Wild Bird Wednesday 414 - Black Swan

I went for an afternoon walk around Jells Park today, and encountered this Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) maintaining its feathers and generally being grumpy at passing coots.

Although common, I always like seeing these swans close up as I can't help but think how shocking they must have been to the first Europeans who saw them. This bird scientific name means 'swans in mourning", which (as it says in one favourite books) is a reference to its 'colour rather than state of mind'!  (Those of you who have come to understand my sense of humour will also understand that I find that rather funny!)

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This has been a week of C19 uncertainty - I'll visit your blogs in the next couple of days.  Stay Safe SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 413 - Powerful Owl

The Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) is Australia's largest owl with a weight of up to 2.2 kg and a wing span of of almost 1.5m.  It's a big and impressive bird!  The feed on possums, bats and other birds and can be sometimes be found roosting with the remains of the nights hunting in their claws (although I have not seen that in the flesh yet!)

This bird is one of a well known pair in the northern part of Melbourne, and for once I was able to find it when I visited the site.  I'm not as close to the bird as the picture look - it was at the top of a high tree and I used a long lens!

As is often the case for me, the bird took delight in hiding behind a small twig which rather obscures the view - but I still like the pictures.  I was going to go and have a look for the birds again today, but that part of Melbourne is having a bit of a C19 spike - so I stayed away!

As ever you can join in with WBW by clicking on the link below - and also as ever, please feel free to share WBW with other bloggers.  SM

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Bushrangers Bay

Went for a walk to Bushranger Bay and Cape Schanck today.  It would be reasonable to say that the weather was changeable.

I was greeted by a rainbow at Bushrangers Bay and was waved goodbye by heavy rain.  Just before I reached Cape Schanck it truly threw it down for about 10 minutes, I was impresses to say the least and to add novelty to the day, the rain contained pea sized hail.  I stood under a tree for a while just watching the rain, and realised I was smiling.  I'm not sure I was born to be indoors.

If you look closely at the third picture you can see a boat on the ocean, and around that boat are albatross.  Wonderful.

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  Cheers  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 412 - Gang Gang Cockatoo

I went for a walk around Banuyle Flats (about 25 minutes from my house) this Sunday, which was great way to spend a few hours out of the house.  It seemed that a few other people had had the same idea as well, but it was nice to be able to chat (at a safe distance!) to a few other birders.

I quickly found a small flock of Gang Gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum) feeding noisily and messily on hawthorn berries.  From the sound of cracking seeds, I assume that the birds were actually eating the seeds rather than the flesh of the berries.

The Gang Gang can bee seen in the SE of Australia, and will even feed in gardens if there is ample food.

The males here have a red head - although I think the male here is an immature - while the females have a grey head.

As ever you can join in with WBW by clicking on the link below - and also as ever, please feel free to share WBW with other bloggers.  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 411 - Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoo

Its not often you get to use to hyphens in a birds name, but this week I give you that Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) a large black cockatoo that is found over much of Norther Australia.

These birds were feasting on gum seeds at a number of locations near to Darwin.  As you get can see they love hiding behind leaves and twigs, and generally making exposure difficult.

The birds with the bright red tail panels are males, and the others are young birds or females.  They all have wonderful, far-carrying voices.

As ever you can join in with WBW by clicking on the link below - and also as ever, please feel free to share WBW with other bloggers.  SM

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Eastern Grey Kangaroos

I went for a walk in one of our local parks this weekend and found the mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos that live there.  They were grazing near a path, which as far as I recall is a little unusual as they normally seem to be a little people-shy.

Anyway, it was nice to see some of these remarkable animals just 15 minutes from home!

As far as I can tell, these are a young animal, a male and a female.

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  Cheers  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 410 - Brown Falcon

The Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) can be found over all of Australia, with its short brown trousers and vertical face stripes it is a great bird to watch.  I have seen far more of these than I have photographed, and I was pleased to find one perched on a fence near one of the public roads at Werribee Sewage farm last week.

I managed to get away for a few hours, and with a (sensible level) of lock down relaxation in place I was able to get out.  And what better place to avoid people than a sewage works.  The 'best' parts of the farm for biding are still off limits, but it was nice to get out.

As is often the case with birds of prey, the other birds were less please to see it than I was.  This bird was being harassed by a group of ravens, the exact identification of which escapes me!

As ever you can join in with WBW by clicking on the link below - and also as ever, please feel free to share WBW with other bloggers.  SM

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