Notes to readers of this Blog


NOTES TO READERS OF THIS BLOG

Thank you for dropping by to check out my blog. You will see a lot of other Blogs about birds I follow down the left hand side. I strongly encourage you to check some of these out as well, they are entertaining and I love to see birds from all over the world, I hope you do too.
Cheers,
Richard

Tuesday 5 June 2012

White-breasted Woodswallow, Brown Honeyeater and others from Lajamanu

After the weekend wanderings, it has been back into work over the past few days, apart from these shots at lunch time today of the White-breasted Woodswallows sitting on the power lines outside the accommodation I'm in:



After work this afternoon I grabbed the camera and headed off to the east along the North Tanami Rd (didn't even know it existed until I drove onto it!) I was originally heading towards the local sewerage ponds. I know, amazing to think I could be this far from a major town or city and still manage to find the poo ponds!
The ponds themselves weren't holding a large number of birds, and the majority of which I have much better chances at good quality photos at the Alice Springs Water Treatment Plant than here through the security wire, but species included Black-winged Stilts, Red-kneed and Black-fronted Dotterels, a lone Pacific Black Duck, Zebra Finches and the ever-present Willie Wagtail. There were a couple of birds just outside and occasionally just inside the perimeter fence, namely Paperbark Flycatcher and the below Jackie Winter:


The photos of the day however came once I'd left the poo ponds area and headed up the road a bit. The Brown Honeyeaters are ever-present in the locations I've been recently, and the one in the photos below kept stuffing its gob with little insects and returning to the same branch to munch away:





Pizzey and Knight states that they have a strong and varied voice often with a throaty "dup". Couldn't agree more, there weren't many other birds around but they were drowned out in the most by the throng of Brown Honeyeaters, and the "dup" was constant from all directions, I thought I was in New Zealand on a hot day and everyone was telling me they were heading off for a "dup" (dip in the ocean). (Sorry to the Kiwis out there, but it was the one way I could think of for those who haven't heard the Brown Honeyeater but have heard a Kiwi talk).

Another bird confused me for a little while as it was keeping quiet and the photos were at long range. Eventually one came close enough to identify properly, a Little Friarbird, which I don't think I have identified here at Lajamanu before now (the below photo was one taken at the weekend at Jasper Gorge as I didn't end up being able to take a decent shot this afternoon)


Happy Birding!

No comments:

Post a Comment