bird behaviour

Welcome To My Chamber...

'Who's that calling me as I walk up to the gate?  It's a galah.'  They seem to know I have a camera and want to show me something.  But as I look on, I discover there's much going on and the birds are delighted to let me photograph their activities.... 

Have a look at the slideshow and see what I found...  read more »

Thornbills

thornbill close upThornbills or Yellow-bottoms as they are fondly called are no more than 10 cms long.  But their hearts and their awareness can match any human.  One morning, we walked into a freshly turned paddock trying to photograph a couple of peewees on the other side.  Our eyes caught some movement along the ground, almost like leaves rustling in the wind, except the  read more »

This Year's Challenge - Larry Again

Each year we've been blessed with our friendship with Maggie and his family and friends, there has been a different emphasis. Nothing has been the same two years in a row. This year, making sure we don't lose contact with grey butcherbird Larry, his family and friends, has been the big challenge. Previously, he had the territory over the road, and the pied butcherbirds Butch and family had the territory behind our house. (The two species have a single territory map, and don't share land.) Although Butch and gang don't want Larry to come, the situation worked out okay.  read more »

Making New friends - at the Lilypot

Monty magpie and Loki lorikeet know each other quite well.  They share the gum trees in the bush.  Keep any eye out for predators in the valley and when all is well, they catch up on all the neighbourhood gossip while larking out on the mulberry tree.

Before long, Lori decided it was time to inspect Monty's favourite spa and thirst quencher.  A surprised Monty decided to let go of his initial territorial instincts and join his friend instead.

Take a look at the slideshow below for a peek at the birds.  read more »

What a Bird!

Larry the grey butcherbird has been having trouble from the new pied butcherbird group just up the road. When everyone else had been fed and had gone away, I sneaked out into the yard to look for Larry and the other grey butcherbirds.  read more »

Butcherbird wheeling and dealing

We've had a very interesting week watching (and participating) in the relationships amongst our butcherbirds. On the back side of the house we have our original pied butcherbird family, Butch and Cass and two of their adult children. Along the road is a new pied butcherbird group of five or six, two of whom are two older kids of Butch and Cass, namely Teddy and Tommy, who, I am quite convinced once saved Gitie's life by warning her of a nearby highly venomous snake, and chasing it out of our yard.  read more »

Magpie land deal

Unfortunately our camera is on the fritz, just when you need it most!  read more »

Hawk Attack

Yesterday I was about to get in the car to go to town when an all-fired ruckus broke out behind the house. Running round, we saw a massive flock of galahs and rosellas and such birds crazily swirling here and there and crying out desperately as they wheeled here and there.

Then I noticed some hawk-like birds in amongst them. It was very hard to focus on them and get a clear view of exactly what they were, but it was clearly an attack upon the flock birds.  read more »

Striated Pardalote

scrub wren on a postThis bird is a special friend.  From tip of the beak to the end of the tail the bird is no more than 11 cms long.  Don't let this picture fool you, it has been magnified heaps.  read more »

A Lone Babbler - Sole Traveller or Seeking New Mates?

a babbler by himself hidden amidst the branches

What is a sweet, cute looking babbler doing, all by herself or himself?   read more »

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