Monday, August 31, 2009

Kite leads a show of wings


Wings on show in Tyto reflect some interesting looks at bird life. First, wingtips of Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) gleam in the morning sunshine as the bird cruises low over the wetlands.


Then, Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) begins to open wings as it dances on aerial fig tree roots in the shadows of the Tyto lookout. The bird flittered between three of us standing under the lookout roof, and perched briefly on a tripod.


Finally, Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) trails a wing during a quick stretch and preen on the main lagoon. A quirk of wave angle and light gives the bird three reflected heads.


5 comments:

Richard King said...

Thats a really interesting Sunbird photo. Well done!

Tyto Tony said...

Thanks Richard. Pity I don't carry vidcam, eh?

Unknown said...

yes, me too!
Great shot of the sunbird.
well done, mate..
cheers,
steve

Gouldiae said...

G'day Tony,
That's a wonderful sharp picture of the kite in flight. Seems like it's looking straight down the camera lens.
I was showing some kids a WKites nest at the Bug Blitz the other day. There didn't seem to be any birds around. I gave a whistle to give the kids an idea of the call and we got an answer from a tree nearby. The bird took off and they all saw it up close.
Regards,
Gouldiae.

Tyto Tony said...

Hi Gouldiae: In truth, it's one of my rare sharp BIF efforts. Seems your kite mistook your whistle for a rival. You must do better imitations than me!

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