Thanks for the warm welcome! I took part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count for the first time this year, while Victoria was in hard lockdown... and I was hooked. Once lockdown ended, I borrowed a friend's camera and started snapping. So yes, I know these aren't great photos but I'm really happy to be recording what I'm seeing :)
1. New Holland honeyeater.
IMG_5780 by Tom Cummings, on Flickr
2. Magpie-larks.
Magpie-larks by Tom Cummings, on Flickr
3. Black swan cygnet.
Black swan cygnet by Tom Cummings, on Flickr
4. Purple swamphen.
Purple swamphen by Tom Cummings, on Flickr
5. Australasian darter.
I know it's one point per species, but I love these. Spotted this guy having a feed and then he obligingly waded ashore in front of me to dry off!
6. Pacific black duck.
7. Australian wood duck (male & female).
8. Magpie.
9. Little raven.
10. Superb fairywren.
11. Little wattlebird.
12. Australian pelican.
Great start Tom! Welcome aboard. Some wonderful photos and I do love the Australasian Darter.
Not sure what book you are using to ID but Maned Duck is called Australian Wood Duck these days. Looking forward to more from you.
Thanks Sue! I've been using the Merlin app for the most part, so thanks for the correction. I've updated the post now :)
Glad to be of help. Merlin may not be giving current Australian names. If you don't mind suggestions then it is a great way to learn.
So pleased to hear that lock-down delivered you something good such as an interest in birds. There are rare birds to be found in some of the posts.
13. Masked lapwing.
14. Common myna.
15. European starling.
16. House sparrow.
Welcome Tom, so glad you can join us. You're off to a great start. My goodness that Darter is sooo fluffy.
Oh awesome, great to see your birds Tom. I love darters too, and it never goes amiss posting multiples of the bird. If you get a nice shot of a bird you've already posted, you can update the pic in your comp thread, or post it separately under Best Shots forum, or both. The more birds the better :-)
Another welcome from me. These challenges are encouraging us to get out and about. Your photos are great, but don't be shy of posting some that show a species, that you might have liked to get a better shot.
This site is more about sharing birds you are lucky enough to see, and not all about quality of the photo.
Thank for sharing, and keep em coming.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale! I'm an absolute rank amateur at photography so there are going to be some terrible photos :)
Here's a couple from today:
17: Pacific gull.
18: Laughing kookaburras.
Oh nice. Great shot of the kookaburras, and its great to see Pacific Gulls (we don't have them here, so its cool to see them - what powerful beaks they have)
Kookaburra photo is quite stunning. You Pacific Gull appears to be youngish, the brownish wing and mottled neck feathers. Love the way they wear their red lipstick!
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
We don't get the Pacific gulls here either, so nice to see. I always have a chuckle at their lipstick
A few more from this morning's walk.
19. Spotted dove.
20. Galah.
21. Dusky moorhen.
I thought this was a swamphen and I was just testing out my zoom... imagine my surprise when I saw the yellow in the legs and beak! Caught in mid-scratch, but EBC.
22. Eurasian coot with junior.
Love that Pacific Gull with its lipstick! Nice set of birds, please keep the, coming.
"Caught in mid-scratch, but EBC." You are getting the spirit right! Some nice shots, love how dishevelled the baby coots are :-)
Nice ones Tom. Keep em coming
23. Eastern rosellas.
24. Noisy miner.
25. Red wattlebird.
26. Silver gull.
Look at you go!!
I am having so much fun :) very glad I found this place. And can I just say, you're a welcoming bunch!
Way to go, Tom! We are an easy going bunch, so welcome to the group. The aim is to enjoy yourself so seems we are all meeting that goal. It is a wonderful way to learn about the variety of birds out there and how to distinguish one from another. In case we did not make it clear, EBC means Every Bird Counts no matter how poor the photo & we all have done some of those!
27. Crested pigeon.
And just like that you're nearly at 30. Well done. Glad you're enjoying yourself. I'm loving your enthusiasm!
I'm in Gatton this weekend, visiting my daughter and brand new granddaughter :) and I took the opportunity to pop over to Lake Galletly, at the UQ Gatton campus. Had no idea what I would find... the lake still has water, and plenty of birds! Nesting though, so I kept my distance.
28. Magpie Goose
29. Black-Winged Stilt
30. Plumed Whistling Duck
Three in one! This is the only photo I got of the Stilt so I thought I'd post the trifecta :)
31. Australian White Ibis
And I even found my own Ibis tree :)
32. Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egrets had their breeding plumage on, and they look amazing. Plenty of them nesting, which is why I stayed way back and tried out the zoom.
Your flying Tommy. Enjoying your photos, thanks for posting.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Headed over to Lake Dyer this morning. It's a pretty sad sight now with the drought, but still enough water to keep the birds around.
33. Golden-Headed Cisticola
This is my favourite photo to date. Had to wait ages for this little guy to sit still!
34. Eastern Great Egret
I think this is an EG Egret? Can someone help with the ID?
35. Grey Teal Ducks
Terrible long distance photo, but EBC :)
36. White-Bellied Sea Eagle
Nice ones - love the WBSE and cisticola shots :-) Yes, I'd agree Great Egret
Heading back to Melbourne this morning... really glad the borders opened up in time for me to visit my granddaughter :D
I did sneak in a visit to Lake Apex in Gatton before I left. The lake is dry but the area is being managed pretty well, and there are still plenty of healthy trees and vegetation for the birdlife.
I snapped a replacement for #34, the Eastern Great Egret. Love the face colour!
And a few others...
37. Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet
38. Little Corella
39. Little Pied Cormorant
40. Australian Brush Turkey
Well done Tom. A half century just around the corner! Love the way the Lorikeets hang when feeding. I wonder if that's a female Brush turkey or an immature one due to the lack of wattle around the neck?
Thanks Dev. I'm guessing a female, there were lots of birds nesting in that particular tree.
41. Common Blackbird.
Complete with complimentary worm. Not a bird we get up here thankfully
42. Straw-Necked Ibis.
Wow Tom, great set of birds, well done. Love that Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and the iridescence of the Straw-necked Ibis. Eager to see more.
Thanks Sue. The Ibis walked out of the trees as I was about to leave :) good timing.
43. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo.
44. Willie Wagtail. I think. He looks angry.
45. White-Browed Scrubwren. Terrible photo, but EBC.
46. Common Bronzewing.
47. Brown Thornbill. I hope I've ID'ed this one right! - edited to add, I asked on the Birds in Backyards FB group and yep, Brown Thornbill. Yay!
48. Rainbow Lorikeet.
Very nice Tommy! Love the straw-necked ibis :-)
One away from 50 :)
49. White-Faced Heron.
Great work Tommy, I am sure you will get at least 50, and so far in less than a month. Well done. You might give the others a run for their money next year?
You have some really nice photos there, keep them coming.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I agree with Dale, great work and I am waiting for number 50 for Christmas.
Are you still borrowing a camera? Have you tried a little editing as the White-browed Scrubwren is not a bad shot but would improve with a bit of contrast. The last shot of the White-faced Heron is also good but might benefit from a little lightening. Flickr offers some adjustments so might be worth trying out if you are interested. Looks like next year will be interesting.
Thanks Sue! No, i picked up a bridge camera (Panasonic Lumix FZ80) which I've been really happy with so far. Not so daunting technically and I can focus on the birds while I learn to take better photos.
I already lightened the scrubwren but didn't touch the contrast, so I'll take a look at that. I love that shot of the heron but you make a good point :) No harm in making these pics as good as I can!
Good to hear that you have a camera which appears to be working well. Just suggestions I thought might help you. You are getting some great birds.
A couple of replacement photos from this morning's walk.
3. Black Swan.
12. Australian Pelican.
And one from this afternoon. This fella moved so fast! EBC :)
50. Silvereye.
Nice work Tommy, love the swan and pelican, and the silver eye is trying to hide.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Merry Xmas everyone! We arrived in Tasmania on the 23rd, visiting my wife's parents in the north west then heading down to Hobart for a few days. I have high hopes that I'll be able to spot some endemics :)
51. Black-Faced Cuckooshrike.
52. Welcome Swallow. This little fella obligingly sat still long enough for a photo.
53. Tasmanian Thornbill. Still waiting on a definite ID but I'm pretty sure.
54. Grey Goshawk (white morph). Long range and heavily cropped but just a lovely looking bird.
Welcome to Tassie. I think your Thronbill looks right to be Tasmanian, but the angle doesn't give clear view of the forehead, wing and tail feathers. It certainly has its white fluffy undies on (one way to tell them - white fluffy vent and underpart feathers. I don't claim to be an expert.
If you can't rustle up at least half of our enedemics, I will be surprised. Believe it or not, I am still yet to see a confirmed view of the Black-headed and Strong-billed honeyeaters.
If you use e-Bird, might be worth a look to see what has been sighted recently.
Enjoy your stay, and look forward to more of your photos.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
55. European Goldfinch.
56. Forest Raven.
57. Grey Fantail (juvenile).
Lovely set of birds, Tom. You have some great sightings already from Tasmania. Try the Waterworks Reservoir in Hobart for birds as I have found a number on the trails there. Also nice for a picnic.
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