New Holland Honeyeater

The New Holland Honeyeater is a honeyeater species found throughout Southern Australia, from about Brisbane, Queensland to just north of Perth in Western Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia 1781 and was initially named Certhia Novaehollandiae.

It is a very active bird, and rarely sits long enough to give an extended view. When danger approaches a group of Honeyeaters will form together and give a warning call.

The New Holland Honeyeater is common in heath, forests and woodlands, mainly where grevilleas and banksias are found. It's inquisitive and approaches humans. It also mixes with other honeyeaters as Red Wattlebird, Singing Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, all described in this blog.

The birds are also very active feeders, they mostly eat the nectar of flowers (Photo1) and busily dart from flower to flower in search of this high energy food. Other food items include fruit, insects and spiders. Birds may feed alone but normally gather in quite large groups. Most feeding take place in lower areas of bushes and thickets.
Its cup-shaped nest is made of bark and grasses, bound together with spider web. Its lined with soft material and is placed in the bush or tree, anywhere from ground level up to six meters. Both sexes feed the chiks. A pair of adults may raise two or three broods in a year.

Photos taken: 1,4 Swan River (Belmont)  2,3 Lightning Swamp bush land, 5 Bickley Brook

Ptič spada v vrsto medojedcev in ga je mogoče najti po vsej Južni Avstraliji od okoli Brisbana, Qwenslanda vse do severno od Pertha v Zahodni Avstraliji. Ta vrsta je bila ena med prvimi znanstveno opisanimi vrstami v Avstraliji leta 1781 in že od začetka poimenovana Certhia Novaehollandiae.
Je zelo aktiven ptič in redko sedi na veji toliko časa da bi ga lahko dalj časa opazovali. Ko se mu približa nevarnost se skupina teh ptičev združi in odda svarilni klic.
Ptiča najdemo v resju, gozdovih in grmovju, večinoma kjer rastejo grevileje in banksije. Je radoveden ptič in se zlahka približa človeku. Druži se tudi z drugimi ptiči iz vrste medojedcev kot so Red Wattlebird, Singing honeyeater in Brown honeyeater, vsi že opisani v tem blogu.
Ptič je tudi zelo aktiven jedec, večinoma se hrani z cvetnim nektarjem in neprestano leta od cveta do cveta v iskanju te visoko energetske hrane. Ostala hrana na jedilniku vključuje sadje, insekte in pajke. Ptič se lahko hrani sam normalno pa v družbi večje skupine. Večinoma najde hrano v nizkem grmičevju in goščavju.
Njegovo Čašasto oblikovano gnezdo je narejeno iz lubja in trave, povezano z pajčevino. Je obloženo z mehkim materijalom in zgrajeno v grmovju ali drevesih, do šest metrov od tal. Oba spola hranita mladiče. Par odraslih ptičev lahko vzgoji dve ali tri gnezda na leto.       

         

Laughing Kookaburra

Last updates:

02.07.2014. photo 4,5. 

The Laughing Kookaburra is well known both as a symbol of Australia's birdlife and as the inspirational from the children's songs and is the largest member of the Kingfisher family.

Its song really sounds like laughing and when I heard it the first time I asked my self "Since when a monkeys lives around Perth ?"

You can hear its voice on the bottom of post. 

The Laughing Kookaburra has dark brown wing plumage and a white head and underside. Dark brown aye stripes run across its face and its upper bill its black. Its reddish-colored tail is patterned with black bars.

Laughing Kookaburras are found throughout eastern Australia. They have been introduced to Tasmania, south-west of Western Australia and New Zeeland.

Its habitat are most areas where there are eucalyptus trees.

Feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may also be eaten. Prey is seized by pouncing from suitable perch. Small prey is eaten whole, but larger pray is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch.

Photo: Jozef Skubin. 1,2,3, Swan river, Belmont 24.06.2013. 4,5, Walter Point, Swan River 29.06.2014 

Smejoča se Kookaburra je večkrat uporabljena kot simol ptic v Avstraliji in v mnogih otroških pesmih. Spada v družino Kingfisherjev in je največja izmed njih.

Njeno oglašanje res zveni kot smeh in ko sem jo prvič slišal sem se najprej vprašal " Od kdaj pa živijo opice tu okrog Pertha?"

Njen zvok lahko slišite na koncu tega opisa.

Smejoča Kookaburra ima temno rjavo perje na perutih, glava in rebušna stran pa je bela. Preko oči do zaglavja ima temno rjavi liniji in črn zgornji del kljuna. Po rdečkasto obarvanem repu ima temne linije.

Smejočo Kookaburrro najdemo v celotni vzhodni Avstraliji, naseljena pa je bila v Tasmanijo, jugovzhod Zahodne Avstralije in v Novo Zelandijo.

Njen habitat je povsod kjer je mogoče najti evkaliptusovo drevje.

Večinoma se hrani z insekti in raki pa tudi z manjšimi kačami, sesalci (miši itd..), žabami, celo pticami.

Plen napade iz primernega mesta in manjše živali pogoltne kar cele, z večjimi pa udari ob tla ali drevesno vejo.

     

Australian Darter

The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill and and long rounded tail. Often seen swimming with only neck visible above the water, or drying its wings while perched on a tree or stump over water. While its gait its clumsy on land it can soar gracefully to great heights on thermals, gliding from updraft to updraft. It has a cross shaped silhouette when flying.

In Australia the darter is found from Adelaide, South Australia to Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and then to Broom, Western Australia. It is also fund in South Western Australia, from Perth to Esperance.

The Darter lives in wetlands and sheltered coastal waters, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. It prefers smooth, open waters, for feeding, with tree trunks, branches, stumps or posts fringing the water, for resting and drying its wings. Most often seen inland, around permanent and temporary water bodies at last half a metre deep, but may be seen in calm seas near shore, fishing.

The Darter catches fish with its sharp bill, partly open while diving in water deeper then 60cm. The fish is pierced from underneath, flicked onto the water's surface and then swallowed head first. Smaller items are eaten underwater and large items may be carried  to a convenient perch and then swallowed.

I saw the Darter the first week after my arrival to Australia, but at time I wasn't much interested for a birds. Later I was looking for it and finally I catch it with my camera, last week, drying its wings on the bank of the Swan River.

Photos taken 1,2,3,Swan River

Darter pomeni kačjevratnik, prav po tem je ptič namreč tudi znan. Gre za vitko do 90cm visoko vodno ptico z dolgim kači podobnim vratom, ostro koničastim kljunom in zaobljenim repom. Kadar plava je iz vode mogoče videti samo vrat, pogosto pa suši peruti na posušenih obrečnih vejah ali štorih ki štrlijo iz vode.

Medtem ko je na tleh njegov način hoje zelo štorast, je v zraku čudovit jadralec, ki se ob dobri termiki, z kroženjem povspne do zavidljivih višin.

V Avstraliji ga je mogoče najti od Adelaida v Južni Avstraliji do Tennant Creeka v Severnem Teritoriju nato do Brooma v Zahodni Avstraliji. Nahaja pa se tudi v Jugozahodni Avstraliji od Pertha do Esperanca na južni obali.

Darter živi na mokriščih in območjih rek, prav tako tudi na odprtih obalnih vodah v glavnem v tropskem in subtropskem pasu. Najraje ima mirne odprte vode iz katerih štrlijo vodni štori in suhe veje na obrežjih na katerih počiva in suši krila.

Ribe lovi tako da plava z delno odprtim ostrim kljunom do 60cm in več globoko pod vodo. Ribo prebode od spodaj navzgor in nato ji nad vodno gladino odgrizne najprej glavo. Manjše delce požre takoj, pod vodo      

večje pa odnese na primernejši prostor kjer jih požre kasneje.

To ptico sem videl na obrežju reke Swan prvi teden, ko sem prišel v Avstralijo, vendar sem takrat imel opravka z drugimi stvarmi kot pa z fotografiranjem ptic. Kasneje sem jo dolgo iskal in končno jo ujel z fotoaparatom prejšnji teden, kako po jutranjem lovu suši krila na obrežju reke nekaj kilometrov severno od Pertha.  

Singing Honeyeater

The Singing Honeyeater can be found throughout most of the semi-arid and arid parts of Australia. There are 4 subspecies in Australia, all with small subtle differences.

Like most Honeyeaters feed on both, nectar and insects but their percentage of insect take much higher then nectar, which is reversal of many of the Honeyeaters.

Nest is a shallow cup of twined bark and grasses with spiders webbing bound from the rim to a fork.

Photos taken: 1,2,3 Herdsman Lake 4 Swan River 

Glossy Ibis

A bird find in parts of Africa, Asia and Australasia but is monotypic .

The smallest Australian Ibis, his a beautiful metallic bronze gloss when seen in full sunlight. Feeds on grassy edges of freshwater pools, has a preference of shallow waters.

Nests either on flats rafts of reeds located in small swamps or up in paperbark trees on flat twig nests with leaves as base.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsman Lake 

Black-winged Stilt

There are only four Stilts in the world and Australia has two of them, the Black-winged and the Banded. Stilts are the longest legged waders of all, with extremely long fine bills.

The Black-winged Stilt delicately prods on the surface of the water for aquatic invertebrates that swim on the surface. If they don't surface feed, they will select muddy areas where they can pick off small invertebrates and worms.

Black-winged Stilt will nest as a solitary pair on a small wetland, or more often just a small colony 5-10 birds.

Photos taken 1,2: Herdsman Lake

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

There are six species of Spoonbill in the world, Australia having two of them, the Royal and the Yellow-billed.

Spoonbills are related to the Ibis but through evolution, have developed a flattened bill with a spatulate end and become what is known as a ''tactile'' feeder rather then developing a probing method of feeding like the Ibis by moving their open bill sideways back and forth through the water.

Nests in tree making a flat stick nest lined with some small leaves.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsmann Lake

Eastern Great Egret

Tallest of all the Egrets with very long shaped neck with at full stretch is longer then the body lenght, a useful diagnostic feature.

Feeds on inland wetlands, moist grasslands and coastal mudflats and nests mostly with other egrets and herons in small loose colonies. Flat twig nest placed in a tree mostly over water.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsmann Lake  

White-faced Heron

Last edits...

Photo- 4. 29.06.2014

References- 29.06.2014

The White-Faced Heron is mostly light blue-gray in colour, with a characteristics white face. In flight, the dark flight feathers of the wing contrast with the paler grey plumage, making this bird easily identifiable when viewed from below. It has a long, slim neck and a pointed grey-black bill. The legs are long and dull yellow in colour. Sexes are similar. 

When breeding, the birds have long feathers on the head, neck and back. 

The White-faced Herons are similar in appearance to the non-breeding adults, but are duller, with little or no white on the face. They often have a reddish colour on the underparts.

White- face Herons are commonly seen herons in Australia. They are found throughout the mainland and Tasmania, and most coastal islands. They also occur in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The birds can be found anywhere where there is a water, from tidal mudflats and coastal reefs to miost grasslands and gardens.

White-Faced Heron  feeds on a wide variety of pray, including fish, insects and amphibians. Food is obtained in a variety of ways, such as walking and disturbing prey, searching among damp crevices or simply standing in the water and watching for movement.

White-Faced Herons may breed outside the breeding season in response to rainfall. Both sexes share the building of the nest, incubation of the eggs and care of the young. The nest is an untidy structure of sticks, placed in a tree. Normally only one brood of young is raised in a year.   

      

Photo-

Jozef Skubin.  1,2 Herdsmann Lake, 3 Swan River, 4 Cannington river

References-

Field guide to the birds of  Australia

Reader's Digest complete birds of Australia 

The waterbirds of Australia

Little Pied Cormorant

The Little Pied Cormorant is one of the most common Australia's waterbirds, occurring on water bodies of almost any size. Its entirely black above and white below. The face is dusky and, in adult birds, the white on the underside extends to above the eye. Immature birds resemble the adults except there is no white above the eye.

The Little Pied Cormorant is found throughout Australia and is at home in either fresh or salt water. It's often seen in large flocks on open waterways and on the coast, especially where large numbers of fish are present. On inland streams and dams, however is often solitary. 

The Little Pied Cormorant mixes readily with the similar sized Black Cormorant which is also described in this blog.

It feeds on a wide variety of aquatic animals, from insects to fish. On inland they turn to their most favorite food, Yabbies (freshwater crayfish). These are caught by deep underwater dives with both feeds kicking outward in unison. Other crustaceans are also taken, with shrimps being a large part of their diet in winter months.

Little Pied Cormorant on first picture were seen at Herdsmann lake in Perth. For others, me and Monica rented a canoe at Moore river in Guilderton. We saw the birds on the other side of the river, so Monica was sailing trying to approach the boat much closer was possible and I was trying to take the best photos. It was quite cold and windy day and type of boat we were using was for competitions, so a lot of water came in and we were totally wet.                  

Photos taken: 1 Herdsmann Lake 11.05.2013/ 3,4,5,6 Moore river Guilderton 2.6.2013   

Mali lisasti Kormoran je ena najpogostejših Avstralskih vodnih ptic. Po hrbtnem delu telesa ima perje črno, na trebušnem delu pa belo. Koža na obrazu je črne in bele barve na notranji strani, ki se pri odraslih pticah podaljša vse do okrog oči. Mlade ptice so povsem enake, razen bele kože okrog oči.

Malega lisastega Kormorana najdemo v celotni Avstraliji, doma je tako v sladkih kot v slanih vodah. Pogosto ga vidimo v večjih jatah na odprtih vodnih poteh in na obali, predvsem kjer je prisotno veliko rib, na manjših tokovih in mlakah pa je večinoma sam. Rad se druži z Črnim Kormoranom, ki je podobne velikosti in je prav tako opisan v tem blogu.

Hrani se z različnimi vodnimi živalmi, od insektov do rib, v celinskih vodah pa izbere njemu najljubšo hrano, tako imenovano ribo Yabbie (crayfish-jelševec???) Le te ulovi tako, da se z sonožnim odganjanjem potopi globoko pod vodo. Hrani se tudi z raki in kozicami, ki so v zimskem času del njegove diete.

Prva fotografija je bila posneta pri Hardsmanovem jezeru blizu Pertha, za ostale štiri pa sva z Moniko najela čoln ob reki Moore v Guildertonu. Ptice sva namreč videla na drugi strani reke. Monika je veslala in poskušala približati čoln čim bližje ja pa sem fotografiral.

Bil je nenavadno hladen dan in kanu, ki sva ga imela je bil tekmovalnega tipa. V notranjosti se je nabirala voda in oba sva imela riti in noge več kot eno uro v vodi. 

Musk duck

The male Musk Duck is the largest of Australia's ducks and has a powerful build. Musk Duck get their name from the strong musk odour produced from the gland on the rump. 

The female is smaller than the male, both are sooty-brown in plumage, with paler brown barring on the body and fine spots of the head.

They are paler below, becoming whiter towards  the abdomen. The male is decorated with a large bulbous lobe of skin hanging under his bill. This sac increases in size at the start of the breeding season. The female also has much-reduced lobe on the underside of its bill, only visible at a short distance.

The bill is dark gray at the both sexes and the aye dark brown, a tail is the collection of long, stiff feathers which can be held in a fan-shape.

Young Mask Duck are similar to the adult female, but are paler, with a dull yellow tip on bill, and no lobe.

Musk Ducks are found only in Australia. They range from the north-west Western Australia, through the south and east to southern Queensland, and can be found several hundred kilometres inland in some areas.

Musk Duck tend to be found in deep freshwater lagoons, with dense reed beds. They are normally seen singly or in pairs, but may form medium to large groups in the winter. 

Flight usually takes place at night.The bird's bulky-size means a large distance is required for take-off and the landing is quite clumsy.

Photos taken: 1,2 Herdsman lake 

Samec je največji v vrsti Avstralskih rac in ima močno grajeno telo. Ptica je dobila ime po močnem mošusovem vonju iz zadnjične žleze.

Samica je manjša od samca. Oba imata sajasto-rjavo perje z bledo rjavimi progami po telesu in lepimi lisami na glavi. Oba sta bleda na spodnjem delu telesa in skoraj bela med trebuhom in repom.

Samec je okrašen z gomoljastim izrastkom na koži, ki mu visi pod kljunom. Mešiček se poveča v času paritvene sezone pri samici pa se precej zmanjša membranica na spodnjem delu kljuna, kar pa je vidno samo od blizu.

Kljun je temno siv pri obeh spolih in oba imata temno rjave oči. Rep je kombinacija dolgih otrdelih peres katere so lahko sprijete v spiralasto obliko.

Mladiči so podobni odrasli samici z razliko, da so bolj bledi z blago rumenim odtenkom na konici kljuna in brez za samico značilne membranice na spodjem delu kljuna.

To vrsto race je mogoče najti samo v Avstraliji. Njihov teritorij je od severozahoda Zahodne Avsralije, jug in vzhod Avstralije vse do južnega Queenslanda in jih je mogoče najti na nekaterih področjih nekaj sto kilometrov v notranjosti celine.

Njihov življenski prostor so bolj ali manj globoke sladkovodne lagune z gosto poraščenimi ležišči.

Večinoma jih je opaziti same ali v parih, v zimskem času pa se lahko združijo v srednje velike in velike skupine.

Letijo večinoma ponoči. Zaradi močno grajenega telesa rabijo veliko prostora za vzlet, pristanek pa je zelo okoren.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Mainly a ground dwelling thornbill although rarely found on open plans, requires open woodland where it will  occasionally forage in trees, but most of its time is spending feeding on the ground.

It is the largest of the thornbills, and is a sedentary species rarely moving far from its territory except in arid zones where it will move in bad seasons.

Photos taken: 1,2,3, Canington River 

Whistling Kite

Has preference for wooded country adjacent to wetlands in the South West. 

Scavenges more then Little Eagle, eating more carrion but does take live prey particularly in the breeding season, bringing fresh kills to the nest.

Ducks and waterbirds are constantly harassed by the Whistling Kite

Photos taken: 1 Penguin Island 

Crested Tern

A large tern with a black crown and crest, narrow white gap between bill, long forked tail, black legs.

Feed almost entirely on fish hovering in true tern-like fashion just a few meters above the water to look for fish and then dive and catch.

Photos taken: 1 Penguin Island 

Silver Gull

It is however an attractive gull, particularly the adult bird in breeding plumage with its bright red legs and bill. Found only in Australasia, it has adapted well to European settlement and most probably increased in numbers.

Found along the entire Australian coastline.

Pictures taken: 1,2,3 Penguin Island 

Common Bronzewing

The Common Bronzewing is the species of pigeons. This bird is named for its beautiful iridescent bronze coloured wing feathers.

Photos taken 1, Point Heathcote reserve, Perth

Navadni Bronasti krilec spada v vrsto golobov. Ptica je dobila ime zaradi čudovitega spreminjajoče bronastega perja na krilih.  

Rainbow Lorikeet

This is one of Australian most colourful parrots. Its noisy and can become tame enough to hand feed.
Although usually moving about in small flocks, hundreds sometimes feed with their brush-like tongue on the blossom nectar of shurbs and trees.
In Australia lives 52 species of parrots.

Photos taken 1,2,3,4, Point Walter reserve, Perth W.A.

Je ena najbolj pisanih avstralskih papig. Je zelo glasna in dovolj krotka, da jo je mogoče hraniti iz roke.
Čeprav jih ponavadi vidimo v manjših jatah se jih včasih v drevesih na stotine hrani, z kot ščet oblikovanimi jeziki z cvetnim nektarjem.
V Avstraliji živi 52 vrst papig.

Brown honeyeater

There are 3 subspacies troughout Australia, but only one in Western Australia. A small honeyeater, highly active and very common in the Perth region. Most diverse in its choice of feeding habitats including wet sclerophyll forests, mangroves, dry arid woodland and heath.
Its all the time busy acrobatic bird, frequently on the wing, hovering over flowers and pursuing insects on the flight.
A lot of people said that is the best songster among Australian birds. It has a clear rolling musical call, which is very loud for the size of the bird.

Photos taken 1,2, Point Heathcote, Perth W.A.