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Willie Wagtail
Each time I walk around a particular area of the Manly Dam national park, there’s a little Willie Wagtail darting from branch to branch. I don’t know if it’s the same bird each time. It’s cute and cheeky. In this shot, I caught the bird in a rare contemplative mood:
In a previous post, I published a couple of videos of a Willie Wagtail in Pyrmont, near the Sydney city centre. In particular, the first video shows the bird carolling its song to all passers-by, with the Sydney harbour in the background. It’s worth a look: Willie Wagtail sings to beauty at dawn.
Common name: Willie Wagtail
Scientific name: Rhipidura leucophrys
Approximate length: 20 cm
Date spotted: 6 May 2020 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’34.3″S 151°14’47.4″E
Willie Wagtail sings to beauty at dawn
It’s early on a cold morning in Pyrmont. A little Willie Wagtail perches on a bollard and sings its heart out. Shades of silver dapple the water. Sydney Harbour Bridge decorates the skyline. All the requisites for an atmospheric scene are present and correct.
Apologies for the low quality of the picture. I was using my mobile phone to film the scene, and had to zoom because the bird was so small. However, this little Willie Wagtail has a big voice and a big heart.
In this second video, a Willie Wagtail harasses a Currawong, chittering and swooping at it. The birds are in the same place as the previous video, so it’s probably the same Willie Wagtail. It’s a common sight in Australia, to see the little birds chasing away the big ones.
Despite their name, Willie Wagtails are actually fantails rather than wagtails. The latter tend to waggle their tails up and down rather than side to side. However, Australians chose the name Willie Wagtail and it stuck.
Here’s a still photo of the same bird, also taken with my mobile phone, so also not wonderfully in focus.
Common name: Willie Wagtail
Scientific name: Rhipidura leucophrys
Approximate length: 20 cm
Date spotted: August 2017 (Winter)
Location: Pyrmont, Sydney: 33°51’57.3″S 151°11’47.9″E
Willie Wagtail attacks Raven
Australian Ravens are big, fierce birds. Willie Wagtails are round little balls of fluff with a faintly ridiculous habit of waving their tails around. But don’t let appearances deceive you. Willie Wagtails are plucky, if reckless. This one took objection to the spot a raven had chosen for a perch, and pestered the larger bird until it flew away.
The characters:
- Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys), approximate length 20 cm
- Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides), approximate length: 50 cm
Date spotted: 29 January 2017
Season: Summer
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’35.0″S 151°14’48.5″E
Sydney Birder 