Leaving The Croft

It is ironic as I write this final post sharing the birdlife we encountered at The Croft that it is once again raining steadily. It has been such a prolonged wet period. We had one short break at Wooli during which it rained each day. So we count our good fortune to have had the three days at The Croft without significant rain, blessed with much sunshine ... amid the continuing wet weather. At least it is not overly cold as well.

So what is offered in this final post of our visit to The Croft ... generally more of the same, but each treat is also different in some way. It might be the pose of the bird, the setting the bird is in, the background, the weather, the light ... or some combination of any or all of these. So, enjoy this final selection from our wonderful relaxing stay ... to begin I offer this study of an olive-backed oriole searching for and savouring the seeds. The relative size of the seed in the bill highlights how tiny the silvereyes are to be enjoying the same feast in the previous post.

Next is the view down the paddock from the back verandah where I captured a couple of the small peaceful doves on the chook yard fence (the second one taking a particular interest in what I was doing) and cattle egrets doing what they do when the cattle are around 😏.

Next I share two clear shots of a little wattlebird perched in the himalayan magnolia each pose showing an alternate profile for me. The second one attracted me for the yellow pollen between the eye and the bill ... many ways for them to play their part for mother nature.

What would a farewell be without a couple more glimpses of the spangled drongo looking very at home in two more settings on the grounds.

I mentioned in the previous post the restless flycatcher was an aggressive character. I heard its agressivce chatter and watched it chase a grey butcherbird along the powerlines. I managed to capture it in full wingspan just after one swoop backlit by the morning sun. The second photo below is the young butcherbird on a far less exposed perch!

One final glimpse of the magnificent palette of an eastern rosella, and the olive-backed oriole (with a gob full, of course)!

Yet another wonderful location reminding us why we must preserve and manage to live WITH our environment and not forsake all these wonders for "progress" ... appreciate and glad to have offered some small support for Karen at The Croft.

Day 2 at The Croft

Quite the treat to be able to relax between the front and back deck and enjoy being so up close and personal with the birds. Without a sense that we need to be out and about "doing something" ... Deb happy to be lounging in the pool with the big floaty ring while I peer through the lens with each new sound or movement in the foliage ... as mentioned in the previous post, a variety of birds were enjoying the seeds of the Himalayan magnolias that were shading the back deck from the afternoon sun. The seed pods open to reveal the red seeds and they certainly signal feed time to the birds ... enjoy the offerings below ... 

Silvereye working through the seeds

Olive-backed oriole with seed

Silvereye with seed observing me

Varied triller with seed

Varied triller selecting next seed

Silvereye with its prize

Silvereye wondering what's next

Silvereye swallowing seed

Young olive-backed oriole checking the feast out

Eastern rosella cautiously grazing

Eastern rosella feeding

Not everything was in those himalayan magnolias! Here are some other settings ... first an even clearer view of the delicate and fragile structure of those dragonflys.

Next, contrasting a figbird (with the blackhead and red eye surround) with an olive-backed oriole (olive head and red eye).

Next two photos offer a new bird for me - the restless flycatcher. Once again, a blue tinge is evident in some lights to what otherwise seems a black and white bird. Aggressive little fellas these.

Finally for this second of three posts on our stay at The Croft is a set of the red-browed finch. These guys were taking advantage of a bird bath at the bottom of the timber frame on which they are perched. The crimson flowering shrub offers an exquisite background complementing their olive and red feature plummage.

Day I at The Croft

In the aftermath of the terrible recent flood event we decided to take a few days away at The Croft, just north of Murwillumbah. Covid continues to stifle desires to head further afield so some shorter more local stays are what we will aim for. This was the first of these. It is also a B&B we highly recommend to anyone wishing to enjoy a wonderfully peaceful setting with excellent facilities and gracious hosts. Our parting sense was that our stay was too short, so we definately left feeling like we had enjoyed our stay! Here is a taste of the setting from our verandah out over the pool ... 

At the rear of the accommodation there was a south facing balcony sheltered well by a stand of Himalayan magnolias. These and their seedpods you will see featured often in the posts of this visit - a variety of birds clearly enjoy the seeds that reminded us of pomegranate seeds without the fleshy covering 😊.

My first bird encounter was late in the afternoon of our arrival. A treat to be able to get quite close to a couple of young eastern rosellas ... one grazing in the dappled light under the trees for seeds and other delights; the other basking and being "lookout" in the foliage enjoying stronger sunlight. Even so young, their plummage is both striking and showing off such a range of colours. Further encounters lie ahead!

The other familiar chirping to be heard was this willy wagtail I caught alighting on a stake adjacent to some flourishing pineapples.

 

Next morning I wandered around the mown grounds just to see what I might find. What a treat I was afforded! This young spangled drongo was very keen to be seen and photographed ... as you see in the set (of five) below, the distinctive forked tail is evident, the brown circle around the eyeball which has not yet become a more mature red colour, the black plummage in certain light has a clear teal tinge on the wing feathers and the speckled breast. Even the "whiskers" are nice and clear in one of the photos. A real privilege when birds are this comfortable in our presence and eager to be observing our activity without alarm 😊. Enjoy!

At the top of the garden the raucous and distinctive calls of the sulphur-crested cockatoo and a pair of little corellas was heard. The next two photos show a cockatoo perched high up in the ubiquitous eucalypt with the yellow crown clearly on display, then a little while later the same bird taking flight from the pine next to the eucalypt - the pastel yellow tinges of the underwings in flight on full display.

On slightly lower perches in that same pine tree was a pair of little corellas and the second photo below catches the top bird taking flight, the wing position looking like it might be trying to swoop and collect up the lower bird and carry it away ... silly I know, but the wrap of the wings is very enveloping!

Now, in a lovely garden with loads of flowering plants the buzz of insects and fragrance of the flowers is a draw in the early morning. So while not strictly birds, literary license demands a wide interpretation for context because as well as seeds, the insects are also fodder for some birds ... and they also have wings 😏 so I have chosen a few to include below for your enjoyment. I am proud of being able to capture these insects in flight so clearly, and against their foliage they look really spectacular.

First a couple of busy bees hovering in selection of their next blossom.

Next a more complex composition featuring a magnolia flower ... my focus was on the bee's knees with the collected pollen but see how you go noticing any other creatures that happened to make an appearance ... sometimes you don't see what is there until you are reviewing the picture and realise how lucky you have been!! (Remember, if you click on a photo you will see a larger version of it).

This next one is pushing that license to an extreme, but it did look so magnificent in among the frangipani I just had to include this bird of paradise (flower) ... colour and light are wonderful companions ...

Keeping with the insect wings, the delicate and fragile features of the dragonfly having a brief rest from it's flightpath is shown here. The finery of nature in all her glory!

And even this fly seems to be conscious of COVID sanitation requirements ... here it is rubbing its front legs together while showing off quite the range of shiny colours while resting on the pool fence 😊.

Yes, yes, just a reminder as this post ends that there were other birds around too - here a fine bar-shouldered dove specimen sits atop a fence beside the chook pen after taking advantage of some grain on the ground beside the tank.