The ephemeral wetlands were beautiful and as the name implies, transitory so I had not always seen water in these places. A few photos of Lake Cargelligo and these wetlands which are normally pastureland... check out the fences. Apologies for the view through the windscreen but it was blowing a gale that day. The water treatment area was closed to the public and there was a new challenge around the birdhide (which I left untried!). You'll see that the water rose above the seat at some stage.
68 Australian Reed-warbler... surprise me as it flitted amongst the drowning plants but I think this is a classic pose
69 Hoary-headed Grebe... love these guys with their punk hair-do. This day the wind dropped in the morning and there were a family of Grebes about but they were nervous of me.
I'll post this replacement Australasian Grebe for comparison and because I like it.
70 Blue-billed Duck... an unexpected surprise as my cotact had not yet seen them and was hurrying back after I told her of the sighting. There were two pair of (I assume) Blue-billed breeding males and plainer but charming females. Got these shots the second visit when the wind and light were better.
71 Pink-eared Duck... plenty about but quite skittish as close to the road but I quite like this shot despite the pink being hard to see.
72 Hardhead... not a great shot from The Newey in Cobar but should get an improvement (maybe next weekend!).
73 Grey Teal... just like the colouring as it looks 'newly minted' at West Wyalong. Probably the nicest shot I have of this species.
74 Plumed Whistling-duck... a nice surprise at Warren to about 7 of these beauties but quite distant. Really not many waterbirds as they have dispersed over the countryside.
75 Intermediate Egret... in breeding plumage... wonderful to see these rather than Great Egrets. Note the gape finishes before the eye not after it and the leg colour (despite the orange/red mud on one of them). First at Warren and second at Round Hill Nature Reserve (in the mallee) near the railway track mudhole. Surprisingly, no fact sheet.
76 White-necked Heron... I've never seen so many of these herons, they seemed to be everywhere and would often fly over. The frist is feeling the heat in warren and the second lot lifted up near Chat Alley. I won't speculate on the plumage as a number of features are there to explore... neck spots or lack thereof, white scapulars and so on.
77 Nankeen Night-heron... a young one of which there were many. This first one took off at West Wyalong and I thought the shot was a bit unusual especially with the hitch-hiker. Seven youngsters and an adult in one bare tree in Warren including this one that flew in and checked me out. The adults earn the name 'nankeen' for their colour but they were not interested in posing.
78 Glossy Ibis... the only chance shot that I managed as theywere moving on to other places after being seen in large numbers earlier in lake Cargelligo. This was taken as they rose from the grasses on the road to Chat Alley and I could only stop briefly.
79 Straw-necked Ibis... from the same are as the Glossy Ibis. Numerous birds flew up as you drove past and it was too wet to pull over or walk down the road with the damaged pavement. Note the underwing pattern where Australian white ibis is white underwing.
80 Yellow-billed Spoonbill.. seen at Warren high in a tree with a couple of other birds. Sorry, that in this light, the bill looks more pink than yellow but the sun was bright and the bird backlit.
A view of part of the Tiger Bay Wetlands at Warren.
Enough for tonight, plenty to come still. Hope you enjoy my memories of the trip.
Thanks Dale. I was pleased that the photos are coming out OK considering the wind and dust apart from heat haze.
Now for some parrots from the trip.
81 Cockatiel... an awful shot as a couple flew over my head while in the mallee and I did not see any elsewhere. Surprising!
82 Australian Ringneck... the first at West Wyalong was very camera-shy so a quick shot while the other at Warren was just too hot to care... note the wings being held out from the body even at rest. Apparently the long distance migratory birds have the same pose on arrival. This was the day my car sregistered 40 degrees C in the shade!
83 Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (soon to be called Pink Cockatoo perhaps)... we were very lucky as they came into West Wyalong near us on two occasions and then turned up in Rankin Springs as we had lunch. Truly beautiful birds but you cannot miss the sound.
84 Red-rumped Parrot... a pair from Lake Cargelligo as I leaned out of the car window. Love that the male is showing plenty of colour while the female is a more moody shot.
85 Superb Parrot... the same forest reserve of remnant Ironbark, Little Blow Clear out of West Wyalong, was again productive but this time they were females and youngsters and it took some time to locate a male for the second photograph. With so many young ones, the birds were much flightier and a challenge to photograph. They would take off as soon as I appeared so much stalking and dodging large spiders to get these shots. The male looks a bit splotchy but I think it is just shadows from the leaves and he was also skittish so no way was he coming out into the sun.
86 Eastern Rosella... finally located a bird in decent light in West Wyalong as we were leaving. Beautiful parrot but needs the light to show ff the colours. They were not seen in large numbers anywhere.
87 Australian King Parrot... definitely an BEC from Dunedoo. It was sitting in heavy shade well hidden inside the tree's canopy and it was pure luck that I spotted the shape at all as the red was facing away from me. Sheltering from the wind and perhaps the heat at Dunedoo as we stopped for lunch. Aoplogies for not taking a picture of the painted silos which sported an Owl.
88 Galah... another pair of birds from West Wyalong. Sitting very quietly and obligingly.
More to come but it all takes time and you can get a bit overloaded so enjoy these few until tomorrow.
Great shots again, Sue. Can't believe you didn't swim all your gear across to the 'floating' hide! The grey teal is clear and very helpful, as I keep thinking I have seen one when it is another female chestnut teal. Keep the ID tips and notes coming - providing many 'aha!' moments.
Thanks, Michael... Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal females can be confusing and I often consider long and hard. It does depend on the picture. I'll try to add a few tips as I go that may help you.
Now for the honeyeaters and the like. Some were fleeting visitors so only one shot but you can easily tell them apart.
89 Black Honeyeater... a really interesting Honeyeater as it is often seen feeding in the ashes of an old campfire... not sure what the charcoal does but I have witnessed it in the past. This time a brief vist to the eremophila which was flowering at the railway track at Round Hill natue reserve.
90 Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater... the song is distinctive, a bit like it is practising a tune and the pink lipstick and blue eye are sriking A couple of shots to show front and back. The frist from Hiawatha Forest reserve near West Wyalong and the second from the mallee at Round Hill Nature reserve.
91 Striped Honeyeater... a plumpish looking Honeyeater but very distinctive with that striped head. I saw the adult at Round Hill and just love the colour sof the mallee so I cropped loose and the second shot is a young one seen at the old reservoir in Cobar. I had another shot of one peering around a bush to see me which was also cute. Amazing how some birds can be curious about your presence rather than intimidated.
92 White-fronted Honeyeater... another distinctive bird with that little dash of pink at the back of the eye and awhite froehead. The eremophila was very attractive to the honeyeaters at the train tracks at Round Hill.
93 White-plumed Honeyeater... not the best shot of a fairly common bird as I kept forgetting to take one. So a quick ahot from west Wyalong where they were numerous and noisy.
94 Little Friarbird... a couple of shots to show some differences. The adult with the bluish facial skin is from Lake Cargelligo while the young one with the yellow under the chin is from West Wyalong.
95 Red Wattlebird... another bird at west Wyalong that was feeling the heat ... sitting in the shade with bill open as the temperature stayed high throughout the day.
We may have only gone away for two weeks but it was quite rewarding bird wise. All the photos are now processed so it is just a matter of posting them so I'll push on with a loose selection process and some tidbits that might be of interest.
Martins and Woodswallows... fast and difficult to photograph unless perched
96 Tree Martin... in the first flight shot you can see that it lacks the orange head of the Fairy Martin. Really fast but it lifted off power lines at West Wyalong where there were a few amongst all the welcome Swallows. Below that is a bonus shot of a pair of Fairy Martins from Cobar showing a youngster with a parent.
97 White-breasted Woodswallow... I saw these in numerous places although not in high numbers. The group were at Rankins Springs and is the classic shot as they snuggle up on high bare branches. The next shot shows a young bird as you can see from the wing markings.
98 White-browed Woodswallow... striking looking birds which were seen in a number of places, some with youngsters. At the old reservoir in Cobar, a pair were coming through like bullets plucking insects from the air and then resting in the treetops. I spent some time attempting to catch them with the 500mm prime lens before switching the the 600mm zoom as I was unable to locate them at that speed. A few shots to show my efforts as the clouds came and went just to add to the challenge.
A few more from a variety of places but they are always a treat to photograph.
We finished in Mudgee but I'll start there. It was wonderful to catch up and stay with old friends whom we had not seen over the past two years of Covid. We came home loaded up with fresh home-grown veggies and a feeling of contentment. I had a lesson on corn pollination as an extra bonus. I visited the wetlands at Putta Bucca on the outskirts of Mudgee but found the water levels very high, the waterbirds dispersed (no mud to feed upon) and the finches also absent. However, one reliable bird was still present.
99 Azure Kingfisher... not the photo I envisaged but I was hot and tired and with the water high, it was roosting in a new spot. I came around a corner and flushed three Azure Kingfishers! One came into a tree where I could get a very shaded photograph and the other two (perhaps youngsters) flew off in the opposite direction. Missed opportunity but a pleasure to think they bred there.
So before we got to Mudgee, we were in a number of places.
100 Sacred Kingfisher... the first bird was seen in Nyngan as we had lunch and while I sitting there, I realised that it was calling and returning to the same large palm tree... sure enough, it vanished into a nest hole. The pose on the lamp post was in different light to the next shot from Warren where the bird posed in early morning sunlight and just glistened. Feather irridesence is amazing!
101 Rainbow Bee-eater... another strikingly beautiful bird. As I was driving up the very wide dirt road through the mallee to Round Hill Nature Reserve, I encountered a number of these birds feeding on insects. They were flying across the road and picking insects like dragonflies from the air here before perching on a limb for a bit. By the time I had stopped and found a way to climb the gravel heaps along the road they had moved off the road. [Sidenote: all along the side of the dirt road were continuous high heaps of gravel for roadwork and I hesitated to climb over in fear of setting off a mini-slide... did it without mishap!] A number of birds were working the area... youngsters had no tail streamers, the black gorget on the neck was missing or weak and they were duller than adults.
Another couple of birds that can be difficult to photograph as they get lost in scrub very quickly.
102 Painted Button-quail... what a treat to find them again in the same place at Booberie Creek. I drove there late one afternoon and saw one race across in front to me. On checking, I found that it had vanished but there were numerous 'platelets' around... to borrow from Wikipedia they feed in pairs, in grasses and leaf litter on the ground. They scratch and glean, spinning on alternate legs to create distinctive circular depressions, known as platelets. I'll include a picture of a platelet taken with my phone.
103 Brown Quail...seen at the old reservoir in Cobar. This was quite amusing. As I was driving along the levee alongside the reservoir, I could see some birds crossing in the distance but one was jumping up into the air and spinning, lagging behind just like an errant child having fun. As I neared I could see it was a covey of Brown Quail but failed to get the camera up in time. I stopped and missed the one that flushed from beside the car. Thinking my opportunity had passed, I walked down the bank and waited in bushes near the water to see what appeared... after a short time, more Brown Quail! They did not see me and quietly moved off.
Another lot of loosely grouped birds from the trip but getting towards the end.
104 Bar-shouldered Dove...an awful shot from the old reservoir at Cobar but as named it is evident.
105 Diamond Dove... a young bird with indistinct spots, a bit browner and dull orbital skin. It stayed around the waterhole at the railway track in Round Hill while the adult hid in the bushes. I'll include a distant shot from elsewhere showing an adult Diamond Dove with that red eye-ring and an adult Peaceful Dove.
106 Peaceful Dove... from Whoey's Tanks at Round Hill a young bird still developing that lovely blue eye-ring and with pale fringes to the feathers. They are a bit bigger than a Diamond Dove.
107 Common Bronzewing... pure luck as this bird came to drink from the muddy track that I was avoiding on my way out of the old reservoir in Cobar. It hung about as I stopped the car, put down the window nad leaned over the passenger seat with the camera. i crossed my fingers that no one would drive up as I blocked the way. We had seen these birds a number of times on the trip but always very flighty and took off before I was close enough. This doea show a nice green but the bronze requires light from another angle.
108 Australasian Pipit... a quick shot from the car as we drove from Cowra to West Wyalong via a long scenic route through Conimbla National Park... simply because we had ample time and had not been there. Most of this drive was good but one long section was definite off-road driving with large ruts and rocks to negotitate in low range. It was evident from the beginning and end of the road that no-one travelled the middle section as it was left untended to the most part. This bird was seen on the way to the park... note the pinkish bill and legs and the white edges to the tail apart from the facial markings.
109 Brown Songlark... seen on the road to Chat Alley. Very difficult to stop for any time as this was the flood damaged road described earlier with ephemeral swamp either side. So a quick stop when it posed nicely. Note pinkish bill and legs but dark chest.
110 Rufous Songlark... seen and heard on the road to Cobar at the only rest stop (one rest area that the shire should be ashamed of as the toilet door has to be held closed, if possible. Some don't bother so it can be interesting!). There were a number of birds singing plus what I thought was a Fantail Cuckoo but may have been the Songlarks. I heard tha same thing in West Wyalong and went searching for a Cuckoo but found Songlarks instead! Note the dark bill, pinkish legs and pale breast to rule out other songsters.
111 Horsfield's Bushlark... same flodd damaged road near Chat Alley where it just sat in the middle of the road until I drove on. A distant shot also in the haze as it sat on the fence. Quite a different shaped bill to the other birds around.
112 House Sparrow... seen as we headed to Conimbla NP. I got out of the car for this one but missed another bird or two as I noticed a sheep with its head stuck in the fence. Silly thing had poked its head through a square to eat from the roadside and was stuck there until I startled it enough to twist and pull more frantically and free itself. Thought this was a nice comparison to the Bushlark.
Some more from the trip west as I want to get them all loaded before next weekend's big get-together with the Victorian contingent.
113 Apostlebird... numerous birds at Warren. Chatty types that rarely seem anxious about your presence. Often they will come up as we are sittiing enjoying a drink at a remote rest stop.
114 Grey-crowned Babbler... surprisingly few of them so a quick shot from Hiawatha forest reserve out of West Wyalong. I did not want to pursue them any further into the spiders and webs and bush. There were also numerous large dragonflies hovering over the road and impossible to photograph as the camera locked on to everything else but them!
115 Common Blackbird... a very shy bird at the bottomof the garden in Mudgee. It would duck out and grab a worm before winging back to the heavy blaackberry.
116 Common Starling... awful light but I was getting hot and tired at Warren.
117 White-winged Chough... numerous birds at West Wyalong but I liked the sheen on this one. Tried for a flight shot to show the white on the wings but no success so i offer some nestlings. I did not hang about the nest as it was incidental to the picture I was taking. I thought that the construction might be ineteresting.
118 Rufous Whistler... first bird from the Hiawatha forest has a bit of rufous tinge but streaks don't look heavy enough for a young one and bill is dark. Perhaps it is just dirt. No shots to show if there is a brown edge to the wing feathers. The second bird is from Cobar and shows the lack of brown edged feathers mentioned earlier and is clearly an adult.
119 Oriental Dollarbird... from Mudgee and an awful shot as backlit and high in a tree but unmistakable.
120 Restless Flycatcher... another bird from The Newey at Cobar. I heard it and then everybody wanted to pose in the same tree so I had quitea good time there. Interestingly, this is not uncommon...silence and then various birds start appearing, some quite noisily. I like the sheen and the raised crest of the first shot but then it came very close to me and posed for the profile shot.
I am going to post the next bird on its own as I challenge you to identify it before looking at the name which I will post at the end. It had me thinking until the parent appeared.
121 branchling's species to be announced in next post.
Have you guessed the species of the little branchling? There were two of them which had been calling continuously before moving to another tree where I could get good pictures of them. A parent soon appeared and fed them which solved the ID instantly.
121 White-winged Triller... a beautiful male in breeding plumage feeding one of the youngsters. I also saw the abandoned nest which I'll post for interest and will attempt to get confirmation. EDIT: I removed the nest pic as not necessarily used by Trillers.
Now for a collection of Robins. I believe that they rare all the same species but thought it would be ineresting to compare them at different ages and plumage.
122 Red-capped Robin... they were everywhere but in various stages of development and the plumage varied greatly. So instead of a nice red cap and breast on the male, we must look for the faint red cap on the female and the wing pattern on the youngsters as well as head pattern and streaking. Hiawatha Forest Reserve, Whoey's Tanks and Rankins Springs represented here.
Final birds from the trip west are mainly little ones. I'll then post some of the other things that we saw around the place.
123 Speckled Warbler... so pleased to see this one at Rankins Springs near alittle bird hide. I had seen one here on a previous trip but this one was making quite an unusual sound and just popped in briefly. I have not heard a sound from the ones in Capertee Valley.
124 White-fronted Chat... always popping up when I cannot stop suddenly or when I have to wait for the dust to settle from the dirt road! Both are pictures of males, the first from Chat Alley and the second from the old reservoir in Cobar. I included the second to show the chest band. Sadly, I failed to see the budgerigars until too late and missed getting a picture of them down at the water's edge.
125 Mistletoebird...from Warren with a spider for lunch. I heard them earlier in the day but this one just flew in and surprised me. The bill is dark rather than orange so it is not a youngster but a mature female.
126 Plum-headed Finch... from Mudgee. It is a wild bird that was attracted to the sound of aviary birds but I also include an awful shot from the old reservoir at Cobar in case there is doubt. No Fact Sheet.
127 Splendid Fairy-wren... a couple of splendid males and a female from the mallee at Round Hill and Nombinnie Nature Reserves. The female has the orange lores distinguishing it from a male. We were standing in the Old Wheat Paddock area of Nombinnie when there was a wonderful splash of colour ... popped into view and exited just as quickly. The last two were coming to the puddle of water at the railway track at Round Hill. Spectacular colour which can be so brilliant that it is difficult to photograph.
128 Variegated Fairy-wren... a quick backlit shot as I was being called back to pick up my husband. I went out early to the Newey at Cobar and he walked into town for a coffee before ringing to meet up. The arrangement works quite well.
129 White-winged Fairy-wren... from Chat Alley. My apologies for this truly awful but identifiable shot. They just kept down in the bushes because of the strong wind. Hopefully, I'll post a much better shot later this year.
130 Striated Pardalote... a distant shot but identifiable... the red spot is even there. These little ones were following the Rainbow Bee-eaters as they chased insects across the road into the mallee. Not sure what they were actually doing but it was ineresting to watch this tiny thing appearing to chase the bigger bird and perform all the aerial acrobatics.
131 Spotted Bowerbird... now I am prepared for rejection on this one. Please let me know if you think it unidentifiable and I'll edit the post. A pair came through on dusk at Warren and kept up high and behind the leaves so it was challenging. I think it is identifiable but perhaps Alex and Abby will disagree. I pick the two of you as likely to have seen one. No Fact Sheet.
That is it for the birds but Ii'll load a few more pictures soon.
A few more things seen along the way and which I don't think that I have posted as yet.
Sunrise around 30 minutes from home when you leave around first light.
A very fat Shingleback lizard seen in the Hiawatha forest reserve out of West Wyalong... my daughter suggests that it may have been very pregnant. I ushered it off the track and into cover in the direction in which it was heading. It was not happy to see me although I never touched it.
One of the innumerable Cabbage Moths spread over the countryside either ending up as food as here or struck by a car. It was a bit sad to see this one struggling but I let nature take its course.
Australian Golden Orb spiders... please note the tiny male which scurried off very quickly away from the huge female. I hate having to dodge these large spiders when walking as you can miss seeing one web or another and I really do not like spiders.
Probably a Small Grass Yellow butterfly which I encountered at Little Blow Clear forest reserve out of West Wyalong.
All I have at the moment is genus Cruria... seen at Warren
One of the Australian Azure butterflies which was seen at Mudgee... quite small but brilliant blue wings when when open.
Blue Skimmer dragonfly seen at Lake Cargelligo
Bearded Dragon which was seen as I headed to Round Hill and into the mallee
I do have some birds that I am checking on but essentially that is it for the trip unless a surprise comes from the IDs. As to IDs of insects and butterflies, I use iNaturalist and submit them for ID and research. Sometimes I remember to submit recordings of frogs to the museum on the frog app but I often forget that one. My daughter helps with reptile ID if I'm stuck so I think that pretty much covers everything. I don't do plants as I am hopeless at it.
Thanks Dale. Most came out better than expected and sorry, only saw one snake. I think Birdlife's magazine is now using Pink Cockatoo but not sure where else this has now occurred... certainly not on the working list as yet.
Wow Sue, what a great trip! Some lovely birds and great photos - and really enjoyed your trip notes too :-)
Yes, I got the baby triller - but only because I'd had a very similar experience watching one being fed at Capertee a week or two ago. I identified him by his mother too (although it took me a while longer to ID her than if it had been Dad on feeding duty!)
Yes, your bowerbird is identifiable from that :-)
One of my strongest memories from Round Hill was first seeing a Red-capped Robin male (lifer) - and then being driven to frustration at all the variants of them! (ooooh a new bird, wonder what that is? nope - just another juvenile, or female, or juvenile female, or eclipse male, or.... lol).
I've never seen a Buttonquail, and so seldom ever had the chance to photograph any quails (normally exploding my heart instead) and the Purple-headed Finches would be a lifer too - but its the Major Mitchells that I most want to see - just stunning
Thanks Alex, suspect you mean Plum-headed Finch and they are quite common around Capertee Valley and Mudgee area so a good chance that you will see them (as for Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, now that is a beautiful bird, males and females, but not sure I'll get to the right area this year!). Only my second definite sighting of a Painted Button-quail and both times it was this spot. I have heard their numbers are up so you never know... Bowra might find you both the finch and the Button-quail.
I have more Robin shots to sort but suspect they are all Red-capped but it is a challenge as other possibilities can be there and you need that side view of the wing pattern. The Major Mitchells are often around the areas we visited, often feeding in the Aleppo pines... we even saw five fly into lake Cargelligo township and on to the pines on the town's edge, often in the late afternoon. Again, Bowra might supply them.
The Central Bearded Dragon was soaking up the rays as I came up to it. I've had a Perentie walk past my room in WA... huge goanna and quite beautiful. If the camera is handy them always worth a shot.
I feel sure that our team will coninue to post some great birds and we will all be inspired to travel to new places to find them.
Amazing educational material Sue, your bird knowledge is incredible! Thanks for sharing your terrific photographic essays with us, really loved the series on thornbills and similar birds because they can look so alike in the field but when you get down to the details there are characteristics that seperate them if you look hard enough...or they stop long enough!! Wonderful to see all the little birds that you managed to pick up despite the heat, especially loved the Chestnut-Rumped Thornbill and Inland Thornbill as they are rareties to me.
The Crested Grebe shots were superb, thanks for sharing those. I've gotten get motivated and get over to Williamstown as I believe there are a breeding pair over there with bubs atm...time to get my own shots!
And I love the Wonga Pigeon shot, was hoping for one of my own up the coast but didn't manage to bump into one quite like you did!
Thanks for sharing the raptors, and your general trip experience, hard to imagine the flooding just now but can definitely see at the southern coast of NSW that it looks like springtime not the end of summer so definitely evidence of lots of rain and not the drought conditions that were previously in place. Good breeding conditions all round.
Love your Plum-headed Finches. that would be a lifer for me. I agree with Alex that your spotted bowerbird is all good. Don't birds know that we just want a couple of good clear shots??
Also love your non-bird photos, especially your Bearded Dragon.
Thank you, Abby and Danika. I am glad that the information is proving interesting. It tkes a while to get it all done but when you have a selction like the Thornbills, it seems worthwhile. Looking forward to the catch-up and then I might have some more water birds to add.
132 Australian Hobby... what an amazing experience to have a pair speeding through the sky for what must have been 10 minutes if not longer. I had a few camera issues (which were all my fault) and missed getting the initial display but I hope that the next few pictures build on Alex's story.
They came through fast and very close to the trees skimming the tops in their acrobatics. There were numerous bees (I think) in the sky with them so unclear if it was play, fighting or feeding. The bee does give a size comparison. Occasionally they had a short rest in a distant tree before taking off again.
This was the icing on the cake for a wonderful day at the Western treatment Plant. We just stood there in the middle of the road and enjoyed the show.
Finally, I have finished processing the photos from the wonderful weekend in Victoria... Sydney is still suffering with drenching rain so plenty of free time. Some of these shots are truly awful (EBC for sure!) but I'll post them in hopes of replacing at some stage.
The following are all from the Western Treatment Plant, incredble place. My shots suffered a bit with my inability to hold an effective 700mm lens still in the wind but I also had some trouble locating the bird as it moved... practice needed on this new combo. However, some are purely because of distance... highly cropped and at the extreme scope of the lens.
133 Australian Pied Oystercatcher... a distant bird but quite striking
134 Australian Shelduck... a lovely male showing some colour
135 Brolga... so exciting to see so many and a young one. I saw a pair last year but failed to get a photo.
136 Cape Barren Goose... a strong looking bird but what a colour combo with that lime green beak and pink legs!
137 Common Tern... a definite EBC as so distant but ABID confirmed my ID after I posted a number of shots. The larger bird with wings up is a Crested Tern.
138 Crested Tern... a quick shot as it flew by so hope to improve on it.
139 Curlew Sandpiper... wonderful to see these ones going into breeding plumage. You cannot miss that curved bill and the eyebrow although I did get a bit excited thinking I had seen a double eybrow (sadly, no Broad-billed Sandpiper present).
140 Black-tailed Godwit... five of them came out of the crowd later in the afternoon and one strode towards us. I counted 5 of them and did send pictures off to a friend for confirmation but I was pretty confident. That matt plummage stands out but I'll quote his reply for interest.
Black-tailed godwit Asiatic, has a very distinctive straight bill, and being a rather large bird, a female.
The bonus is the other two are also, the left hand one has very long tibia and has that mat brown look about it, also female on size plus the tertial in breeding plumage would cancel out a bar-tailed godwit female.
The smaller one middle bird, a male, shows the black tail fairly clearly though harder to make out the mat look, the tail is enough, also long tibia in proportion.
no fact sheet
141 Golden-headed Cisticola... gorgeous little bird posing so nicely for us... my flight shot was not worth posting so kudos to you, Abby.
142 Little Egret... nice to see a few of them. Interstingly, one seemed to be chasing off the third bird.
143 Little Grassbird... popped up briefly and I managed this shot though I blew the whites a bit. Any shot of these birds is a feat. They were calling constantly as Alex and I walked along but almost impossible to get any shot of them so I was happy.
144 Little Raven... head shape and bill length look quite different to the Australian Raven which I see around Sydney and the hackles appear shorter. This was in late afternoon light but I like that golden glow.
145 Marsh Sandpiper... saw so many of these birds but missed getting a comparison shot with the Common Grennshank as they kept their heads down in the wind. Very white with a dainty long bill and beautiful breeding plumage in the second shot.
146 Pacific Golden Plover... definite EBC at the extreme range of the lens and highly cropped as it was behind the Common Terns! Really hope I find a replacement shot as this is just identifiable.
147 Pacific Gull... soft focus but quite identifiable and not a gull we see often in Sydney.
148 Pectoral Sandpiper... first shot to demonstrate that sharp demarcation on the chest and the second shot showing it to the right of a group of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. They also tend to quite a yellow base to the bill. no fact sheet
149 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper... a nice group shot above and a couple more to show how they vary somewhat in size and markings. Note the demarcation on the one below is not so marked and there is flecking continuing down the flanks. (I also check for Long-toed Stints but no luck so far!)
150 Red-capped Plover... beautiful little birds which I have seen in numerous places; the first is an adult and the second an immature one. Sometimes very hard to see them against the brown earth.
151 Red-necked Stint... small light coloured birds which are quite common but sometimes confused with Sanderlings (which are much whiter and lack a hind toe).
152 Singing Honeyeater... an awful shot as I blew the whites yet again but recovered them somewhat. Out near the bird hide on the first afternoon along with so many White-fronted Chats and singing Little Grassbirds.
153 Striated Fieldwren... what a treat and such a patient bird to wait until we all had a photo! I leant over and took this from the rear window of the car so quite happy with the result. I've only seen them once before in Port Fairy. No fact sheet
154 Swamp Harrier... still having trouble locking on as the first one popped up beside the car and the other flew away. The first is quite dark but the face shield is there and a touch of white on the rump. The second shows a nice underwing pattern and all my other shots show a lovely white rump in focus as the bird flies way!
155 White-bellied Sea-eagle.. another EBC as it was just too far away but surely I'll find a replacement.
156 White-winged Black Tern... twenty of these Terns flew past and I managed to lock on and get a few in focus. However, this one bird really shows the ID very well with the black starting on the underwing coverts and the headphone pattern on the head.
A bonus flight shot showing a number of species: upper and under wing patterns, rump pattern and colour, bill shape: Curlew sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint are the last 3 (full) flying birds.
Once again, my thanks to Alex for thinking to include me and to Danika, Abby and Tom for a fun day out. More to come from the following day at Serendip Sanctuary where we had some successes.
Now from Serendip, a special little bird that posed so beautifully that Icannot stay with one shot.
157 Purple-crowned Lorikeet... they are so small that the flowers and leaves swallow them up but occasioally one came into a clear spot for a photo. I have seen them once before in WA as flocks swept across the road around us. What a beautiful little bird and it blends in so well with the foliage... a few profiles and a fanned-out tail.
A few more from Serendip and a nice little Dragon from the You Yangs for Dale. A number of birds came down to have a drink or a bath at this little waterhole so Alex and I just stood and waited.
158 Brown Thornbill... a common little bird that can be difficult to photograph.. a scalloped forehead distinguishes it from the Striated Thornbill.
159 Brown-headed Honeyeater
160 Emu... a number of these birds were wondering about feeding on the fruit on these bushes. Initially, I thought they were quandongs but I really don't know. Any suggestions?
161 European Goldfinch... another EBC as they flew into a different spot for a drink and out again before I knew it
162 Magpie Goose... at least a thousand birds present. We had seen them flying in great flocks as we walked around so no surprise to come across so many bathing and resting.
163 New Holland Honeyeater... cannot believe that I have not posted one sooner as they are so common aorund Sydney. They were feeding young ones high in the trees so it has been a good season.
164 Spotted Pardalote... saw a few of them but often quite high in the trees or moving on quickly. So a quick shot of a male floowed by a more cooperative young one.
Jacky Dragon Amphibolurus muricatus ... just for you, Dale
Finally a couple of extra shots from Serendip and Werribee.
There was quite a commotion in the treetops... a Pied Currawong had taken a young bird for brunch.. sad but it is the circle of life.
Yellow-billed Spoonbill feeding at Serendip.
Now a few from the Western Treatment Plant on the days earlier.
Brown Falcon about to take off as we drove over the causeway.
A male White-fronted Chat... one of the many we saw on the Friday afternoon... they seem to like the tops of the bushes.
That is it for now as I await an improvement in the weather before venturing out again.
Thanks, Dale. I was a bit overwhelmed trying to load all the pictures, fact sheets and update the list.
Fabulous weekend is a great description. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed IDing waders. Definitely worth the trip and wonderful to share with like-minded people.
Wow Sue you certainly made the most of your 2 trips into the WTP!! Terrific photos, amazing. Although I'm wondering when you came up with the White-winged Tern and Sea-eagle, I would have loved to share those with you :) Really great ID shot of the WW Tren.
It was a really great excursion and I'm glad you could come down and spend time with us.
So glad you caught up with the Purple-crowned Lorikeets at Serendip after we couldn't get shots Saturday morning, and looks like you had a great time there as well.
Thanks Danika, it was wonderful of you to guide us around such a vast area. I was very pleased with the variety of birds even if some were quite distant. No lifers for me that weekend but there were birds that I had only photographed once before so I was very happy.
A flock of 20 WW Black Terns flew over on the Friday at 6:37pm as Alex and I stood just down the road from the bird hide followed soon after by the Sea-eagle. I was shooting a Pelican and realised all these smaller birds were with it. So I kept photographing the flock as it came closer and managed a few with nice detail. I suspected they were WWB Terns from the camera back but certain at home although I put on ABID for confirmation. I was so concentrated on the Terns that the Sea-eagle almost missed out except for Alex spotting it. I suggest a late walk down from the bird hide could be quite rewarding as we saw numerous birds around that area.
Serendip was a great walk and we were quite lucky to see a number of birds there but the Purple-crowned Lorikeets were the last ones as we headed out so a great reward. Nothing like visiting a new area to find birds uncommon to your home spot.
I forgot to mention that I went from Tullamarine to the National Gallery of Victoria where Alex picked me up. There was an art installation on the roadside of waterbirds (white outline on black) moving and feeding e.g. Ibis, Swamphen, Silver Gulls. Seemed llike an appropriate greeting.
Awesome collection, thanks Sue. I will have to pick the Hobby falcon in flight as my favourite set. I still haven't seen one, although there is apparently one near my house according to e-bird.
I enjoyed your swamp harrier too, and wonder how your muscles are building, swinging that enormous lens for BIF!
Wonderful photos Sue, and not just from the WTP! I think you've logged nearly 100 birds since I last commented :) you've definitely made the most of your opportunities. And I have to echo what the others have said, it was a real treat to catch up with you all. I still think we should aim to make a trip to the WTP an annual event for the forum :D
I have to make special mention of your Red Rumped Parrots, the colours and detail are just wonderful. And so pleased you found the Purple-Crowned Lorikeets, they evaded us in the wind.
Thanks Michael. Might have been youngsters play-fighting but who knows, it was just wonderful to watch. Once you see one, they will turn up more often.
Thanks Tommy, I did enjoy meeting everyone and a yearly event sounds promising. I checked and I think I'm 3 birds shy of 100 since you last commented... you just need to leave home for a different area. We were very lucky with the Purple-crowned Lorikeets posing so clearly. I'm sure Alex will have some good shots as well. As to the Red-rumps, they did pose just beside the car which makes life easy but the light was also good.
My husband is getting restless so we might take off again next month for somewhere interesting. Sydney's weather is not conducive to birding at present! I believe that we have had almost a year's rainfall already!
As you know, Alex and I went to sea... and came back with so many photos and new birds. A while since I've seen so many lifers! It was a glorious day as the rain stayed away, the seas were good with 2-3m waves and a reasonable swell and the wind was mostly between 10-15 knots. I did not manage to see all the birds that were recorded but it was difficult as Alex has stated... moving birds, moving boat, losing your footing, trying to sort one bird from another and find that one fast moving individual, change settings for white birds then brown birds... and so on.
I settled on a Nikon D850 full-frame camera with 70-200mm zoom (f2.8) lens and took a 1.4TC (which I forgot to attach!). Auto ISO and White Balance but manual everything else; exposure compensation adjusted down to -1 but -2 might have been better to allow for the reflection off water and white feathers. Shutter speeds were mostly over 2000 and I finally thought to use this instead of Exposure Compensation to adjust between different coloured bird. I used Spot focus and Group mode. That was the technical stuff, now I need to go back and try it all again to get it right! I needed more reach at times and some highlghts were too bright. It was great fun and I did not feel sick!
I apologise for too many pictures but everything that Alex said fits for my photos as well and I am even more impressed with Dale's pictures after this event.
165 Australasian Gannet... saw them a few times and this young one was attractive from every viewpoint. I did like when it lowered the landing gear!
166 Red-footed Booby... what a surprise when this bird appeared albeit keeping its distance. I was not set up correctly for a distant white bird so this is the best I could manage but all the markers are present... e.g. black shoulder patch, white tail, pink facial skin. I have seen them once before when on a large ship passing the Cocos-Keeling Islands and this photo is marginally better. No fact sheet.
Now for the stars of the day, Albatross. What gorgeous birds and they kept visiting all day even though they did not seem particularly hungry. Apparently, they were mostly young birds and it is impossible to repesent with one photo so I apologise for the excess pictures.
167 Black-browed Albatross... the pictures tell the story.. a Lifer!
168 Shy Albatross... another picture story and they were not acting shy! No fact sheet. Another Lifer!
Two more lifers! Again cannot choose between the photos ... I understand your dilemma now, Dale.
169 Grey-faced Petrel... that pale face stood out but I only got a good look at the bill when sorting the photos. Quite different from the Shearwaters' bills. Grey in some light and brown in others. No fact sheet
170 Pomarine Jaeger... 3 different species were sighted on the day but too fast for me as a Parasitic (Arctic) Jaeger went straight at a Crested Tern and out of sight. A number of these appeared over the day so I had a chance to get some decent shots. No fact sheet.
I am not saying very much as Alex has covered it all so beautifully in his post... thanks, Alex.
Now for the Shearwaters... all lifers! Apologies but keeping it short as the internet is fading.
171 Flesh-footed Shearwater.... so many on the day but fairly easy to pick with that black tip to the bill and the feet ending at the tail end.
172 Short-tailed Shearwater... the only one in all 1200 odd photos so I almost missed it! The underwing looked different as did the bill and ABID confirmed it...yeah!
173 Streaked Shearwater... great excitement when this bird appeared and made a number of passes before briefly landing. The streaking is on the underwing and that pale face made it easy to follow.
174 Wedge-tailed Shearwater... the most numerous bird on the day but eventually I felt confident in the ID with the dark bill, uniform colour underwing and the feet well inside the tail.
Wow Sue, you should be very proud of those shots, they are all amazing. You have several shearwaters that would be new for me. It is amazing that the range of birds is similar, but so much different than we have down here. Shy Albatross are probably our most common Albie seen in Tassie, so sometimes you take for granted how special they are.
Added (hope you don't mind) the fact sheet for the Shy Alabtross (sometimes they don't appear?).
Appreciate your comments on settings used, I think shutter speed is the key to getting sharper photos, but can be at the expense of high ISO. I tend not to try to much with exposure compensation as it can be somewhat saved in post (just another thing for me to stuff up). Having said that, in the early morning low light, I will crank it up until the light improves. The beauty of my camera is that I have a histogram displayed in the viewfinder, it is sort of transparent, so doesn't obstruct the view too much. This allows me to get an idea of what the result "might" be.
Again well done.
Guess I will just have to get out there on another pelagic to find some more species for our overall list!
Guess I will just have to get out there on another pelagic to find some more species for our overall list!
Wait for meeeeee! Lol
Nice work Sue, some great pics - I think for rank pelagic beginners we did OK :-) And well done on getting the Short-tailed Shearwater - I went cross-eyed looking for one in all the Flesh-footed and Wedge-tailed shots, but nothing - I'll have to go again :-)
Thanks Dale and Alex. I was pretty happy with the end result considering my status as a beginner on boats and seabirds. Sorry about the lack of description but the internet threatened to shut off again and I'd already lost some work.
Yes Alex, cross-eyed sounds about right as I have now scanned all my pictures again looking for another shot of a Petrel which is either Black or White-chinned but no chin to view! The Short-tailed Shearwater was spotted by luck when sorting.
Cannot see an added Fact Sheet, Dale and only 2 Albatross fact sheets seem to exist. Love if you could add it.
I have since been advised to put the 1.4xTC in place on the D850, turn off auto ISO and set it to 400, open the lens to f5.6 (it goes to f2.8), set exposure compensation to -1.5 or even -2 and shoot away... recover in post-processing with no highlight issues. We will just have to wait and see if that works for me. Maybe a Pelagic off Tassie ... sometime.
It was good fun and I am eager to go again and try it all out (with an experienced birder to ID the birds and point them out!). So many lifers!
Ah sorry Sue, I added a link to the fact sheet which appears not to exist when you click on that link.
White-chinned Petrel isn't really a very appropriate name, as the white chin is extremely small and often not visible at all, so don't beat yourself up.
Interesting advice on the Nikon D850, the only way to confirm is go on another pelagic!
If your not sure on some of your IDs the Seabirds and Pelagic Australia Facebook page is a great resource. Have a look at the White-faced Petrel on their banner - the guy who took that photo was sitting next to me when it was taken - I have a similar photo of the same bird but his is just so much better. A genuinely nice guy who is a great photographer.
Thanks Abby, it was a steep learning curve for bird ID and photography. You want that extra reach of a long lens but it hampers you in other ways... if only I added the TC! Fabulous day out but we were lucky with the weather.
Beautiful birds and shots, Sue. Amazing to think there is action like that way out to sea. How long was the trip, and for what length of time were you photographing? Your shots and Alex's make it seem quite hectic, birds flying everywhere!
Thanks, Michael. We boarded at 6:45 am at Mosman then picked up from Rose Bay 15 mins later before heading out through the heads for a full day... I was back at Mosman at 5pm. It was a very full day but great fun.
I started taking photos from about 8:20am as we came to the first birds outside the heads (Shearwaters) and stopped at around 4:00pm (around 1250 shots). I did slow down as we headed back as I knew I had some good shots. It takes a little while to get your act together and find the best postion to anchor yourself. I did stop for an apple for morning tea and lunch and plenty of sips of water. There were birds flying everywhere behind the boat, down the sides, overhead. They came for the bait being towed or thrown into the water. Quite daunting to find the one being mentioned as special and pick it from the melee for a photograph. Remember I was limited to 200mm. My hands were sore that night!
Fabulous photos Sue, those birds are simply stunning. So very different from what I'm used to! The albatrosses in particular have quite a striking visage, you captured them beautifully.
The ephemeral wetlands were beautiful and as the name implies, transitory so I had not always seen water in these places. A few photos of Lake Cargelligo and these wetlands which are normally pastureland... check out the fences. Apologies for the view through the windscreen but it was blowing a gale that day. The water treatment area was closed to the public and there was a new challenge around the birdhide (which I left untried!). You'll see that the water rose above the seat at some stage.
68 Australian Reed-warbler... surprise me as it flitted amongst the drowning plants but I think this is a classic pose
69 Hoary-headed Grebe... love these guys with their punk hair-do. This day the wind dropped in the morning and there were a family of Grebes about but they were nervous of me.
I'll post this replacement Australasian Grebe for comparison and because I like it.
70 Blue-billed Duck... an unexpected surprise as my cotact had not yet seen them and was hurrying back after I told her of the sighting. There were two pair of (I assume) Blue-billed breeding males and plainer but charming females. Got these shots the second visit when the wind and light were better.
71 Pink-eared Duck... plenty about but quite skittish as close to the road but I quite like this shot despite the pink being hard to see.
73 Grey Teal... just like the colouring as it looks 'newly minted' at West Wyalong. Probably the nicest shot I have of this species.
74 Plumed Whistling-duck... a nice surprise at Warren to about 7 of these beauties but quite distant. Really not many waterbirds as they have dispersed over the countryside.
75 Intermediate Egret... in breeding plumage... wonderful to see these rather than Great Egrets. Note the gape finishes before the eye not after it and the leg colour (despite the orange/red mud on one of them). First at Warren and second at Round Hill Nature Reserve (in the mallee) near the railway track mudhole. Surprisingly, no fact sheet.
76 White-necked Heron... I've never seen so many of these herons, they seemed to be everywhere and would often fly over. The frist is feeling the heat in warren and the second lot lifted up near Chat Alley. I won't speculate on the plumage as a number of features are there to explore... neck spots or lack thereof, white scapulars and so on.
77 Nankeen Night-heron... a young one of which there were many. This first one took off at West Wyalong and I thought the shot was a bit unusual especially with the hitch-hiker. Seven youngsters and an adult in one bare tree in Warren including this one that flew in and checked me out. The adults earn the name 'nankeen' for their colour but they were not interested in posing.
78 Glossy Ibis... the only chance shot that I managed as theywere moving on to other places after being seen in large numbers earlier in lake Cargelligo. This was taken as they rose from the grasses on the road to Chat Alley and I could only stop briefly.
79 Straw-necked Ibis... from the same are as the Glossy Ibis. Numerous birds flew up as you drove past and it was too wet to pull over or walk down the road with the damaged pavement. Note the underwing pattern where Australian white ibis is white underwing.
80 Yellow-billed Spoonbill.. seen at Warren high in a tree with a couple of other birds. Sorry, that in this light, the bill looks more pink than yellow but the sun was bright and the bird backlit.
A view of part of the Tiger Bay Wetlands at Warren.
Enough for tonight, plenty to come still. Hope you enjoy my memories of the trip.
Great BIF shots, I love the one diving. Those last two are nice and crisp as well.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale. I was pleased that the photos are coming out OK considering the wind and dust apart from heat haze.
Now for some parrots from the trip.
81 Cockatiel... an awful shot as a couple flew over my head while in the mallee and I did not see any elsewhere. Surprising!
82 Australian Ringneck... the first at West Wyalong was very camera-shy so a quick shot while the other at Warren was just too hot to care... note the wings being held out from the body even at rest. Apparently the long distance migratory birds have the same pose on arrival. This was the day my car sregistered 40 degrees C in the shade!
83 Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (soon to be called Pink Cockatoo perhaps)... we were very lucky as they came into West Wyalong near us on two occasions and then turned up in Rankin Springs as we had lunch. Truly beautiful birds but you cannot miss the sound.
84 Red-rumped Parrot... a pair from Lake Cargelligo as I leaned out of the car window. Love that the male is showing plenty of colour while the female is a more moody shot.
85 Superb Parrot... the same forest reserve of remnant Ironbark, Little Blow Clear out of West Wyalong, was again productive but this time they were females and youngsters and it took some time to locate a male for the second photograph. With so many young ones, the birds were much flightier and a challenge to photograph. They would take off as soon as I appeared so much stalking and dodging large spiders to get these shots. The male looks a bit splotchy but I think it is just shadows from the leaves and he was also skittish so no way was he coming out into the sun.
86 Eastern Rosella... finally located a bird in decent light in West Wyalong as we were leaving. Beautiful parrot but needs the light to show ff the colours. They were not seen in large numbers anywhere.
87 Australian King Parrot... definitely an BEC from Dunedoo. It was sitting in heavy shade well hidden inside the tree's canopy and it was pure luck that I spotted the shape at all as the red was facing away from me. Sheltering from the wind and perhaps the heat at Dunedoo as we stopped for lunch. Aoplogies for not taking a picture of the painted silos which sported an Owl.
88 Galah... another pair of birds from West Wyalong. Sitting very quietly and obligingly.
More to come but it all takes time and you can get a bit overloaded so enjoy these few until tomorrow.
Great shots again, Sue. Can't believe you didn't swim all your gear across to the 'floating' hide! The grey teal is clear and very helpful, as I keep thinking I have seen one when it is another female chestnut teal. Keep the ID tips and notes coming - providing many 'aha!' moments.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Michael... Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal females can be confusing and I often consider long and hard. It does depend on the picture. I'll try to add a few tips as I go that may help you.
Now for the honeyeaters and the like. Some were fleeting visitors so only one shot but you can easily tell them apart.
89 Black Honeyeater... a really interesting Honeyeater as it is often seen feeding in the ashes of an old campfire... not sure what the charcoal does but I have witnessed it in the past. This time a brief vist to the eremophila which was flowering at the railway track at Round Hill natue reserve.
90 Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater... the song is distinctive, a bit like it is practising a tune and the pink lipstick and blue eye are sriking A couple of shots to show front and back. The frist from Hiawatha Forest reserve near West Wyalong and the second from the mallee at Round Hill Nature reserve.
91 Striped Honeyeater... a plumpish looking Honeyeater but very distinctive with that striped head. I saw the adult at Round Hill and just love the colour sof the mallee so I cropped loose and the second shot is a young one seen at the old reservoir in Cobar. I had another shot of one peering around a bush to see me which was also cute. Amazing how some birds can be curious about your presence rather than intimidated.
92 White-fronted Honeyeater... another distinctive bird with that little dash of pink at the back of the eye and awhite froehead. The eremophila was very attractive to the honeyeaters at the train tracks at Round Hill.
93 White-plumed Honeyeater... not the best shot of a fairly common bird as I kept forgetting to take one. So a quick ahot from west Wyalong where they were numerous and noisy.
94 Little Friarbird... a couple of shots to show some differences. The adult with the bluish facial skin is from Lake Cargelligo while the young one with the yellow under the chin is from West Wyalong.
95 Red Wattlebird... another bird at west Wyalong that was feeling the heat ... sitting in the shade with bill open as the temperature stayed high throughout the day.
We may have only gone away for two weeks but it was quite rewarding bird wise. All the photos are now processed so it is just a matter of posting them so I'll push on with a loose selection process and some tidbits that might be of interest.
Martins and Woodswallows... fast and difficult to photograph unless perched
96 Tree Martin... in the first flight shot you can see that it lacks the orange head of the Fairy Martin. Really fast but it lifted off power lines at West Wyalong where there were a few amongst all the welcome Swallows. Below that is a bonus shot of a pair of Fairy Martins from Cobar showing a youngster with a parent.
97 White-breasted Woodswallow... I saw these in numerous places although not in high numbers. The group were at Rankins Springs and is the classic shot as they snuggle up on high bare branches. The next shot shows a young bird as you can see from the wing markings.
98 White-browed Woodswallow... striking looking birds which were seen in a number of places, some with youngsters. At the old reservoir in Cobar, a pair were coming through like bullets plucking insects from the air and then resting in the treetops. I spent some time attempting to catch them with the 500mm prime lens before switching the the 600mm zoom as I was unable to locate them at that speed. A few shots to show my efforts as the clouds came and went just to add to the challenge.
A few more from a variety of places but they are always a treat to photograph.
We finished in Mudgee but I'll start there. It was wonderful to catch up and stay with old friends whom we had not seen over the past two years of Covid. We came home loaded up with fresh home-grown veggies and a feeling of contentment. I had a lesson on corn pollination as an extra bonus. I visited the wetlands at Putta Bucca on the outskirts of Mudgee but found the water levels very high, the waterbirds dispersed (no mud to feed upon) and the finches also absent. However, one reliable bird was still present.
99 Azure Kingfisher... not the photo I envisaged but I was hot and tired and with the water high, it was roosting in a new spot. I came around a corner and flushed three Azure Kingfishers! One came into a tree where I could get a very shaded photograph and the other two (perhaps youngsters) flew off in the opposite direction. Missed opportunity but a pleasure to think they bred there.
So before we got to Mudgee, we were in a number of places.
100 Sacred Kingfisher... the first bird was seen in Nyngan as we had lunch and while I sitting there, I realised that it was calling and returning to the same large palm tree... sure enough, it vanished into a nest hole. The pose on the lamp post was in different light to the next shot from Warren where the bird posed in early morning sunlight and just glistened. Feather irridesence is amazing!
101 Rainbow Bee-eater... another strikingly beautiful bird. As I was driving up the very wide dirt road through the mallee to Round Hill Nature Reserve, I encountered a number of these birds feeding on insects. They were flying across the road and picking insects like dragonflies from the air here before perching on a limb for a bit. By the time I had stopped and found a way to climb the gravel heaps along the road they had moved off the road. [Sidenote: all along the side of the dirt road were continuous high heaps of gravel for roadwork and I hesitated to climb over in fear of setting off a mini-slide... did it without mishap!] A number of birds were working the area... youngsters had no tail streamers, the black gorget on the neck was missing or weak and they were duller than adults.
Another couple of birds that can be difficult to photograph as they get lost in scrub very quickly.
102 Painted Button-quail... what a treat to find them again in the same place at Booberie Creek. I drove there late one afternoon and saw one race across in front to me. On checking, I found that it had vanished but there were numerous 'platelets' around... to borrow from Wikipedia they feed in pairs, in grasses and leaf litter on the ground. They scratch and glean, spinning on alternate legs to create distinctive circular depressions, known as platelets. I'll include a picture of a platelet taken with my phone.
103 Brown Quail...seen at the old reservoir in Cobar. This was quite amusing. As I was driving along the levee alongside the reservoir, I could see some birds crossing in the distance but one was jumping up into the air and spinning, lagging behind just like an errant child having fun. As I neared I could see it was a covey of Brown Quail but failed to get the camera up in time. I stopped and missed the one that flushed from beside the car. Thinking my opportunity had passed, I walked down the bank and waited in bushes near the water to see what appeared... after a short time, more Brown Quail! They did not see me and quietly moved off.
Another lot of loosely grouped birds from the trip but getting towards the end.
104 Bar-shouldered Dove...an awful shot from the old reservoir at Cobar but as named it is evident.
105 Diamond Dove... a young bird with indistinct spots, a bit browner and dull orbital skin. It stayed around the waterhole at the railway track in Round Hill while the adult hid in the bushes. I'll include a distant shot from elsewhere showing an adult Diamond Dove with that red eye-ring and an adult Peaceful Dove.
106 Peaceful Dove... from Whoey's Tanks at Round Hill a young bird still developing that lovely blue eye-ring and with pale fringes to the feathers. They are a bit bigger than a Diamond Dove.
107 Common Bronzewing... pure luck as this bird came to drink from the muddy track that I was avoiding on my way out of the old reservoir in Cobar. It hung about as I stopped the car, put down the window nad leaned over the passenger seat with the camera. i crossed my fingers that no one would drive up as I blocked the way. We had seen these birds a number of times on the trip but always very flighty and took off before I was close enough. This doea show a nice green but the bronze requires light from another angle.
108 Australasian Pipit... a quick shot from the car as we drove from Cowra to West Wyalong via a long scenic route through Conimbla National Park... simply because we had ample time and had not been there. Most of this drive was good but one long section was definite off-road driving with large ruts and rocks to negotitate in low range. It was evident from the beginning and end of the road that no-one travelled the middle section as it was left untended to the most part. This bird was seen on the way to the park... note the pinkish bill and legs and the white edges to the tail apart from the facial markings.
109 Brown Songlark... seen on the road to Chat Alley. Very difficult to stop for any time as this was the flood damaged road described earlier with ephemeral swamp either side. So a quick stop when it posed nicely. Note pinkish bill and legs but dark chest.
110 Rufous Songlark... seen and heard on the road to Cobar at the only rest stop (one rest area that the shire should be ashamed of as the toilet door has to be held closed, if possible. Some don't bother so it can be interesting!). There were a number of birds singing plus what I thought was a Fantail Cuckoo but may have been the Songlarks. I heard tha same thing in West Wyalong and went searching for a Cuckoo but found Songlarks instead! Note the dark bill, pinkish legs and pale breast to rule out other songsters.
111 Horsfield's Bushlark... same flodd damaged road near Chat Alley where it just sat in the middle of the road until I drove on. A distant shot also in the haze as it sat on the fence. Quite a different shaped bill to the other birds around.
112 House Sparrow... seen as we headed to Conimbla NP. I got out of the car for this one but missed another bird or two as I noticed a sheep with its head stuck in the fence. Silly thing had poked its head through a square to eat from the roadside and was stuck there until I startled it enough to twist and pull more frantically and free itself. Thought this was a nice comparison to the Bushlark.
Sue, it looks like you had an amazing time. Great to see and hear birds from locations that we visited earlier this year. Want to go back.
The birdhide by Lake Cargelligo was flooded for us too. Thanks for sharing your amazing photos. Do love the Major Mitchell Cockatoos.
Some more from the trip west as I want to get them all loaded before next weekend's big get-together with the Victorian contingent.
113 Apostlebird... numerous birds at Warren. Chatty types that rarely seem anxious about your presence. Often they will come up as we are sittiing enjoying a drink at a remote rest stop.
114 Grey-crowned Babbler... surprisingly few of them so a quick shot from Hiawatha forest reserve out of West Wyalong. I did not want to pursue them any further into the spiders and webs and bush. There were also numerous large dragonflies hovering over the road and impossible to photograph as the camera locked on to everything else but them!
115 Common Blackbird... a very shy bird at the bottomof the garden in Mudgee. It would duck out and grab a worm before winging back to the heavy blaackberry.
116 Common Starling... awful light but I was getting hot and tired at Warren.
117 White-winged Chough... numerous birds at West Wyalong but I liked the sheen on this one. Tried for a flight shot to show the white on the wings but no success so i offer some nestlings. I did not hang about the nest as it was incidental to the picture I was taking. I thought that the construction might be ineteresting.
118 Rufous Whistler... first bird from the Hiawatha forest has a bit of rufous tinge but streaks don't look heavy enough for a young one and bill is dark. Perhaps it is just dirt. No shots to show if there is a brown edge to the wing feathers. The second bird is from Cobar and shows the lack of brown edged feathers mentioned earlier and is clearly an adult.
119 Oriental Dollarbird... from Mudgee and an awful shot as backlit and high in a tree but unmistakable.
120 Restless Flycatcher... another bird from The Newey at Cobar. I heard it and then everybody wanted to pose in the same tree so I had quitea good time there. Interestingly, this is not uncommon...silence and then various birds start appearing, some quite noisily. I like the sheen and the raised crest of the first shot but then it came very close to me and posed for the profile shot.
I am going to post the next bird on its own as I challenge you to identify it before looking at the name which I will post at the end. It had me thinking until the parent appeared.
121 branchling's species to be announced in next post.
Have you guessed the species of the little branchling? There were two of them which had been calling continuously before moving to another tree where I could get good pictures of them. A parent soon appeared and fed them which solved the ID instantly.
121 White-winged Triller... a beautiful male in breeding plumage feeding one of the youngsters. I also saw the abandoned nest which I'll post for interest and will attempt to get confirmation. EDIT: I removed the nest pic as not necessarily used by Trillers.
Now for a collection of Robins. I believe that they rare all the same species but thought it would be ineresting to compare them at different ages and plumage.
122 Red-capped Robin... they were everywhere but in various stages of development and the plumage varied greatly. So instead of a nice red cap and breast on the male, we must look for the faint red cap on the female and the wing pattern on the youngsters as well as head pattern and streaking. Hiawatha Forest Reserve, Whoey's Tanks and Rankins Springs represented here.
Final birds from the trip west are mainly little ones. I'll then post some of the other things that we saw around the place.
123 Speckled Warbler... so pleased to see this one at Rankins Springs near alittle bird hide. I had seen one here on a previous trip but this one was making quite an unusual sound and just popped in briefly. I have not heard a sound from the ones in Capertee Valley.
124 White-fronted Chat... always popping up when I cannot stop suddenly or when I have to wait for the dust to settle from the dirt road! Both are pictures of males, the first from Chat Alley and the second from the old reservoir in Cobar. I included the second to show the chest band. Sadly, I failed to see the budgerigars until too late and missed getting a picture of them down at the water's edge.
125 Mistletoebird...from Warren with a spider for lunch. I heard them earlier in the day but this one just flew in and surprised me. The bill is dark rather than orange so it is not a youngster but a mature female.
126 Plum-headed Finch... from Mudgee. It is a wild bird that was attracted to the sound of aviary birds but I also include an awful shot from the old reservoir at Cobar in case there is doubt. No Fact Sheet.
127 Splendid Fairy-wren... a couple of splendid males and a female from the mallee at Round Hill and Nombinnie Nature Reserves. The female has the orange lores distinguishing it from a male. We were standing in the Old Wheat Paddock area of Nombinnie when there was a wonderful splash of colour ... popped into view and exited just as quickly. The last two were coming to the puddle of water at the railway track at Round Hill. Spectacular colour which can be so brilliant that it is difficult to photograph.
128 Variegated Fairy-wren... a quick backlit shot as I was being called back to pick up my husband. I went out early to the Newey at Cobar and he walked into town for a coffee before ringing to meet up. The arrangement works quite well.
129 White-winged Fairy-wren... from Chat Alley. My apologies for this truly awful but identifiable shot. They just kept down in the bushes because of the strong wind. Hopefully, I'll post a much better shot later this year.
130 Striated Pardalote... a distant shot but identifiable... the red spot is even there. These little ones were following the Rainbow Bee-eaters as they chased insects across the road into the mallee. Not sure what they were actually doing but it was ineresting to watch this tiny thing appearing to chase the bigger bird and perform all the aerial acrobatics.
131 Spotted Bowerbird... now I am prepared for rejection on this one. Please let me know if you think it unidentifiable and I'll edit the post. A pair came through on dusk at Warren and kept up high and behind the leaves so it was challenging. I think it is identifiable but perhaps Alex and Abby will disagree. I pick the two of you as likely to have seen one. No Fact Sheet.
That is it for the birds but Ii'll load a few more pictures soon.
A few more things seen along the way and which I don't think that I have posted as yet.
Sunrise around 30 minutes from home when you leave around first light.
A very fat Shingleback lizard seen in the Hiawatha forest reserve out of West Wyalong... my daughter suggests that it may have been very pregnant. I ushered it off the track and into cover in the direction in which it was heading. It was not happy to see me although I never touched it.
One of the innumerable Cabbage Moths spread over the countryside either ending up as food as here or struck by a car. It was a bit sad to see this one struggling but I let nature take its course.
Australian Golden Orb spiders... please note the tiny male which scurried off very quickly away from the huge female. I hate having to dodge these large spiders when walking as you can miss seeing one web or another and I really do not like spiders.
Probably a Small Grass Yellow butterfly which I encountered at Little Blow Clear forest reserve out of West Wyalong.
All I have at the moment is genus Cruria... seen at Warren
One of the Australian Azure butterflies which was seen at Mudgee... quite small but brilliant blue wings when when open.
Blue Skimmer dragonfly seen at Lake Cargelligo
Bearded Dragon which was seen as I headed to Round Hill and into the mallee
I do have some birds that I am checking on but essentially that is it for the trip unless a surprise comes from the IDs. As to IDs of insects and butterflies, I use iNaturalist and submit them for ID and research. Sometimes I remember to submit recordings of frogs to the museum on the frog app but I often forget that one. My daughter helps with reptile ID if I'm stuck so I think that pretty much covers everything. I don't do plants as I am hopeless at it.
Wow Sue just WOW. love them all, the Major Mitchell's are special, I thought they were already changed to Pink, but maybe I read the pre change info.
Another centurion amongs the ranks.
Fabulous photos, even the ones you not as happy as you could be, would be great in my list!
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale. Most came out better than expected and sorry, only saw one snake. I think Birdlife's magazine is now using Pink Cockatoo but not sure where else this has now occurred... certainly not on the working list as yet.
Wow Sue, what a great trip! Some lovely birds and great photos - and really enjoyed your trip notes too :-)
Yes, I got the baby triller - but only because I'd had a very similar experience watching one being fed at Capertee a week or two ago. I identified him by his mother too (although it took me a while longer to ID her than if it had been Dad on feeding duty!)
Yes, your bowerbird is identifiable from that :-)
One of my strongest memories from Round Hill was first seeing a Red-capped Robin male (lifer) - and then being driven to frustration at all the variants of them! (ooooh a new bird, wonder what that is? nope - just another juvenile, or female, or juvenile female, or eclipse male, or.... lol).
I've never seen a Buttonquail, and so seldom ever had the chance to photograph any quails (normally exploding my heart instead) and the Purple-headed Finches would be a lifer too - but its the Major Mitchells that I most want to see - just stunning
Loved the bearded dragon too!
Thanks Alex, suspect you mean Plum-headed Finch and they are quite common around Capertee Valley and Mudgee area so a good chance that you will see them (as for Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, now that is a beautiful bird, males and females, but not sure I'll get to the right area this year!). Only my second definite sighting of a Painted Button-quail and both times it was this spot. I have heard their numbers are up so you never know... Bowra might find you both the finch and the Button-quail.
I have more Robin shots to sort but suspect they are all Red-capped but it is a challenge as other possibilities can be there and you need that side view of the wing pattern. The Major Mitchells are often around the areas we visited, often feeding in the Aleppo pines... we even saw five fly into lake Cargelligo township and on to the pines on the town's edge, often in the late afternoon. Again, Bowra might supply them.
The Central Bearded Dragon was soaking up the rays as I came up to it. I've had a Perentie walk past my room in WA... huge goanna and quite beautiful. If the camera is handy them always worth a shot.
I feel sure that our team will coninue to post some great birds and we will all be inspired to travel to new places to find them.
Amazing educational material Sue, your bird knowledge is incredible! Thanks for sharing your terrific photographic essays with us, really loved the series on thornbills and similar birds because they can look so alike in the field but when you get down to the details there are characteristics that seperate them if you look hard enough...or they stop long enough!! Wonderful to see all the little birds that you managed to pick up despite the heat, especially loved the Chestnut-Rumped Thornbill and Inland Thornbill as they are rareties to me.
The Crested Grebe shots were superb, thanks for sharing those. I've gotten get motivated and get over to Williamstown as I believe there are a breeding pair over there with bubs atm...time to get my own shots!
And I love the Wonga Pigeon shot, was hoping for one of my own up the coast but didn't manage to bump into one quite like you did!
Thanks for sharing the raptors, and your general trip experience, hard to imagine the flooding just now but can definitely see at the southern coast of NSW that it looks like springtime not the end of summer so definitely evidence of lots of rain and not the drought conditions that were previously in place. Good breeding conditions all round.
Looking forward to all your water birds!!
Sue, amazing set of photos again. Thanks.
Love your Plum-headed Finches. that would be a lifer for me. I agree with Alex that your spotted bowerbird is all good. Don't birds know that we just want a couple of good clear shots??
Also love your non-bird photos, especially your Bearded Dragon.
Thank you, Abby and Danika. I am glad that the information is proving interesting. It tkes a while to get it all done but when you have a selction like the Thornbills, it seems worthwhile. Looking forward to the catch-up and then I might have some more water birds to add.
132 Australian Hobby... what an amazing experience to have a pair speeding through the sky for what must have been 10 minutes if not longer. I had a few camera issues (which were all my fault) and missed getting the initial display but I hope that the next few pictures build on Alex's story.
They came through fast and very close to the trees skimming the tops in their acrobatics. There were numerous bees (I think) in the sky with them so unclear if it was play, fighting or feeding. The bee does give a size comparison. Occasionally they had a short rest in a distant tree before taking off again.
This was the icing on the cake for a wonderful day at the Western treatment Plant. We just stood there in the middle of the road and enjoyed the show.
My word, it certainly does add to Alex's photos. Love the last one perched, but they are all great.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Wow!! Brilliant pictures of some awesome action! That's epic
Love your photos Sue. Stunning shots especially the one with the bee in it.
Finally, I have finished processing the photos from the wonderful weekend in Victoria... Sydney is still suffering with drenching rain so plenty of free time. Some of these shots are truly awful (EBC for sure!) but I'll post them in hopes of replacing at some stage.
The following are all from the Western Treatment Plant, incredble place. My shots suffered a bit with my inability to hold an effective 700mm lens still in the wind but I also had some trouble locating the bird as it moved... practice needed on this new combo. However, some are purely because of distance... highly cropped and at the extreme scope of the lens.
133 Australian Pied Oystercatcher... a distant bird but quite striking
134 Australian Shelduck... a lovely male showing some colour
135 Brolga... so exciting to see so many and a young one. I saw a pair last year but failed to get a photo.
136 Cape Barren Goose... a strong looking bird but what a colour combo with that lime green beak and pink legs!
137 Common Tern... a definite EBC as so distant but ABID confirmed my ID after I posted a number of shots. The larger bird with wings up is a Crested Tern.
138 Crested Tern... a quick shot as it flew by so hope to improve on it.
139 Curlew Sandpiper... wonderful to see these ones going into breeding plumage. You cannot miss that curved bill and the eyebrow although I did get a bit excited thinking I had seen a double eybrow (sadly, no Broad-billed Sandpiper present).
140 Black-tailed Godwit... five of them came out of the crowd later in the afternoon and one strode towards us. I counted 5 of them and did send pictures off to a friend for confirmation but I was pretty confident. That matt plummage stands out but I'll quote his reply for interest.
Black-tailed godwit Asiatic, has a very distinctive straight bill, and being a rather large bird, a female.
The bonus is the other two are also, the left hand one has very long tibia and has that mat brown look about it, also female on size plus the tertial in breeding plumage would cancel out a bar-tailed godwit female.
The smaller one middle bird, a male, shows the black tail fairly clearly though harder to make out the mat look, the tail is enough, also long tibia in proportion.
no fact sheet
141 Golden-headed Cisticola... gorgeous little bird posing so nicely for us... my flight shot was not worth posting so kudos to you, Abby.
142 Little Egret... nice to see a few of them. Interstingly, one seemed to be chasing off the third bird.
143 Little Grassbird... popped up briefly and I managed this shot though I blew the whites a bit. Any shot of these birds is a feat. They were calling constantly as Alex and I walked along but almost impossible to get any shot of them so I was happy.
144 Little Raven... head shape and bill length look quite different to the Australian Raven which I see around Sydney and the hackles appear shorter. This was in late afternoon light but I like that golden glow.
145 Marsh Sandpiper... saw so many of these birds but missed getting a comparison shot with the Common Grennshank as they kept their heads down in the wind. Very white with a dainty long bill and beautiful breeding plumage in the second shot.
146 Pacific Golden Plover... definite EBC at the extreme range of the lens and highly cropped as it was behind the Common Terns! Really hope I find a replacement shot as this is just identifiable.
147 Pacific Gull... soft focus but quite identifiable and not a gull we see often in Sydney.
148 Pectoral Sandpiper... first shot to demonstrate that sharp demarcation on the chest and the second shot showing it to the right of a group of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. They also tend to quite a yellow base to the bill. no fact sheet
149 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper... a nice group shot above and a couple more to show how they vary somewhat in size and markings. Note the demarcation on the one below is not so marked and there is flecking continuing down the flanks. (I also check for Long-toed Stints but no luck so far!)
150 Red-capped Plover... beautiful little birds which I have seen in numerous places; the first is an adult and the second an immature one. Sometimes very hard to see them against the brown earth.
151 Red-necked Stint... small light coloured birds which are quite common but sometimes confused with Sanderlings (which are much whiter and lack a hind toe).
152 Singing Honeyeater... an awful shot as I blew the whites yet again but recovered them somewhat. Out near the bird hide on the first afternoon along with so many White-fronted Chats and singing Little Grassbirds.
153 Striated Fieldwren... what a treat and such a patient bird to wait until we all had a photo! I leant over and took this from the rear window of the car so quite happy with the result. I've only seen them once before in Port Fairy. No fact sheet
154 Swamp Harrier... still having trouble locking on as the first one popped up beside the car and the other flew away. The first is quite dark but the face shield is there and a touch of white on the rump. The second shows a nice underwing pattern and all my other shots show a lovely white rump in focus as the bird flies way!
155 White-bellied Sea-eagle.. another EBC as it was just too far away but surely I'll find a replacement.
156 White-winged Black Tern... twenty of these Terns flew past and I managed to lock on and get a few in focus. However, this one bird really shows the ID very well with the black starting on the underwing coverts and the headphone pattern on the head.
A bonus flight shot showing a number of species: upper and under wing patterns, rump pattern and colour, bill shape: Curlew sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint are the last 3 (full) flying birds.
Once again, my thanks to Alex for thinking to include me and to Danika, Abby and Tom for a fun day out. More to come from the following day at Serendip Sanctuary where we had some successes.
Now from Serendip, a special little bird that posed so beautifully that Icannot stay with one shot.
157 Purple-crowned Lorikeet... they are so small that the flowers and leaves swallow them up but occasioally one came into a clear spot for a photo. I have seen them once before in WA as flocks swept across the road around us. What a beautiful little bird and it blends in so well with the foliage... a few profiles and a fanned-out tail.
A few more from Serendip and a nice little Dragon from the You Yangs for Dale. A number of birds came down to have a drink or a bath at this little waterhole so Alex and I just stood and waited.
158 Brown Thornbill... a common little bird that can be difficult to photograph.. a scalloped forehead distinguishes it from the Striated Thornbill.
159 Brown-headed Honeyeater
160 Emu... a number of these birds were wondering about feeding on the fruit on these bushes. Initially, I thought they were quandongs but I really don't know. Any suggestions?
161 European Goldfinch... another EBC as they flew into a different spot for a drink and out again before I knew it
162 Magpie Goose... at least a thousand birds present. We had seen them flying in great flocks as we walked around so no surprise to come across so many bathing and resting.
163 New Holland Honeyeater... cannot believe that I have not posted one sooner as they are so common aorund Sydney. They were feeding young ones high in the trees so it has been a good season.
164 Spotted Pardalote... saw a few of them but often quite high in the trees or moving on quickly. So a quick shot of a male floowed by a more cooperative young one.
Jacky Dragon Amphibolurus muricatus ... just for you, Dale
Finally a couple of extra shots from Serendip and Werribee.
There was quite a commotion in the treetops... a Pied Currawong had taken a young bird for brunch.. sad but it is the circle of life.
Yellow-billed Spoonbill feeding at Serendip.
Now a few from the Western Treatment Plant on the days earlier.
Brown Falcon about to take off as we drove over the causeway.
A male White-fronted Chat... one of the many we saw on the Friday afternoon... they seem to like the tops of the bushes.
That is it for now as I await an improvement in the weather before venturing out again.
Wonderful sets of photos Sue. Love your Purple-crowned Lorikeet shots.
Too many great photos from what must have been a fabulous weekend.
Thanks for the Dragon photo, love my reptiles.
I did find a fact sheet for your Striated Fieldwren, so added it for you, hope you don't mind.
Loving everyone's photos.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks, Dale. I was a bit overwhelmed trying to load all the pictures, fact sheets and update the list.
Fabulous weekend is a great description. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed IDing waders. Definitely worth the trip and wonderful to share with like-minded people.
Wow Sue you certainly made the most of your 2 trips into the WTP!! Terrific photos, amazing. Although I'm wondering when you came up with the White-winged Tern and Sea-eagle, I would have loved to share those with you :) Really great ID shot of the WW Tren.
It was a really great excursion and I'm glad you could come down and spend time with us.
So glad you caught up with the Purple-crowned Lorikeets at Serendip after we couldn't get shots Saturday morning, and looks like you had a great time there as well.
Thanks Danika, it was wonderful of you to guide us around such a vast area. I was very pleased with the variety of birds even if some were quite distant. No lifers for me that weekend but there were birds that I had only photographed once before so I was very happy.
A flock of 20 WW Black Terns flew over on the Friday at 6:37pm as Alex and I stood just down the road from the bird hide followed soon after by the Sea-eagle. I was shooting a Pelican and realised all these smaller birds were with it. So I kept photographing the flock as it came closer and managed a few with nice detail. I suspected they were WWB Terns from the camera back but certain at home although I put on ABID for confirmation. I was so concentrated on the Terns that the Sea-eagle almost missed out except for Alex spotting it. I suggest a late walk down from the bird hide could be quite rewarding as we saw numerous birds around that area.
Serendip was a great walk and we were quite lucky to see a number of birds there but the Purple-crowned Lorikeets were the last ones as we headed out so a great reward. Nothing like visiting a new area to find birds uncommon to your home spot.
I forgot to mention that I went from Tullamarine to the National Gallery of Victoria where Alex picked me up. There was an art installation on the roadside of waterbirds (white outline on black) moving and feeding e.g. Ibis, Swamphen, Silver Gulls. Seemed llike an appropriate greeting.
Awesome collection, thanks Sue. I will have to pick the Hobby falcon in flight as my favourite set. I still haven't seen one, although there is apparently one near my house according to e-bird.
I enjoyed your swamp harrier too, and wonder how your muscles are building, swinging that enormous lens for BIF!
Wonderful photos Sue, and not just from the WTP! I think you've logged nearly 100 birds since I last commented :) you've definitely made the most of your opportunities. And I have to echo what the others have said, it was a real treat to catch up with you all. I still think we should aim to make a trip to the WTP an annual event for the forum :D
I have to make special mention of your Red Rumped Parrots, the colours and detail are just wonderful. And so pleased you found the Purple-Crowned Lorikeets, they evaded us in the wind.
Thanks Michael. Might have been youngsters play-fighting but who knows, it was just wonderful to watch. Once you see one, they will turn up more often.
Thanks Tommy, I did enjoy meeting everyone and a yearly event sounds promising. I checked and I think I'm 3 birds shy of 100 since you last commented... you just need to leave home for a different area. We were very lucky with the Purple-crowned Lorikeets posing so clearly. I'm sure Alex will have some good shots as well. As to the Red-rumps, they did pose just beside the car which makes life easy but the light was also good.
My husband is getting restless so we might take off again next month for somewhere interesting. Sydney's weather is not conducive to birding at present! I believe that we have had almost a year's rainfall already!
As you know, Alex and I went to sea... and came back with so many photos and new birds. A while since I've seen so many lifers! It was a glorious day as the rain stayed away, the seas were good with 2-3m waves and a reasonable swell and the wind was mostly between 10-15 knots. I did not manage to see all the birds that were recorded but it was difficult as Alex has stated... moving birds, moving boat, losing your footing, trying to sort one bird from another and find that one fast moving individual, change settings for white birds then brown birds... and so on.
I settled on a Nikon D850 full-frame camera with 70-200mm zoom (f2.8) lens and took a 1.4TC (which I forgot to attach!). Auto ISO and White Balance but manual everything else; exposure compensation adjusted down to -1 but -2 might have been better to allow for the reflection off water and white feathers. Shutter speeds were mostly over 2000 and I finally thought to use this instead of Exposure Compensation to adjust between different coloured bird. I used Spot focus and Group mode. That was the technical stuff, now I need to go back and try it all again to get it right! I needed more reach at times and some highlghts were too bright. It was great fun and I did not feel sick!
I apologise for too many pictures but everything that Alex said fits for my photos as well and I am even more impressed with Dale's pictures after this event.
165 Australasian Gannet... saw them a few times and this young one was attractive from every viewpoint. I did like when it lowered the landing gear!
166 Red-footed Booby... what a surprise when this bird appeared albeit keeping its distance. I was not set up correctly for a distant white bird so this is the best I could manage but all the markers are present... e.g. black shoulder patch, white tail, pink facial skin. I have seen them once before when on a large ship passing the Cocos-Keeling Islands and this photo is marginally better. No fact sheet.
Now for the stars of the day, Albatross. What gorgeous birds and they kept visiting all day even though they did not seem particularly hungry. Apparently, they were mostly young birds and it is impossible to repesent with one photo so I apologise for the excess pictures.
167 Black-browed Albatross... the pictures tell the story.. a Lifer!
168 Shy Albatross... another picture story and they were not acting shy! No fact sheet. Another Lifer!
Two more lifers! Again cannot choose between the photos ... I understand your dilemma now, Dale.
169 Grey-faced Petrel... that pale face stood out but I only got a good look at the bill when sorting the photos. Quite different from the Shearwaters' bills. Grey in some light and brown in others. No fact sheet
170 Pomarine Jaeger... 3 different species were sighted on the day but too fast for me as a Parasitic (Arctic) Jaeger went straight at a Crested Tern and out of sight. A number of these appeared over the day so I had a chance to get some decent shots. No fact sheet.
I am not saying very much as Alex has covered it all so beautifully in his post... thanks, Alex.
Now for the Shearwaters... all lifers! Apologies but keeping it short as the internet is fading.
171 Flesh-footed Shearwater.... so many on the day but fairly easy to pick with that black tip to the bill and the feet ending at the tail end.
172 Short-tailed Shearwater... the only one in all 1200 odd photos so I almost missed it! The underwing looked different as did the bill and ABID confirmed it...yeah!
173 Streaked Shearwater... great excitement when this bird appeared and made a number of passes before briefly landing. The streaking is on the underwing and that pale face made it easy to follow.
174 Wedge-tailed Shearwater... the most numerous bird on the day but eventually I felt confident in the ID with the dark bill, uniform colour underwing and the feet well inside the tail.
Wow Sue, you should be very proud of those shots, they are all amazing. You have several shearwaters that would be new for me. It is amazing that the range of birds is similar, but so much different than we have down here. Shy Albatross are probably our most common Albie seen in Tassie, so sometimes you take for granted how special they are.
Added (hope you don't mind) the fact sheet for the Shy Alabtross (sometimes they don't appear?).
Appreciate your comments on settings used, I think shutter speed is the key to getting sharper photos, but can be at the expense of high ISO. I tend not to try to much with exposure compensation as it can be somewhat saved in post (just another thing for me to stuff up). Having said that, in the early morning low light, I will crank it up until the light improves. The beauty of my camera is that I have a histogram displayed in the viewfinder, it is sort of transparent, so doesn't obstruct the view too much. This allows me to get an idea of what the result "might" be.
Again well done.
Guess I will just have to get out there on another pelagic to find some more species for our overall list!
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Wait for meeeeee! Lol
Nice work Sue, some great pics - I think for rank pelagic beginners we did OK :-) And well done on getting the Short-tailed Shearwater - I went cross-eyed looking for one in all the Flesh-footed and Wedge-tailed shots, but nothing - I'll have to go again :-)
Thanks Dale and Alex. I was pretty happy with the end result considering my status as a beginner on boats and seabirds. Sorry about the lack of description but the internet threatened to shut off again and I'd already lost some work.
Yes Alex, cross-eyed sounds about right as I have now scanned all my pictures again looking for another shot of a Petrel which is either Black or White-chinned but no chin to view! The Short-tailed Shearwater was spotted by luck when sorting.
Cannot see an added Fact Sheet, Dale and only 2 Albatross fact sheets seem to exist. Love if you could add it.
I have since been advised to put the 1.4xTC in place on the D850, turn off auto ISO and set it to 400, open the lens to f5.6 (it goes to f2.8), set exposure compensation to -1.5 or even -2 and shoot away... recover in post-processing with no highlight issues. We will just have to wait and see if that works for me. Maybe a Pelagic off Tassie ... sometime.
It was good fun and I am eager to go again and try it all out (with an experienced birder to ID the birds and point them out!). So many lifers!
Ah sorry Sue, I added a link to the fact sheet which appears not to exist when you click on that link.
White-chinned Petrel isn't really a very appropriate name, as the white chin is extremely small and often not visible at all, so don't beat yourself up.
Interesting advice on the Nikon D850, the only way to confirm is go on another pelagic!
If your not sure on some of your IDs the Seabirds and Pelagic Australia Facebook page is a great resource. Have a look at the White-faced Petrel on their banner - the guy who took that photo was sitting next to me when it was taken - I have a similar photo of the same bird but his is just so much better. A genuinely nice guy who is a great photographer.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Wow Dale, that banner photo is a stunner... I'll aspire to that! I might join if I can get out on more pelagic tours.
Wow Sue, what a wonderful set of photos you got! Sure does look like an amazing day.
Thanks Abby, it was a steep learning curve for bird ID and photography. You want that extra reach of a long lens but it hampers you in other ways... if only I added the TC! Fabulous day out but we were lucky with the weather.
Beautiful birds and shots, Sue. Amazing to think there is action like that way out to sea. How long was the trip, and for what length of time were you photographing? Your shots and Alex's make it seem quite hectic, birds flying everywhere!
Thanks, Michael. We boarded at 6:45 am at Mosman then picked up from Rose Bay 15 mins later before heading out through the heads for a full day... I was back at Mosman at 5pm. It was a very full day but great fun.
I started taking photos from about 8:20am as we came to the first birds outside the heads (Shearwaters) and stopped at around 4:00pm (around 1250 shots). I did slow down as we headed back as I knew I had some good shots. It takes a little while to get your act together and find the best postion to anchor yourself. I did stop for an apple for morning tea and lunch and plenty of sips of water. There were birds flying everywhere behind the boat, down the sides, overhead. They came for the bait being towed or thrown into the water. Quite daunting to find the one being mentioned as special and pick it from the melee for a photograph. Remember I was limited to 200mm. My hands were sore that night!
Fabulous photos Sue, those birds are simply stunning. So very different from what I'm used to! The albatrosses in particular have quite a striking visage, you captured them beautifully.
Pages