Wild Bird Wednesday 470 - Superb Fairy-wren

Last night of this lockdown - thankfully!

So, just a quick post with a crowd-pleaser - the Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus).

These pictures were taken a few months ago on my local patch.  This is the only Fariy-wren I see without the need to travel, but what a nice little bird they are.  This is a very patchy looking male - but he still looks pretty good to me!

With the lifting of lock down I hope that normal WBW service will be resumed soon.  I may actually be able to got birding for a day this weekend!!

 

 

I really like the way these pictures show the bird in its habitat - sometimes I think we cut too much of the place that the bird is in out of the picture.  But that's just my opinion.

 

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wild Bird Wednesday 469 - Pied Currawong

The Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) is a large and vocal member of my local bird community.  They are not always popular as they do feed (at least in part) on the nestlings of other birds.  Given that they are closely related to Butcherbirds and Australian Magpies this is hardly a surprise.

What I most like about these pictures is that it give me the change to write : 'these are Currawongs in a Persimmon Tree' - which is the kind of sentence I would not have been expecting to write (or even understand) when I was growing up in Somerset!

These images are a little different to my normal ones, so I hope you like them.

We are back in lockdown here - and I am not happy with that situation. But, there you go.  

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wild Bird Wednesday 468 - Stubble Quail

This is another bird we found on my recent night excursion to Terrick Terrick National Park.  These birds are Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis).  This species is at the other end of the threat spectrum to the Plains Wanderer I posted last week.  The Stubble Quail is the most common quail species in Australia and is classified as of 'least concern' in the threat stakes.  We saw at least half a dozen of these birds on the ground, and a few more flushed away as we approached. 

For a Quail this is a large bird - weighing in at about 100g - and is has diagnostic white supercilium (an eye stripe of sorts).

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the blue button below.

Hope everyone is well.  SM

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hobart and just a bit more.

Last week I spent a mid-week long weekend in Hobart, Tasmania.  Wonderful to get away.  Here are some pictures.

Tasmanian Native Hen, MONA

Randalls Bay

Randalls Bay

From top of Echo Sugarloaf Walk

From top of Echo Sugarloaf Walk

Randalls Bay

Reflections, Huon River

Reflections, Huon River

Reflections, Huon River

Reflections, MONA

Reflections, Constitution Dock, Hobart

Steam-punk Chestnut seller, Salamanca Market, Hobart

Constitution Docks, Hobart

 

Reflections, Huon River

You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday and image-in-ing Cheers:  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 467 - Plains-wanderer

I'm rather more excited than usual about this post.  Firstly, I am finally on leave.  And secondly I managed to photograph this remarkable bird on the weekend.

These are pictures of a Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus) a rather odd wader that lives on the grassland in a rather restricted area of grassland in southern and central Australia.  This bird is classified as Critically Endangered, mainly due to habitat loss. 

Interestingly this bird is the only species in the family Pedionomidae and genus Pedionomus, and it is endemic to Australia.  As I mentioned this bird is actually more closely related to waders than the quails that it seems rather similar to. 

We found these birds roosting in longish grass - their preferred habitat - in the Terrick Terrick National Park in northern Victoria.  This species just freezes in place when it feels threatened, which make them easy to observe once you have found them.  It's finding them in the first place that is hard.  Over a couple of hours we found three in prime habitat.

The males have a black and white collar on the back of the neck, and a rufous bib.  We found two males - neither of which were in prime breeding plumage - and one female.

 

 

 

As ever you can click the blue button to join in with WBW.  Stay safe and get vaccinated.  SM 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter