Willy Wag Tail Babies
Honey Eaters building nest
Rainbow Lorikeets
Gabes - more native birds...
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, JFR, Peggy, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Joefnh
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8330
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Gabes - more native birds...
Juvenile Bower Bird
Willy Wag Tail Babies
Honey Eaters building nest
Rainbow Lorikeets
Willy Wag Tail Babies
Honey Eaters building nest
Rainbow Lorikeets
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Well I certainly enjoyed this series of photos, what joy this brought to my life right now. I am dreaming of the days I can once again indulge my passion for bird watching. Thankfully I can fulfilling my love for birds by observing some of the many live cams on nests all throughout the world.
Oh that is fine photo of the bowerbird showing the violet-blue eyes !
Some fun facts I found on this beauty: Males build specialized stick structures, called bowers, which they decorate with blue, yellow, and shiny objects, including berries, flowers, and plastic items such as ballpoint pens, drinking straws and clothes pegs. As the males mature they use more blue objects than other colours. Females visit these and choose which male they will allow to mate with them. In addition to building their bowers, males carry out intense behavioural displays called dances to woo their mates, but these can be treated as threat displays by the females. Nestbuilding and incubation are carried out by the females alone.
Your capture of the 2 Willie Wagtail's is precious, they look close to fledging ! This bird is known to be aggressive and territorial, sounds like our Blue Jays here in the USA. This is a good sized bird, An adult willie wagtail is between 19 and 21.5 cm (7.5 and 8.5 in) in length and weighs 17–24 g (0.6–0.85 oz)
This bird was widely featured in Aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.
Oh the Honeyeaters are just georgous ! This bird is a nectar and insect eating, most exist on a diet of nectar supplemented by varying quantities of insects . Unlike the hummingbirds of America, honeyeaters do not have extensive adaptations for hovering flight, though smaller members of the family do hover hummingbird-style to collect nectar from time to time.
The Rainbow Lorikeets, these are fine little parrots. I would be very interested in studying these. I enjoy observing birds that do not have any obveous dimorphic traits. How fun to have these visit your backyard ( unless I had fruit trees ! )
THANK YOU GABES- HOPING TO SEE MANY MORE PHOTO'S FROM YOU SOON ! This was such a treat !!
Oh that is fine photo of the bowerbird showing the violet-blue eyes !
Some fun facts I found on this beauty: Males build specialized stick structures, called bowers, which they decorate with blue, yellow, and shiny objects, including berries, flowers, and plastic items such as ballpoint pens, drinking straws and clothes pegs. As the males mature they use more blue objects than other colours. Females visit these and choose which male they will allow to mate with them. In addition to building their bowers, males carry out intense behavioural displays called dances to woo their mates, but these can be treated as threat displays by the females. Nestbuilding and incubation are carried out by the females alone.
Your capture of the 2 Willie Wagtail's is precious, they look close to fledging ! This bird is known to be aggressive and territorial, sounds like our Blue Jays here in the USA. This is a good sized bird, An adult willie wagtail is between 19 and 21.5 cm (7.5 and 8.5 in) in length and weighs 17–24 g (0.6–0.85 oz)
This bird was widely featured in Aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.
Oh the Honeyeaters are just georgous ! This bird is a nectar and insect eating, most exist on a diet of nectar supplemented by varying quantities of insects . Unlike the hummingbirds of America, honeyeaters do not have extensive adaptations for hovering flight, though smaller members of the family do hover hummingbird-style to collect nectar from time to time.
The Rainbow Lorikeets, these are fine little parrots. I would be very interested in studying these. I enjoy observing birds that do not have any obveous dimorphic traits. How fun to have these visit your backyard ( unless I had fruit trees ! )
THANK YOU GABES- HOPING TO SEE MANY MORE PHOTO'S FROM YOU SOON ! This was such a treat !!
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8330
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
I have photos of the bower courting area decorated with blue items (and he moves the blue items around each season!!)
the bath ritual was daily in the summer heat and I had to be sooo ninja like to capture the shots, any sound or movement they fly away from the where they bathe. I can hear them splashing in the water from inside.
the rainbow lorikeets are very noisy, especially when there are a flock/herd of 10 or more. and these are the bullies of the birds that come to feed. they are one of the smallest but will chase away the king parrots, the galahs etc the tree where I have the feeder is 5 metres from my back door, all visible from my kitchen. This morning the cheeky king parrot came right to the back door to tell me that there was no seed out, he sits there and squeaks at me, and I answer him and he keeps making sound, I had to come out and show him the empty seed container before he would move on!!
if you are on facebook - all most flower / critter / bird / farm / sunrise photos are on there - Gabes Ryan
the bath ritual was daily in the summer heat and I had to be sooo ninja like to capture the shots, any sound or movement they fly away from the where they bathe. I can hear them splashing in the water from inside.
the rainbow lorikeets are very noisy, especially when there are a flock/herd of 10 or more. and these are the bullies of the birds that come to feed. they are one of the smallest but will chase away the king parrots, the galahs etc the tree where I have the feeder is 5 metres from my back door, all visible from my kitchen. This morning the cheeky king parrot came right to the back door to tell me that there was no seed out, he sits there and squeaks at me, and I answer him and he keeps making sound, I had to come out and show him the empty seed container before he would move on!!
if you are on facebook - all most flower / critter / bird / farm / sunrise photos are on there - Gabes Ryan
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I hope to see some photo's someday of the bowerbird's courting ground with all the blue. That is so cool !
My favorite bird to observe are birds of prey/raptors, and in the AU there are like twenty or so raptor species. I also love owls, while not birds of prey they share many characteristics. With all the habitat destruction across sadly our raptors are threatened. ( althougheagles have made a come back) The live cams on raptor nests is very interesting with lots of different prey being brought to the 'pantry'
Have you ever seen a Tawny frogmouth ? They look like owls but aren't. Very strange looking and would need to be observed at night as with most owls. We have owl clubs that meet at night,( kinda like your car club ..lol) but I haven't been well enough for years to participate.
Thank you for taking the time to post such great photos and talk a little bird talk with me !!
My favorite bird to observe are birds of prey/raptors, and in the AU there are like twenty or so raptor species. I also love owls, while not birds of prey they share many characteristics. With all the habitat destruction across sadly our raptors are threatened. ( althougheagles have made a come back) The live cams on raptor nests is very interesting with lots of different prey being brought to the 'pantry'
Have you ever seen a Tawny frogmouth ? They look like owls but aren't. Very strange looking and would need to be observed at night as with most owls. We have owl clubs that meet at night,( kinda like your car club ..lol) but I haven't been well enough for years to participate.
Thank you for taking the time to post such great photos and talk a little bird talk with me !!
When did owls cease to be birds of prey? I didn't even know that they had been kicked out of the classification.
Tex
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
THanks Tex, good job catching that !!! ~I should have written that better .... I was thinking raptor and used the word prey.
Owls are not taxonomically classed with the diurnal raptors, or birds of prey, they share many of the physiological characteristics, requirements and traits of diurnal raptors. They have hooked bills, are carnivorous and, most significantly, use their powerful feet to catch and kill their prey. They fill an equivalent niche in the environment, and for all practical intents and purposes may be considered "raptorial" by nature.
Owls are not taxonomically classed with the diurnal raptors, or birds of prey, they share many of the physiological characteristics, requirements and traits of diurnal raptors. They have hooked bills, are carnivorous and, most significantly, use their powerful feet to catch and kill their prey. They fill an equivalent niche in the environment, and for all practical intents and purposes may be considered "raptorial" by nature.
Well, most raptors are simply diurnal birds of prey. I realize that owls are distinctly different birds in many ways, but other than their standard work shift, they have the same job description, and some authorities do indeed refer to owls as raptors (and why shouldn't they? . . . they meet the definition). Owls are simply nocturnal birds of prey, and as far as I'm aware, they're the only nocturnal birds of prey. But just because they have the job of working the night shift shouldn't disqualify them from their right to be a card-carrying raptor. 
And some of them are also crepuscular, such as the great horned owls. I often see and hear them early in the morning until a bit after sunup. And they tend to start hunting slightly before sundown around here. Precious few of the diurnal raptors are likely to hunt very far into the crepuscular time zone. They virtually always punch out and go to roost before the owls punch in. Around here, the last diurnal raptors to punch out are usually the Mexican eagles (Caracara cheriway).
Tex
And some of them are also crepuscular, such as the great horned owls. I often see and hear them early in the morning until a bit after sunup. And they tend to start hunting slightly before sundown around here. Precious few of the diurnal raptors are likely to hunt very far into the crepuscular time zone. They virtually always punch out and go to roost before the owls punch in. Around here, the last diurnal raptors to punch out are usually the Mexican eagles (Caracara cheriway).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
-
Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8330
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Yes Rebecca, I have seen a tawny frog mouth, a few of them over the years.
In my pre MC life, on various camping trips we have gone out on dusk, nightfall with red light torches and found them in the trees.
thats why i love where I live. All the things i loved about camping I now have in my day to day life, with the comforts of my own bed, bathroom and kitchen. I can see the stars at night, see lots of native animals in their habitats, get amazing photos.
Much prefer being woken by the laughs of kookaburras, or the melody of willy wag tails - than the sounds of cars, trucks and suburbia.
We do have quite a few Goshawks here at the farm, we mostly see them when there are young chickens around.
One day, we counted 25 different species of native birds, viewable from the same spot.
In my pre MC life, on various camping trips we have gone out on dusk, nightfall with red light torches and found them in the trees.
thats why i love where I live. All the things i loved about camping I now have in my day to day life, with the comforts of my own bed, bathroom and kitchen. I can see the stars at night, see lots of native animals in their habitats, get amazing photos.
Much prefer being woken by the laughs of kookaburras, or the melody of willy wag tails - than the sounds of cars, trucks and suburbia.
We do have quite a few Goshawks here at the farm, we mostly see them when there are young chickens around.
One day, we counted 25 different species of native birds, viewable from the same spot.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Sounds so lovely there Gabes , I forgot you have kookaburras ! We have something similar a belted kingfisher, in my area. I have not seen them in person though and they don't laugh like your Kookaburras !
I would say the most interesting birds ( to me) in my back yard area are the Turkey Vultures, and Grosbeaks.
(The Stellers Jay are beautiful with their dark blue bodies and black crest but they are so common and a bossy little thing.)
I think many people think birds of other countries are more interesting or beautiful. I know I do !
P.S.
Our woodpeckers are kinda fun ~ but they don't drill holes in my house. Now my neighbor hates them as her house is full of holes ! lol
I would say the most interesting birds ( to me) in my back yard area are the Turkey Vultures, and Grosbeaks.
(The Stellers Jay are beautiful with their dark blue bodies and black crest but they are so common and a bossy little thing.)
I think many people think birds of other countries are more interesting or beautiful. I know I do !
P.S.
Our woodpeckers are kinda fun ~ but they don't drill holes in my house. Now my neighbor hates them as her house is full of holes ! lol
Rebecca,
I have some photos of turkey vultures somewhere, but I don't recall ever posting any of them. If you like vultures though, here are a few photos of a couple of black vultures that sometimes hung out in the yard when they were young (these are from back 10 years ago).
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=40032
Tex
I have some photos of turkey vultures somewhere, but I don't recall ever posting any of them. If you like vultures though, here are a few photos of a couple of black vultures that sometimes hung out in the yard when they were young (these are from back 10 years ago).
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=40032
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.