A big Aussie Year..or not, Elefromoz

[elefromoz]

Happy 2020 to Bird Lovers and Big year participants. I’d had a plan in place for a couple of months, our resident Tawny Frogmouths had 2 Chicks back in November, so exciting and I thought I’d kick start my 2020BY with a photo of the little family of four. Each morning hubby and I would go out and check on the little fellas, boy did they grow fast. One night mid-December we watched them take their inaugural flights, very nerve-wracking for us. Would they crash, would they find their way back, even worse would they fall victim to a local neighbourhood cat! No, they never looked back, soaring around the garden confidently. We were so pleased and proud for their first time parents. And me, I was excited to be opening MBY with such a good photo….except we got up on the 30^th December, went out to check on them, and they were all gone. We haven’t seen them since. So to plan b..

1)Rainbow Bee-eater

[Tdgraves]

Plan B was almost as good!

[PeterHG]

Welcome back with a beautiful start!

[TonyQ]

A spectacular PLAN B.

Good to see you taking part in 2020!

Edited January 9, 2020 by TonyQ

[xelas]

Plan B works every time! And Frogmouths might return in November! Glad to have you participating also on BY2020, @elefromoz

[Kitsafari]

plan B was an excellent fall back plan

 

[michael-ibk]

Gorgeous bird to start with, good to have you back!

[Peter Connan]

Plan B is a winner!

[elefromoz]

@Tdgraves @PeterHG @TonyQ @xelas @Kitsafari @michael-ibk @Peter Connan, thanks all. Its good to be out and about with the camera again, and I have been lurking/stalking TBY. What dawned on me was, how much more I know about Birds now than a few years back. We were in Europe last year and I found myself quite familiar with local "Tits", "Flycatchers", "Thrushes" etc. Thats all down to following along here.

Of course its Summer in Perth now, have to try and catch the migrating Shorebirds whilst they're around. We don't get them in great numbers this far South, so always a treat to see them around the city.

2.Grey-Tailed Tattler  (Pt Dundas, Applecross)

 

3. Common Sandpiper

 

4. and our emblem, Black Swan

 

5. Black Winged Stilt

 

 

Poor young 'un, really having trouble controlling those very long legs!

[elefromoz]

6.Just realised I hadn't dated the previous photos, hopefully Im not disqualified for the Year. 

Australian Pelican, 15/1/20, Alfred Cove

 

7. New Holland Honeyeater, 16/1/20, Dunsborough garden

 

8.Baudins Black Cockatoo (Female) Dunsborough Cemetry, 17/1/20. Ive discovered cemeteries are great birding spots

(Male, pink eyering)

 

9.Common Bronzewing, 17/1/20, Dunsborough garden 

 

10. White-browed Scrubwren, 17/1/20, Dunsborough garden, Id shaken off the breadboard earlier and the crumbs were quickly picked off

 

11. and some "cafe-birding", birding made even better sitting with a Latte and Banana Bread for breakfast

Red-winged Fairy-wren, Boranup Cafe, 18/1/20

 

 

12. Splendid Fairy-wren (female), Boranup Cafe, 18/1/20

(male)

 

13. Laughing Kookaburra, Boranup Cafe, 18/1/20

 

 

[Treepol]

@elefromoz beautiful additions.

 

I really like the Red-winged Fairy-wren, a real little charmer.

[michael-ibk]

Agree, great Little birds - and photos!

[Kitsafari]

I love fairy-wrens and I can't believe that they just turn up at the cafe! next time, i'll bring along cake crumbs......

 

Lovely additions!

[xelas]

6 hours ago, elefromoz said:

"cafe-birding",

 

Even better than balcony birding! Lovely birds, all of them!

[Peter Connan]

Lovely little birds!

[Galana]

2 hours ago, xelas said:

Even better than balcony birding!

Well it would depend on the balcony and the cafe and who had the corkscrew.

 

https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/5236830-birds-from-my-balcony

[TonyQ]

Excellent additions, we will have to visit your cafe!

Your photos are beautiful

[xelas]

2 hours ago, Galana said:

Well it would depend on the balcony and the cafe and who had the corkscrew.

I will provide the beer (no need for a corkscrew)and you will provide the birds .

[elefromoz]

Thanks all, its nice to feel that motivation to get out and about again, and where will it all end, balcony birding, cafe birding, sofa birding...

 

14. Eastern Osprey, an easy to find local. 20/1/20, Attadale foreshore

 

I love watching them do this, birdy equiv of "naval gazing",? Can never figure out what they're looking at down there. Osprey can sit in one spot for hours, apparently not doing much at all.

 

15. Singing Honeyeater 20/1/20, Attadale froeshore

 

16. Galah,  22/1/20, Alfred Cove

 

17. Brown Songlark,  22/1/20, Alfred Cove. A brand new Bird for me, it had been reported on e-bird. I couldn't get too close on the open oval, kinda had to sneak up crouched down, without looking too weird to the passing joggers  so heavily cropped.

 

 

18. Little Pied Cormorant, 29/1/20, Attadale foreshore

 

[Zim Girl]

Very nice pictures of the Osprey and how cute is the Little Pied Cormorant!!

[Peter Connan]

Lovely start!

[elefromoz]

19. White-faced Heron 30/01/20. Attadale foreshore. I first spotted it stalking something in the grasses, then it flew up and perched on the same dead branch the Osprey was on yesterday.

 

 

20. Pied Oystercatcher 30/01/20. Point Walter Spit

 

 

21. Greater Crested Tern 30/01/20. Point Walter Spit. Tossing around a "blowfish"

 

22. Willy Wagtail 1/02/20. Bibra Lake

 

23. Australasian Shoveler 1/02/20. Bibra Lake

 

24. Hoary headed Grebe 1/02/20. Bibra Lake

 

25. Pink eared Duck 1/02/20. Bibra Lake

[Dave Williams]

Excellent start , you have some really interesting birds over there.

[Lyss]

Great birds! Perth is on my bucket list of places to visit during my life. The Fairy-wren is beautiful. Cannot wait for more.

[elefromoz]

Dragging my feet a bit here, haven't ventured very far from home (well other than to India, but that won't help this list). It'll be a "trickle" for me rather than a "torrent" that others are enjoying. 

26. Australasian Grebe, dozens of them on the lake.  8/3/20 Bibra Lake (next 5)

 

27. Australian Reed Warbler, can always hear them but tricky to see, they tend to disappear back into the reeds. This one didn't mind posing

 

 

28, Australian Shelduck pair

 

29. Little Egret

 

30. Purple Swamphen

 

Now a couple from my garden, we have some very large trees and I have several birdbaths around the Garden. Its been a very long, hot Summer this year so the shade and the water has been welcomed by the Birds that visit, or sleep over..

 

31. Red Tailed Cockatoo, female, a flock comes through every afternoon over summer at about 4pm, they have a drink, make a lot of noise and then leave to their night roost. 6/2/20

 

 

32. Tawny Frogmouth, we've had a pair in the Garden for several years now, they come and go a bit. Last November they had their first chicks

 

9/3/20, the parents have done an excellent job of raising their chicks.