It’s been a long-time wish of mine to see an Apostlebird. In our recent Outback trip, my wish came true. Several of these birds congregated around Mungo Lodge, where we stayed during our two-day exploration of Lake Mungo and surrounds.

The birds have a characteristic dark mask around the eyes, which isn’t showing up as clearly as in some photos of these birds, because of the excellent mid-morning light. Here’s a half-profile shot, where you can just make out the mask leading from the beak and narrowly circling the eyes:

Two of the birds were nesting. I took the next shot in the early morning, when the sun was low in the sky. The photo shows one bird on the nest. Apostlebirds build their nests out of mud and clay. Since the soil is red in this area of the Outback, the nest is red too. It looks as if someone has put a round bowl in the tree, and the birds have hijacked it for a nest:

An early-morning grooming session was communal and chatty:

In the background sound of the above video, there’s a mournful falling whistle. This sound followed me around the area. I think it’s a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. I’ll blog about that bird soon.

The next video shows the two nesting birds again. It’s rather shaky and fuzzy, I’m afraid, due to my excitement and the poor light:

Common name: Apostlebird
Scientific name: Struthidea cinerea
Approximate length: 29-33 cm
Date spotted: 20-21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E