Some birds close to my heart of things

Home's where the heart is, close to home's where many of my birds are. Benefit of buying into retirement village surrounded by conservation parks and other wildlife and marine areas. Some sightings lately:

Brahminy Kite, one of pair often seen on local dead trees.

Brolga foraging and flying close to the kites' lookouts.

Australasian Figbird about 100 metres from Brolga's reed patch.

Pheasant Coucal close-up and close to Figbird's perch.

Scaly-breasted Munia (was Spice Finch, then Chestnut-breasted Mannikin) by coastal walkway.

Not quite all in one day's walk, but part of my recent days' walks.

 

 

Do the figgers add up?

Bit odd that Australia has plenty of fig trees but only one recognised species of figbird - though Australasian Figbird comes in 'green' (Sphecotheres vielloti) and 'yellow' (S. v. flaviventris). And many intergrades! Mainly yellow in Tyto.

Starlings show their mettle

Tyto's lookout fig tree full of action lately. Male Eastern Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) continues trying to deny other birds a feed. (The motive may not be greed but an effort - as a great provider - to attract females.) 

But Metallic Starlings (Aplornis metallica) - in town for seasonal noisy social nesting - have proven unafraid of their larger fellow migrant. 

And Australasian Figbirds (Sphecotheres vielloti) won't be denied a share of the fruit.
Click pix to enlarge

Koel fights to fend off Figbirds

First close sighting for season of Eastern Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) in Tyto yesterday. A few calls heard earlier in the month.

Bird busy defending flourishing fig tree at the lookout.

But the Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti) does really, really love figs. Koel couldn't fight them all off.
Click pix to enlarge

Figbird gives no fig for rivals

See a slightly aggressive air about this Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti)? The solitary male has been defending a fig tree against all comers for more than 10 days. The Benjamin fig fruit is dry and tasteless. And most birds chased away have no interest in it. But the figbird cares not a fig for that. It's 'his' tree!

Yellow Honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavus) not too worried about competition for insects on pink lotus. Today, an Australian Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus australis) made a sudden and rare appearance on same flowers, but dashed off too quickly for me :-(  
Click pix to enlarge

Yellows brighten grey days

Cloudy week calls for touch of colour to lift the spirits. So, even Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) in Tyto yesterday comes with bright yellow background (crocodile warning sign).

Keeping with the theme, Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti).

And even brighter, Yellow Honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavus). Warms the cockles, yes?
Click pix to enlarge 

Tree gloom, green bloom, fig boom

Azure Kingfisher (Ceyx azureus) starts dive from tree gloom to fish doom. Three days sunshine marked Ingham's annual Italian festival, but the Azure stuck to the shadows. (Click any pic to enlarge).

Snuck closer through the trees.

Bird just wouldn't pose right for the light.

Did better with Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) feeding on blooming green water weed.

Crawled to within five metres along track close to temporary pool.

Today, grey skies and spotty drizzle. Above Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti), one of many suddenly keen on figs from tree shading the Tyto lookout. Usually tasteless and dry, figs were indeed juicier today.

Updates: Shining Flycatchers still feeding two chicks. Jacana families all OK.

Who gives a fig for colour?

Green, Yellow, Banana. All colourful names. But no more for the male Australasian Figbird (Sphecotheres vielloti), above thinking about swallowing another of the dry, tasteless (to us humans) fruits it loves - and few other birds show great fondness for.

Figbirds came in two races, S. vielloti and S. flaviventris, till the split was ended with a revised list (Christidis & Boles) early this year. The male birds will continue to show big differences: northern yellows grading through to southern greens.

Closely related to figbirds (usually on the same page in field guides), the Olive-backed Orioles (Oriolus sagittatus) are less obvious and seldom so brightly plumaged as the above juvenile bird. Much of the contrasting colour on the back will disappear with adult plumage.

So much for colour. What about sounds? I've often been struck by what appears in honeyeaters to be more curiosity about strange noises than other birds show. This White-gaped Honeyeater today seemed to react to the Canon's clattering shutter.

I'd been standing in long grass chasing Tawny Grassbirds when the White-gaped darted in and struck several 'listening' poses as the camera clacked away. Honeyeaters are also among the few birds ever to react at my otherwise ineffectual 'pishing'.

While on the subject of theories, limited searches of possible Little Bittern daytime hideouts have revealed absolutely nothing resembling the apparently shaped space found last month at the base of a small tree springing from Scleria (Razor Grass). Guess it was just a natural artifact.

Finally, the issue of huge fish and small Azure Kingfishers nestlings. First readings suggest the birds simply truck the fish in. If the fish is eaten, fine. If not, it can sit and rot in the darkness. Along with bones, other unwanted morsels, excreta, and anything that may have crawled in.

Can't wait till nestlings have fledged and I get a chance to sniff the delicate odour of Azure domestica! :-(