2022 - a sporadic start

For a variety of reasons not much birding has happened so far in 2022. However, the current inclement weather offers an opportunity to share what has been snapped. This atleast makes me feel like I am up to date with posts rather than in "catch-up" mode again.

The pictures shared at this point are all really opportunistic while we have been doing other activities, rather than dedicated efforts to get out photgraphing. As always, it is interesting when reviewing and selecting from what has been taken, to see that the natural setting often shines through so much and complements what the birds have to offer 😊. Certainly it would be safe to write these are "regulars" or "old favourites". Not that it matters, because as previously noted, each sighting (even if the same location) is never the same! Enjoy.

The first series of photos are from a familiar location along the riverside and wall walk at Ballina. The main game for the day was the walk (and I just happened to have my camera, in case) ...

First up is an unusually exposed brown honeyeater on the low bushes beside the wall rather than flitting through the mangroves. The location provides an excellent sense of proportion. This angle also shows off the subtle shades that vary across the back, wing and tail feathers.

While crossing Missingham bridge on the way out to the wall we were presented with the wonderful sight of mum, dad & youngster osprey each perched on different light poles along the northern side of the bridge. Quite the sight to behold. Later, on a lamp cover along the wall, the youngster was off trying to develop hunting skills ... the next three photos show the bird checking me out carefully as I started taking my photos, then a closer up of the scan across the water that was the main game once I was ignored as a threat, and finally, an illustration of that wondefully flexible gaze they have!

While photographing the osprey I noticed a grey flash on the river side of the wall heading towards the mouth. A careful wander a bit further along revealed this youngish striated heron perched on a boulder. They generally strike me as having a "sad", weight of the world on their shoulders demeanour. I think this is just because they tend to mostly have their neck tucked in and not stretched out so it appears like their shoulders are hunched? That said I decided to share the following sequence of four because it offers some variation in that pose showing how that hunching can contract and expand and I like how the darker feathered "helmet" emerges by photo #4 to reveal the deep "v" at its base (almost like well tied bowtie). Of course, the yellow and black eye is striking as is the white breast vertical streak. A "sad" demeanour it may seem, but ever since my first sighting I have loved being able to photograph this bird 😁.

On the return walk one of the parents was still overseeing things ... 

One day drving home from Ballina I was taking a favoured detour along Old Bangalow Rd and happened upon the rare treat of seeing this majestic young white-necked heron perched on a dead branch rather than wading across the swampy ground. I decided to include this sequence because I liked the slight variation in the white-neck extension. And the cattle resting in the shade in the background adds to the serenity the scene captures.

A different day, same location and I was fortunate to get some lovely photos of some cattle egrets with breeding plummage that contrast so gorgeously with the very lush grasses of the swampy paddock. I like that the birds are concealed in the thicker reeds of the first two photos, then, in the third one I have captured one more fully "exposed" and it seems to be letting me know it is not that happy about it! The final one of the set I included as I like the rear view of the wingspan as one has just launched from the same dead branch as the heron above.

This final set were taken at two different accommodations on the Gold Coast during a recent stay while visiting my dad in hospital.

First two are a most apt bird of paradise flower setting for the blue-faced honeyeater. The background in the first one provides great scale for the size of the bird. I love the way the white head band merges with the iridescent blue face, while the olive wing and tail feathers contrast the teal of the leaves and the orange of the flowers. The second photo clearly shows the awareness of the bird and the resulting glare seems to convey it is not too happy about being watched 😕.

Different accommodation location, but this sequence serves to indicate birds will find a way to find a feed, no matter the height of the perch! From the initial glare below, I could not resist sharing the remaining photos of the way this young magpie balanced on the edge for a few remaining crumbs from dinner the night before. Quite tame, but takes living on the edge to whole new level for me! I like having been able to background some surrounding high rises for a sense of height context.

Wrapping up 2021 (Dec)

Its been a while between posts and it was a wet end to 2021 ... so not too much more out and about with the birds. However, one day I decided to head for a walk along Old Bangalow Rd beside Emigrant Ck and as always there were rewards worth sharing.

First gem for the walk was a melodious figbird, the sounds making it that much easier to locate the source on the creek side of the road and find it perched high up (as they tend to) in the open on a dead branch against the clear blue sky. 

Next up, and only slightly further along the road but on the opposite swampy paddock side, was a co-operative and photogenic white-faced heron. I offer the following four different poses against the wonderfully verdant grasses to highlight the range of grazing positions you might observe when you take the time to see them "in action". The light is especially good here to clearly contrast the "grey" plummage against the green, but also excellent to show the variations of pastel crimson (on the breast) and more silver tones throughout the grey. The final one I enjoyed capturing as it shows a wind-ruffled rump as the heron headed north further into the swampy paddock in search of prey.

About 100m further along, and again on the creek side of the road, I manageed a couple of snaps of this male red-backed fairy wren who has just snaffled a smalll orange insect. The first of the two photos below has been cropped to offer a better glimpse of the insect at the end of the beak, while the second photo (not cropped) offers a finer perspective of the tiny size but also how brilliant the splash of colour is when you notice the movement in the bush 😁.

The final treat to share for this walk was almost immediately beside and above the sighting of the wren above. This time, a first for me in this location (though I'm sure that is not any indication of a recent appearance for the birds here!), was a family of white-breasted woodswallows. The young ones were very noisy ensuring mum & dad knew where they were for feeding. The first photo is my initial sighting hinting at their presence, the remainder showing selected photos of the family groupings as they shifted among the perches hunting and in anticipation of being fed. The final photo offers a sense of momentary silence and satisfaction of the brood after being fed ... alas, that moment did not last too long! A real treat to have been able to observe such familiar family behaviour at such close quarters. 

As a final treat for 2021, we found these stick insects on our car bonnet one morning 😋. Yes, insectS ... a closer look shows a smaller one hitching a ride on the bottom half of the large one's body. Great to zoom in and have a close look at the nobbles and spines and spurs and burrs at various points on the body and limbs. True, not quite a bird ... but they do have wings!