’s a still photo of the two social groomers:
This is one of the other birds in the group:
Common name: Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus funereus
Approximate length: 65 cm
Date spotted: 6 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’05.2″S 151°14’26.5″E
A pair of Crimson Rosellas
Parrots galore! Two weeks ago I encountered a King Parrot on my walk in the bush. This week it’s a couple of Crimson Rosellas. They’re slightly smaller than a King Parrot, with different colouring.
Common name: Crimson Rosella
Scientific name: Platycercus elegans elegans
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 27 September 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’36.6″S 151°15’16.2″E
Here’s a still shot of one of the birds, high up in a tree:
And another, snapped in a pool of sunlight:
Red-browed Finch
This little finch is looking very spiffy. I guess he’s donned is brightest feathers for the spring socials.
Here’s a still shot, grabbed from the video:
Common name: Red-browed Finch
Scientific name: Neochmia temporalis
Approximate length: 12 cm
Date spotted: 27 September 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’35.4″S 151°15’13.0″E
Sydney Birder 