Another visit to The Croft (October)

We decided to treat ourselves to another short stay at the Croft. We were there back in March (this link is the first of three posts from then). Different time of year. Still great to enjoy the location and the birds ...

This first photo is a brown honeyeater taking a shower in the rain - always fascinates me that the "drops" are picked up in the photo. The birds generally seem so unaffected 😊. So a wet arrival this time. The second photo is included to show the dark foreboding sky that hung around most of the day - here providing a stunning backdrop to a crow in the tree during a brief break to overhead allowing some sun to shine through. Nature in all her wonder!

Good to see the spangled drongo still around. 

This was a solitary appearence on this visit - not spoiled by a close encounter like our first visit. Nonetheless, that forked tail, shiny black coat and beady red eye is clear to see.

Could not resist sharing these two photos of a brown honeyeater - I marvel at how it is so delicately balanced right on the tip of the bird of paradise flower while still managing to offer a full frontal glare at the photographer. The second photo is the same bird on a lower flower and offering a nice clear full profile to appreciate their size and light "touch".

Pesky as they are, they have quite the striking palette. This common myna was about to take flight.

I decided to include quite a few photos below of some red-browed finches. Each day a small flock would descend to graze on the grass around some shrubs before moving off for fresh seed. The selection chosen below attempts to provide a sense of the "flock" down to an individual bird. Lovely creatures these, and the olive back feathers are a subtle contrast to the soft grey breastfeathers and the bright red brow and beak. Again, the grass scene offers a strong sense of how tiny these birds are and how well they blend in. Their movement & chirping most generally draw your attention first.

Another brown honeyeater, this time venturing into a bush right beside our verandah and thus offering a great view of it checking the photographer out again!

This next pair of photos feature the bird of paradise flowers again, but this time being enjoyed by the larger, more colourful (and agressive) blue-faced honeyeater. The first photo shows an acrobatic effort to reach the nectar, while the second one is a more traditional pose demonstrating, despite the larger size, the bird is still very light as it poses in profile right on the end of a flower. Amazing how the blue face is strikingly similar to the blue spike of the flower 😁.

The next two photos show-off the lush spring foliage of a liquid amber providing a wonderful refuge for a pair (and then just one) of little corellas. The pastel colours around the eyes provide such a wonderfully subtle variation to the white plummage.

This is a young spotted dove - the distinctive white spots on the black neck feathers are not yet developed. The sign is about the ground beyond the gate, clearly not the gate rail and the pine in the paddock beyond offers a nice symmetrical, contrasting background.

This very healthy turkey will be in good shape by the time Xmas has arrived (or perhaps it will not survive Thanksgiving?). We could hear it "gobbling" away regularly on the farm next door.

The final two to be shared from this visit are a peaceful dove grazing among the debris in a muddy patch in the paddock behind the property and a willy wagtail swinging in the breeze while ensuring the photographer is aware he is being watched.