End of August 2019 treasures

From two favourite and often visited local spots I wrap up sharing photos for August (2019). Quite a variety and once again offering the magnificent palette birds offer us to enjoy. Many of these are small and so with patience and waiting until "they come to you", the reward is fantastic. Even some of these that are not as clear as I would like, the reward is the colour that is evident.

I begin with a shaded red-backed fairy wren nestled deep in foliage. A close viewing (remember you can click on an photo and a slide show will open offering each photo is full screen view for you) will show the red, the brown and thenblack feathers ... even in deep shadow these little fellows are a joy to behold!

Not to be outdone is the sheen provided by the chesnut and blue/black feathers of the welcome swallow resting in the lee of the wind beside the rock wall. 

Here is a treat for you! I have shared plenty of the darter on rocks just resting or even sunning themselves to dry. This one I had been lining up for more of the same and look what happened ... really pleased to have captured the head and neck so clearly as the flight began 😁.

What would small birds being shown with beautiful plummage be without including the aptly named superb fairy wren! Like the other small birds, patience is often rewarded ... here a respite atop a fence post, and the same bird on a wire stetched between those posts! Once again the light offers different palettes to savour!

The noisy acrobats and ever curious little corellas. Three pictures showing them hanging, posing and perusing before one ducking into a tree hollow. Our clear blue sky is just the most magnificent background for these birds 👌

The next two photos are the noisy pitta. Generally (in my experience) found (seen!) by listening to the leaves and ground litter being scratched as you are walking through the forest. Note the range of colours in their palette, and the the orange pastel feathers around their rump is just evident in the first photo but very clear in the second. Delightful to observe going about their foraging.

The emerald dove shown below is a secretive bird often sighted in shadows beside the road as it forages for seed. They are a small dove and in the right light all the colors are quite irridescent as with the plummage of many doves and pigeons. One day I will produce an image to do them justice!!

Every now and again something very special is presented to you. On this day it happened twice while I was at Victoria Park. First I had been fortunate to notice a pale yellow robin carrying some strands of forest litter in its beak while it was flying by on my walk. I decided to just wait and watch for a bit to see if I could track where it was ging to or coming from. The second observation led me to a palm surprisingly close to the walkway I was on ... there was a head and beak peeking out above the top of a nest cup!! Imagine, as you look at the first photo below, the time and effort it must take to scuplt this for such a tiny bird! How wonderful. Second photo below was at the end of my walk back in the picnic area ... a pale yellow robin, not at all afraid, perched on a timber bollard posing for me. How fantastic is the fine plummage so clearly shown in this photo. These kind of shots keep you going!

I end August (2019) with a female superb fairy wren on the ground who has just found a small spider (if you look carefully in the beak). Patience again pays off.