Blog Archives
The call of a Koel Cuckoo
We often hear Koel Cuckoos at this time of year, but it’s unusual to spot one. This male Common Koel (sometimes called an Eastern Koel) sat in a tree at dawn, calling out to his mates. Some Australian Miner birds swooped in to pester him, as they do.
Koels are migratory, travelling from the east coast of Australia to Indonesia, south-east Asia and India. They arrive in Australia in September, and leave again around March. It’s a lovely sign of spring when we first hear their call each year.
Common name: Common Koel or Eastern Koel
Scientific name: Eudynamys scolopacea
Approximate length: 45 cm
Date spotted: 7 December 2013
Season: Summer
Location: Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Eastern Whipbird calling
Eastern Whipbirds are usually difficult to spot. They move fast, and somehow they always manage to put a bush between you and them, or to position the sun behind them to blind you. So I was delighted to catch this video of an Eastern Whipbird making his weird call. The sound is a long drawn-out whistle, followed by a mini explosion a bit like the crack of a whip. Hence the bird’s name!
Common name: Eastern Whipbird
Scientific name: Psophodes olivaceus
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 23 November 2013
Season: Early summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: -33.776508,151.254956
Australian Brushturkey kicking up leaves
The Australian Brushturkey, also called a Bush Turkey or a Scrub Turkey, is a truly weird bird. This male is a lovely specimen: large, with a bright red head and long yellow dewlaps, officially called a wattle, hanging from its neck. I followed it round a corner, where it started doing what these birds are known and loved (or hated) for: kicking up the leaves and dirt with its big strong feet. They can make a real mess of your garden.
Brushturkeys do fly, though they’re a little ungainly in the air.
Common name: Australian Brushturkey
Scientific name: Alectura lathami
Approximate length: 75 cm
Date spotted: 6 November 2011
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: -33.782572,151.255698
Australian Raven cawing in a gum tree
Australian Ravens are big birds, a gorgeous blue-black in colour, with feathery beards and blue-circled eyes. This one was perched high in a gum tree, calling its haunting cry: “Ah ah ah aaaaaoooow”.
Common name: Australian Raven
Scientific name: Corvus coronoides
Approximate length: 50 cm
Date spotted: Sunday 27 October 2013
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: -33.782572,151.255698
Sydney Birder 