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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:
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
Wallabies and kangaroos near Capertee
Last week I was in a beautiful part of New South Wales, near a little town called Capertee to the west of the Blue Mountains. I’ve published a few blog posts about some birds in the area. Another group of creatures that caught my eye were the wallabies and kangaroos.
The wallabies in Capertee look quite different from those in my area near Sydney. I’m used to seeing Swamp Wallabies, also called Black Wallabies (here’s a recent post about them). They’re quite dark in colour, whereas the wallabies that I saw further west are a lighter grey-brown overall, with pretty black markings on their faces. They’re called Black-Striped Wallabies:
The Black-striped Wallabies are listed as endangered in New South Wales. Here’s another one:
These wallabies are about 80 centimetres tall (31 inches), whereas Eastern Grey Kangaroos are much larger — up to two metres in height. Here’s one of the kangaroos that I saw on an early morning walk near Capertee:
Capertee and surrounds are absolutely gorgeous. I’d highly recommend a visit!
White-throated Treecreeper near Capertee
This sighting is another first for me! I’ve always wanted to see a treecreeper — they have such a romantic name. This little one is a female White-throated Treecreeper:
It was racing up and down a tree trunk, as treecreepers do. The bright white throat flashed in the dim early morning light, catching my eye. The bird has a small red spot at the upper edge of the white patch (see the time stamp 0.04 and 0.11 in the video), which marks it as a female.
Common name: White-throated Treecreeper
Scientific name: Cormobates leucophaeus
Approximate length: 13-15 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
Speckled Warbler in Capertee
This is a first sighting for me. I spent last weekend beyond the Blue Mountains, about three hours’ drive west of Sydney. During my early morning walk in the countryside near Capertee, this attractive little bird alighted long enough for a photo:
I’m pretty sure it’s a Speckled Warbler. It’s small and round, clad in tones of yellow and brown. The top of its head is chestnut brown with lighter stripes, and its breast and belly are a light yellow with brown stripes. The eyes are quite large, relatively speaking. It looks to have a reddish-brown line above its brow, which means it’s a female.
Here’s a slightly different angle:
According to my bird book, these birds are scarce to moderately common, depending on geographical area. They’ve been spotted mostly west of the ranges, which is exactly where I saw this bird.
Common name: Speckled Warbler
Scientific name: Chthonicola sagittata
Approximate length: 12-13 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
Bell Miners heard, and spotted at last!
Bell Miners, often called bellbirds, are well known in parts of Eastern Australia. We don’t have them in the area where I live, but I’ve heard them often when visiting nearby places. The odd thing is, though, that I’ve never before managed to actually see a Bell Miner. Until this weekend.
I was visiting the area of Capertee, about three hours’ drive west of Sydney. Bell Miners were chiming away in the trees:
For a while, as usual, I couldn’t spot a bird. There aren’t any clearly visible in the video either. Then, a flash of olive green, and a bird alighted for a brief moment:
The image is fuzzy, because I didn’t have time to focus on the bird. But at least I now know what they look like!
Here’s another Bell Miner in the same tree. This time it’s a juvenile bird, darker in colour than the adult:
Common name: Bell Miner, often called bellbird
Scientific name: Manorina melanophrys
Approximate length: 18-20 cm
Date spotted: 22 April 2023 (autumn)
Location: Long Ridge, Capertee, New South Wales, Australia: 33°09’53.9″S 150°00’06.2″E
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:
Sydney Birder 