Sumptuous September (2019)

Unlike recent posts there was no particular location that produced a multitude of riches. However, being September and beginning to warm up, there was plenty on offer. So set out in this post are a range of birds located during a variety of short local drives and walks.

Many familiar characters you will recognise I'm sure; hopefully each will offer what constantly amazes me ... the setting ... "being there" and stopping to notice ... that provides the interest and difference to what you have seen before (with the same type of bird, even the same location). Life is all about context!

The first three photos were taken walking along the eastern edge of the East Ballina cemetery starting at the picnic area on the southern end. As you can see, a beautiful sunny day providing a wonderful backdrop for the birds who decided they were willing to participate 😌

A curious pied butcherbird atop a bollard. Beautiful black down.

A little wattlebird checking it is safe!

Safe! Let me feast on the nectar!

The next three photos are from a visit to Victoria Park. I included the first one to show the shot in my recent post is no fluke in that environment. The pale yellow robins are curious ... and if you be still and patient, they are keen to make you welcome in their space. I like that this guy was looking right at me to give me permission 😋. The second photo is an exercise in camouflage for you. There is a white-browed scrub wren dead centre on the forest refuse. Easy to hear, a challenge to locate and a bigger one to snap a quick shot of. The third one I had to include as further evidence of my on-going quest to capture a clear shot of the ever-elusive (to me!!) eastern whipbird. Extremely easy to hear which is the part that drives you nuts trying to locate it 😂. What would this adventure be without a challenge?

These next two are in our backyard. I have not included too many of the outrageous palette offered by the rainbow lorikeet for a while. These two photos offer a good example of the way they operate in pairs as part of a larger flock. I like that in the first one the lower of the two is giving me the "evil" eye; the second photo offers a wonderful symmetry for their view a few moments later. The colours are just magnificent! 

The white-necked heron is one of my favourite wading birds. I love the contrasting range of colour in the darker wing plummage to the white neck and head. This is an interesting pose to as it appears to be taking a rest from the more normal elongated neck for a better view while hunting. This was just out of Alstonville on Wardell Road.

The next three photos are again from our home garden, this time the front. While not strickly a "bird" the grasshopper in the first two photos does have wings and it was a big one. They certainly have a character all their own (I could not quite bring myself to write "charm" there!). I liked the way these photos capture their ability to cling to things - the legs look very spindly, but clearly the barbs are very effective for grip. The eyes, I think, are spooky! The third photo is one of our common garden birds, the lewin's honeyeater. Making the most of a "me time" at the bird bath.

Another fascinating bird, the striated heron. This time noticed on the hunt in the mangroves at the north eastern end of Shaws Bay. This was a location I had not seen this character in before. The first photo shows a stealthly perch; the second, a more relaxed watching position. I have loved the asymmetry of this bird since my very first encounter.

At the small boat harbour near the Point in Ballina I had the good fortune one afternoon to notice an osprey enjoying a fresh catch. I loved the optimism being shown by the pied currawong in the first photo that there might a morsel or two shared; as you can see from the closer second and third photos, that was not going to happen! A very different take on success compared to our consumerist way of life!

Finally, on another walk in Ballina we came across a feeding flock of little corellas. Their dexterity in eating from one foot and balancing with the other is again evident. Thecontrast of the dark green of the pine trees and the cloudy sky provides a wonderful backdrop for these playful, if noisy birds. They always allow me to appreciate "plain" is only a function of where it is seen 😊.