Wild Bird Wednesday 679 - Great White Egret

The Great White Egret (Ardea alba) is found over most of the globe - and this individual is in Australia, at the Western Treatment Plant, aka Werribee.

Given such a wide spread distribution it is not surprising that some of the more isolated populations of this bird are considered subspecies, or even full species in their own right.  Historically, this was the case with Australian birds - but as far as I can tell a consensus is forming that Australian birds are 'at best' a subspecies.  I may be the only one here who finds this kind of taxonomy interesting!

In Australia this species is described as being the 'largest, lankiest longest necked egret', and its neck often has an obvious kink.  In SE Australia, it's not really a difficult bird to separate from other white egrets,

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 678 - Robin

The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) must be one of the most familiar birds in the UK. Known simply as the Robin or the slightly archaic feeling 'Robin Redbreast' it was probably one of the first birds I learned to identify.  It's part of the group of 'garden birds' that can be found almost everywhere, and are commonly attracted to gardens, birds feeders and parks.

The Robin is far more confiding in the UK than on mainland Europe - and you have to wonder which came first: has its confiding nature brought it closer to the domestic world, or has its long term association slowly changed its character?   What ever the reason, Robins are classically the companion of garden diggers at any time of the year.

This bird was letting all the other Robins in the area know that it was ready to breed, and that they were in position of a good territory.  If you look closely, you can see that there is an insect food item just a few inches from the bird.   

This bird was staking its claim to a patch of willow scrub at the Ham Walls RSPB nature reserve in Somerset, UK.

If ever there was a bird that could quantify why I don't need to see rarities to have a good day, it may be this one.  So utterly familiar, and yet rather wonderful.

Well, this is WBW #678 which is a good number in itself, but also means I have been posting a bird picture on a Wednesday, and hoping that others will link up, for almost exactly 13 years.  Our community is much smaller than it once was, people have come and gone over those 13 years - but there are some who have been here for the whole journey.  I can't thank everyone enough for the links, comments and contacts.  

There may come a day when I stop doing WBW, but it is not this day!

SM

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wild Bird Wednesday 677 - Galah

The Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) is widespread, common, and very familiar throughout most of Australia.  It was introduced to Tasmania in the 19th Century, and has also been introduced to New Zealand.

Its common name is almost certainly derived from an Aboriginal Language, although no-one seems to be sure which one!  This species has been known by a number of other common names, including Rose-coloured Cockatoo and Roseate Cockatoo.  However, in 1926 the an official checklist of bird names was published in Australia and this species was designated the Galah.

These birds measure about 37cm from beak to tail tip, and have a very distinctive call.  All of the birds in this post were feeding on the grass 'nature strip' outside my house. I just sat on my drive way and let them get on with their lives.  As you may be able to tell, these picture were taken in late afternoon light, and the date was very close to the winter solstice.  I still find it had to believe I live in a place where these are basically garden birds!

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  And don't forget to pop in next week, as I think you may find at least part of the post surprising.  Cheers  SM

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wild Bird Wednesday 676 - Laughing kookaburra

The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) must be one of the most well known of Australian birds.  It is in fact a large Kingfisher - and its genus name, Dacelo, is an anagram of the genus name Alcedo which is applied to the Common or European Kingfisher.  This is not a coincidence!

The Laughing Kookaburra can be found all along the east and south east of Australia, although it is not found in the dry interior of the continent.  It can also be found on south western Western Australia, Tasmania and very limited parts of New Zealand, but in all of these locations the species is not naturally occurring, and has been introduced.  

At 41- 47cm long this is not a small bird, and it can comfortably deal with the snakes, lizards, and small birds that comprise its diet.  This species will also take worms from leaf litter - and I think that is what (at least in part) this is bird is trying to do.

As you can see it was raining when I took these images, and I assume that the 'wing spreading' may be part of a cleaning behaviour.  When the bird was sat with its wings folded it was concentrating intently on the ground, presumably looking for food.

These pictures were taken at Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victory.  It's a wonderful place to visit, especially in winter when there are few people there and the wildlife is often more visible. 

If you ever happen to be in my part of the world, I would be very happy to so you some of the wonders of Wilsons Prom.

As ever, to link up with WBW click the button below.  Hope all is well.  SM

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wild Bird Wednesday 675 - Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swans visit the UK during the winter from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Tundra.

The classification of these birds is not straight forward.  It may be considered a sub-species of Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii)  or it can also be considered a full-species known as Cygnus bewickii.   I believe the more modern analysis treats these birds as a subspecies of Tundra Swan.  Most of the disagreement on this classification seems to hang on the amount of yellow / black in the beak.  On such things PhDs are made.

These birds wrestle photographed at Slimbridge, a WWT reserve in Gloucestershire, UK.  This reserve is famous for these swans, and it is a well known location for them in the winter.  However, the number of birds visiting the reserve has fallen by almost 90% in the last 50 years.  Many birds which would have 'traditionally' made the journey to Slimbridge after breeding now 'stop short' at other wetlands in Europe, rather than flying all the way to the UK.  This is almost certainly the result of the warmer winter temperatures now being experienced due to climate change.  There are now fewer than 18,000 of these birds that overwinter in Europe.

They are the smallest of the three species of Swan found in the UK, and this was the first chance I had to photograph them.  They really are a wonderful bird.

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter