Wild Bird Wednesday 651 - Red-Necked Avocet

The Red-Necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae) is fairly common and widespread throughout Australia, except for the north and north east coastal areas of the country.

Like other avocet this species is easy to identify because of its fine, upturned beak.  (There are 4 species of avocet in the world - the Australian species shown below, the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana), the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) and the Andean Avocet (Recurvirostra andina).  I suspect that I will have to content myself with only ever seeing the first 3 of these species)

Somewhat unusually (in my experience) these Australian birds were close to the edge of a lagoon at Werribee, rather than being in the middle.  However, they did not stay long as they were flushed by a Swamp Harrier.  I may have spent the seconds after the passage of the Harrier muttering rude things under my breath.  Oh well.

An average adult Red-Necked Avocet measures 43–45 cm from head to tail and has a total wingspan of around 75 cm. The bill is between 8.2–9.5 cm in length. 

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Wild Bird Wednesday 650 - Pectoral Sandpiper

The Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) is an uncommon - and probably under-recorded - bird in Australia.  It is a small, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania.

In Australia, it may be missed when it occurs in small numbers in flocks of the otherwise more abundant Sharptailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)

There are a number of differences between 'Pec Sands' and 'Sharpies' - none of which are utterly definitive for identification, but are used in combination to split these two bird species.

The most obvious differences in that in the 'Pec Sands' there is a clear boundary between the heavily streaked breast feathers and the much cleaner under areas.  The beak is also somewhat larger in the 'Pec Sand', with an extensive off-yellow base and a slightly down turned tip.  Finally the vent and under tail of the 'Pec Sand' is clean white, compared to the often streaked underside of a Sharpie.

All this being said, at a distance, and with our near ubiquitous heat hazes, it can still be a bit of a headache to tell the two species apart.

Many of the classic Pec Sand features can be seen in this image - bill shape and colour, the clear cut chest marking and the clean white flanks.

The middle bird (working backwards) in this image is a Sharpie - I think you can see the smaller beak, much reduced yellow base to the beak and the flecking on the flanks.

The following image is a Sharpie - just to show the similarity between the two species.

Well, waders can be a bit of a challenge - but with a bit of effort even I am making progress on their identification!

As ever, to join in with WBW click the link below.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 649 - Rainbow Lorikeet

Well another trip around the G2V class star Sol is about to end, and another one begin.  And with 648 consecutive weeks under the WBW belt it's time to start another year.  Our little community is exactly that these days - little - but I really appreciate the regulars, new comers and occasional visitors a great deal. 

To end / kick off 2024/25 I've chosen that most colourful of birds the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus). This is a very common part of my day to day bird experience, with it being an unusual day if I don't see or hear some.  Actually they can be surprisingly hard to see when they are high in trees, despite their colours.

This bird was (I assume) checking out a nest hole a couple of months ago.  What a great bird!

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Wishing everyone a great 2025, and looking forward to seeing you each Wednesday.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 648 - Some Robins at Christmas

As this week's WBW falls on Christmas Day, I thought I'd share some images of that most Christmassy bird - the Robin.  Now, as many of you will know, there are a large number of birds around the world that have the word Robin in their common name.

These are just a few of them!

European Robin  - Erithacus rubecula

European Robin  - Erithacus rubecula

Red-capped Robin (Australia) - Petroica goodenovii

Red-capped Robin (Australia) - Petroica goodenovii

Rose Robin (Australia) - Petroica rosea

Pink Robin (Australia) - Petroica rodinogaster

Hooded Robin (Australia) - Melanodryas cucullata

Eastern Yellow Robin (Australia) - Eopsaltria australis

Southern Scrub Robin (Australia) - Drymodes brunneopygia

Oriental Magpie Robin (India) - Copsychus saularis

American Robin (Canada) - Turdus migratorius

And with that world wide journey over, I'll wish you a Happy Christmas and such like - and send my best wishes to you all.

Cheers  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 647 - New Zealand Fantail / Pīwakawaka

The New Zealand Fantail or Pīwakawaka (Rhipidura fuliginosa) is a small, active bird found throughout much of New Zealand.

It has a distinctive fanned tail and loud song, and often approaches within a metre or two of people. Its wide distribution and habitat preferences, including frequenting well-treed urban parks and gardens, means that most people encounter fantails occasionally. 

There are two colour forms or ‘morphs’ of fantail, with the more common pied morph occurring throughout its range, and the black morph comprising up to 5% of the South Island population, and occasionally occurring in the North Island.

This bird - which was feeding on the insects attracted to seaweed thrown up on to the strand line of a beach on Stewart Island - is the common pied morph. 

This bird was feeding very actively on the beach are rarely stayed in one place for more than a few seconds. 

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the blue button below.  Cheers and best wishes, SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 646 - Silvereye

The Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) is a common small bird in the eastern and souther parts of Australia, all of New Zealand and some South Pacific islands.

We get them in our garden, and my attention is often caught by their high pitched calls.

Silvereyes are between  11 to 13 cm in length and around 10 g in weight, and they have conspicuous ring of white feathers around its eye.  There small size does not prevent them from migrating internally in Australia, including flying across Bass Straight from Tasmania to the mainland of Australia.

These birds were photographed on Stewart Island in New Zealand.  The Maori name for this species is Tauhou.  This means "stranger" or "new arrival", and this name related to its relatively recent arrival in New Zealand. The Silvereye was first recorded in New Zealand in 1832. It then arrived in greater numbers in 1856, and it is assumed that a migrating flock was swept eastwards from Australia by a storm. 

These pictures were taken on Stewart Island, in the main settlement - Oban. I saw this little flock of birds as the sun was setting, and the bushes were just outside the hotel I was staying in, and I may or may not have been having a pint when I first saw them!  In my opinion, anyone planning a trip to NZ should consider a trip to Stewart Island.

Hope all is well.  As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  SM

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