A big Aussie Year..or not, Elefromoz

[shazdwn]

Tawny Frogmouths in your yard - lucky you 😊

[Galana]

Nice collection.  Q. Why won't your visit to India help this list?

[Soukous]

52 minutes ago, Galana said:

Nice collection.  Q. Why won't your visit to India help this list?

 

I nearly asked the same question, then I noticed the title of the thread "A big Aussie year....." 

[Galana]

3 minutes ago, Soukous said:

"A big Aussie year....." 

Yes. I saw that but I wondered if that might have referred to the person and not the location.

[TonyQ]

What amazing birds to have in your garden 

[elefromoz]

 

 

 

@shazdwn @TonyQ , thanks. I work hard at having a clean organic, bug/bird friendly garden. I couldn't come within cooey of your garden bird count Tony, but I do take a bit of pride in our guests. 

 

@Soukous @GalanaYes I see the confusion...

16 hours ago, Galana said:

Nice collection.  Q. Why won't your visit to India help this list?

 

15 hours ago, Soukous said:

I nearly asked the same question, then I noticed the title of the thread "A big Aussie year....." 

 

 

15 hours ago, Galana said:

Yes. I saw that but I wondered if that might have referred to the person and not the location.

Goodness, at first I thought you were having an opinion on my BMI !!

[Kitsafari]

we were chasing the frogmouths and red tailed black cuckatoo in Perth last year, when we should have just sat in your garden. 

 

[elefromoz]

Hello all, my last bird was back on March 11th, when we'd just got back from India 6 days earlier and came home with not much thought for the dreaded "C" word. A week later, and well, life as we knew it was over, in degrees. So, time to start again myself and catchup with everyone else's  sightings (may take a while, I see some are at or beyond 400!)  And @Kitsafari you are welcome to sit in my Garden if you ever make it back to Perth 

 

33. Bar Tailed Godwits, Coodanup foreshore , Mandurah. 14/5/20. a few stragglers left hanging around

 

 

34. Western Gerygone, Harry Sandon Park, Attadale. 27/5/20   this is my local bushland, well preserved in the suburbs, and Ive been taking lots of walks there lately

 

35. Brown Honeyeater

 

36. Silvereye

 

37. Scarlet Robin, Chittering Valley  30/5/20

[elefromoz]

A few days south of Perth

38. Western Spinebill (male and Female) Dunsborough 16/6/20

 

 

39. Western Whistler. Vasse 17/6/20 

 

40. Wedgetail Eagle  (best I could do and don't know when Ill see another down this way) 

 

41. Elegant Parrot , a little flock feeding by the walkway and then yesterday out bushwalking another, this time perched, at Bungendore Park

 

 

[Kitsafari]

@elefromoz the scarlet robin is a winner! and the elegant parrot is everything its name says.

 

I'll definitely take you up on your offer when we come through Perth - not that soon but hopefully not so loong until the international borders are opened safely. 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Kitsafari said:

the scarlet robin is a winner!

From me too. I like all Robins and this one really has a lot going for it.

 

[elefromoz]

 

A 'twofa"

42. Black Fronted Doterill and 43. Pacific Black Duck (like the feral pigeon it has to go in here somewhere) Forest Highway service stop. While OH fills up, I do a bit of birding in the nearby flooded paddocks

 

44.  Dusky Woodswallow  27/6/20   Bungalore Park

 

45. White Cheeked Honeyeater. 2/7/20. Attadale Conservation area

 

 Another "twofa"

46. Yellow billed Spoonbill, haven't seen one for ages here.  47.Australian White Ibis   2/7/20.  Alfred Cove at high tide

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Love the Robin!

[elefromoz]

48. Western Thornbill,  Whistlepipe Gully, Kalamunda. 10/7/20

 

49. Swamp Harrier, Booragoon Lake 12/7/20

I spent a couple of hours at this freshwater lake in the suburbs of Perth, part of our chain of wetlands, sadly they are disappearing fast with urban sprawl. Usually Ive just seen the Harriers at a far distance, these pair were a lot closer but still on the other side of the Lake. They are very slow moving, or at least big slow wingbeats, that should have made it dead easy to photograph them. Nope, at one point I looked up from the viewing deck to see one coming straight toward me, in my excitement and panic, I missed it completely as it flew past at eye level and about 2 metres away.We made eye contact as it flew by, so close, all I ended up with was a large brown blurry blob filling the frame. Oh well, lucky this birding stuff is all just for fun .

 

 

50. Australian Hobby,  Booragoon Lake.  12/7/20

While the Swamp Harrier seemed calm and slow moving, almost clumsy, the Hobby is frantic and like a bullet. This little guy would perch for about a minute, then take off like a rocket and within 5 seconds fly back to the perch with a Dragonfly in his talons. He repeated this over and over, just so fast, by the time I raised the camera he was back perched again with another catch. He never missed his target, the Dragonflies never stood a chance. One of my favourite local city Birds.

 

 

[PeterHG]

Great shots of the Hobby and I do recognize your harrier experience !

[Kitsafari]

brilliant images of the hobby.

 

[Soukous]

Lovely Hobby shots Elaine

Edited July 15, 2020 by Soukous

[Galana]

21 hours ago, PeterHG said:

I do recognize your harrier experience !

Happens to me all the time.

Lovely photos.

[campsafari2015]

Really like the spinebill and the parrots!

[elefromoz]

Thanks everyone, trying to keep moving along here, albeit sporadically, but I am really enjoying everyone else's contributions from exciting places Im unlikely to get to in the foreseeable future  

The next few from Alfred Cove, near home 11/7/20

51. Great Egret, very common but such an elegant Bird, doing some preening

 

 

 

52. Red Wattlebird, very bedraggled, looks like it had just had a dip in the River

 

53. Black faced Cuckoo Shrike

 

54. Grey Teal

[elefromoz]

55. Point Walter Reserve 23/7/20

Little Black Cormorant, usually moving along the River in rafts of hundreds

 

56.Silver Gull, our commonest Gull

[elefromoz]

57.  A straggler from February , 

Red Necked Avocet, Libra Lake, 1/2/20

 

58.  Harry Sandon Park, Attadale 9/7/20

Spotted Pardalote.

59. Weebill,   Australia's smallest bird

 

60. Dunsborough, suburban gardens  30/7/20

Yellow Rumped Thornbill

 

61. Western Rosella

 

 

62. Australian Ringneck

 

63. Mistletoebird  Attadale Conservation area, Harry Sandon Park Attadale. Theres a lot of Mistletoe growing in these reserves, making sightings fairly common of this usually uncommon little bird.

Juvenile

Adult

 

We're heading off on a bit of a road trip tomorrow, about 700kms north, we're locked in our home state at the moment so trips are close to home. Hopefully I'll pick up some new Birds, maybe even a lifer or two, that's not too difficult for me still . Either way it will be nice to escape the city and enjoy a few days of station life,  El

[Galana]

1 hour ago, elefromoz said:

about 700kms north, we're locked in our home state at the moment so trips are close to home.

You have to marvel at the sheer size of your Country. "Close to home is about 700km away."

Just as well you are not going far!

If I did 700km I would have driven through England and France and be in Belgium!

 

Edit.

Sorry! Forgetting my manners. Some lovely photos as always!

Edited August 2, 2020 by Galana
Additional updated comment.

[Kitsafari]

your backyard is like me needing my passport to get to northern Malaysia....

 

Lovely additions - love that bright red rosella.

[TonyQ]

I am really enjoying your local birds!