Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages III (July 2019)

Pond life

I noted in my intial post of this series that the pond over which the bungalow is built had been cleaned out. The reeds and water plants and other flora that had begun to clog the pond during our first visit had been removed. The associated fauna we discovered in that environment was thus not so present, varied and visible this visit. However, it was just "different".

The photos in this post were selected to provide a view of that "different". The focus is much more on what uses the top and edges of the pond.

Nature provides some truely special compositions for us to savour. This first picture offers so much ... I have little doubt you will be able to notice even more than I share. 

The sky is grey as seen in the pond surface upon which the feather floats; the delicacy of the grey barbs either side of the rachis merge with the even more delicate and fluffy white afterfeather protecting the upward pointing calamus. Thank you wikipedia for the technical terminology! Then there is the mirror surface enabling a very precise reflection showing the underside of the afterfeathers and calamus. Even more special is the presence and magnifiaction offered by the droplets on the feather - the single relatively large one with atleast four smaller ones to the top left seemingly in vertical alignment, & several more very small ones on close inspection. "Light as a feather" just does not seem nearly adequate. Like many birds ... "grey" ... but the many shades are really something special.

Lewin's honeyeater watching and waiting

Dusky moorhen dribble

Cruising into shallows

His majesty peeking around the corner.

Overseeing his subjects

Geese getting settled

Preening, resting and flapping

And to finish this theme, skip to next morning to the early morning sun rising across the hills and the vineyard behind the bungalow ... yes, quite the location ... the attraction is clear (notwithstanding the septic tank in the foreground!!)!

Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages II (July 2019)

This post is devoted to the rest of Day 1 of our visit. Most photos are alternative perspectives on birds already sighted during our first 3 hours. Each provides a different glimpse of the pleasure wandering around and patiently observing birds provides ... incentive to continue the journey! Enjoy!

Remember, clicking on an image will bring up a larger version for you to enjoy.

I begin with a series of photos showing off the splendidly acrobatic and sleek eastern spinebill seeking and enjoying nectar in a bush in the garden at the backdoor of the bungalow overlooking the vineyard. One even in flight about to alight on a different branch.

These next two are wonderfully crisp images of a new bird to me. I noticed it repositioning among the branches of the bushes on the small isthmus into the pond in front of the bungalow while we were enjoying a glass of wine. It was immediately noticeable to me as a species of honeyeater I had not seen before and I confess to still not being 100% on my identifaction. My best effort is a yellow-faced honeyeater.

I selected this next one to share because of the imagery ... the dusky moorhen has a dribble of water dripping from the distinctive yellow tip of the red beak and the transition from the iridescent dark blue to the black feathers and white flicking tail is captured splendidly in the late afternoon light. The other stiking thing on review of this photo was the reflection on the glassy pond surface of the pale yellow rock against the bank ... the reflection conjured an image of a very large "egg" the moorhen was guarding ... poetic licence I know, but such was the moment for me on review 😔 ...

Male king parrot ripping into a seed pod.

In my previous post I promised some better images of the very gorgeous and tiny silvereye.

Here you go! 

I spotted this one flitting about in the undergrowth near where I was wandering back up from the creek. I could not believe my luck when this fellow became extra curious once I stopped still and just waited to see what might happen. As you see I was rewarded with some excellent poses that really show off the magnificent sheen of the yellow, grey and olive tones and the iridesence of the white mask surrounding each eye - so striking! This was a wonderful moment.

The two-eyed stare

The curious peek

The sideways glance goodbye

Proudly perched, surveying his kingdom.

This final set offers some wonderful glimpses of the bar-shouldered doves resting and watching carefully from atop the wooden fence palings enclosing the vegetable garden. The magnificent range of brown and bronze shading contrasting the soft pearlesence of the grey chest down. The final photo contrasts the lack of brown and distinctive bars of a peaceful dove pair. The subtle grey variations dominate but remain striking. The final composition captures a plump lone bar-shouldered dove in the background.

Quite the end to our first day back at the Barney Creek Vineyard 😀

Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages I (July 2019)

This was our second stay here (see From Adelaide to Mount Barney and Mount Barney birds) and above is a reminder of the wonderful setting (even under cloud). The pond had been cleared of vegetation, so the pond life was far less active than earlier ... but as you will see below, a different time of year (July in full winter this time compared to April last time) brought quite a different range of birds 😊.

This first of several posts highlights that range in just our first 3 hours on our first day. Quite a treat!

Greeted by a pair of pond geese

Lewin's honeyeater on a log

Lewin's honeyeater scanning at ground level

The tiny but striking red-backed fairy wren

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Although I have already included a Lewin's honeyeater, this one was very willing to allow me to get close and so I was able to get a couple of very sharp images in two quite gorgeous and varied natural environments

Clearly not a bird 😉 but it does have beautiful ornate patterned and colourful wings that contrast with the grassy perch. Quite the sight when they are spread soaking up the sun in a simialr way I enjay catching the pose of the darter on the rock wall by the river.

A basking monarch butterfly

A peaceful dove ... being peaceful!

A pair also being peaceful ... great camoflage!

A (tiny) silvereye - a closer study in a later post.

After individual sightings in different locations earlier it was interesting to see the co-perching of the bar-shouldered and peaceful dove on a powerline when we got back to the main common lawn area. The offerings below provide a sense of the co-perching poses first (same line but different directions, and a sense of the smaller size of the peaceful dove is also presented) and then indivually zoomed poses of each type to highlight the colour variations.

Bar-shouldered dove (one had shifted its perch)

Perched on a wire - peaceful dove

And a real treat to keep an eye on this visit then appeared - a peacock! What a backdrop and perch, entirely befitting such a splendid display of grandeur! Gradual zooms to highlight that grandeur ... and I promise even better ones to follow!

Also in the common yard, posing on the crushed granite this time was the pair of pond geese, and not too far away the gander - not quite as handsome as Fred down in Bellingen, but hey, he still has his hareem 😉.

A couple of varietues of guinea fowl were also present, one with much darker plummage, both with the same characteristic red beak protruding from a white face that is very small in comparison to their large plump bodies.

A peaceful dove grazing beneath the vines behind the bungalow.

Male (L) and female (R) king parrots

Clearer image of the regal coat of the male

A ubiquitous willy wagtail

And, yes ... that really was just a selection from the first three hours! Stay tuned ...