Grey-crowned Babblers

These guys were in the front yard yesterday:

Photos of Birds in the Backyard

There were lots of feathered backyard visitors today. Photos of some of them below. Those not with photos here included Budgerigars, Little Corellas, Galahs, Mistletoebirds, Magpie Larks, Whistling Kites, Fairy Martins and Grey-crowned Babblers.

Photos:

White-plumed Honeyeaters

Western Bowerbird

Spotted Turtle Dove

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Yellow-throated Miner

Australian Ringneck Parrot

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Sacred Kingfisher

Two Fairies! - Variegated Fairy Wren and Fairy Martin

Saw these two varieties at the Poo Ponds the same day as the Crake and sort of forgot all about them. The Variegated Fairy-wren was twittering away in the bushes as I approached, and surprisingly, kept going when I stopped a few metres from the bush. It then decided to come and have a squiz at the intruder from the safety of the middle of the bush:

The Fairy Martins were lining up on the wires for their group shot:

and there's always one in a crowd who wants to be an individual!

Whistling Kites and others at the Alice Springs Poo Ponds

In all there were 4 juvenile Whistling Kites playing around the ponds late this afternoon. They seemed to be scattering birds but not really doing anything more than playing around. At one point one of them landed in a flock of Corellas and the Corellas split into two, but after the landing neither the kite nor the corellas seemed too interested in the other:

Had both Little and Long-billed Corellas and obligingly they managed to be close enough together to be able to show the differences in the one photo:

The Long-billed is the third bird from the left with the stronger deep pink/red markings and the unmistakable longer beak/bill compared to the Little Corella next to it, second from the left.

I've included this one as they are quite similar around the eye

... well except for the red colouring :-)

Some of the other birds worth showing from this afternoon appear below:

Black-fronted Dotterel

Black-tailed Godwit

as above having a yawn with a Red-necked Avocet not amused

Gossy Ibis

Red-kneed Dotterel (can't understand why that name!)

Red-necked Avocet and a single Black-winged Stilt.

Haven't really noticed the blue legs on the Avocets before,

probably have trouble getting beyond the beak.

Torresian Crow

A couple of Greys - Grey Fantail and Grey Shrike Thrush

Saw these two youngish birds at Simpsons Gap. The first is the Grey Fantail. Both sat in a tree above me, the Grey Fantail by far the most curious. I think he was saying "what are you doing just sitting there.... in my patch!"

and the Grey Shrike-thrush was in the same tree but far more concerned about the next bit of food it could spot

There weren't nearly as many birds at the picnic area as has been the case recently. I wondered a few things, maybe the hot weather, maybe the approaching storm. although the lack of as many bugs as had been before was probably what I settled with in the end.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos

Saw these Red-tailed Black Cockatoos just down from the Airport on the Santa Teresa Road.

Australian Spotted Crake - video

Australian Spotted Crake

During a visit to the Alice Springs Water Treatment Plant (aka Poo Ponds) this morning, I managed to see an Australian Spotted Crake. Actually saw 2 and heard at least another couple, but photos of just the one:

Collared Sparrowhawk at Redbank Waterhole

Another short stop off at Redbank Waterhole was mind-blowing. There must have been well over 1000 Zebra Finches and a lot of Budgies although not as numerous. Other birds there included Sacred Kingfisher, Black-fronted Dotterel, Rainbow Bee-eater, Grey Shrike-thrush, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Yellow-faced Miners, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Pacific Black Duck and Grey Teal, as well as Black Kites, Whistling Kites and the one that really caught my eye, mainly because it was so close, and had upset the budgies and finches, was the Collared Sparrowhawk.
I was sitting by the bank, trying to get a photo of lots of budgies drinking from the water. I had been nice and still for about 10 minutes, and the Zebra Finches didn't seem to mind me as they sat on the bush over my left shoulder, almost touching distance away. The budgies had been circling the water quite a few times and had nestled in a tree opposite me. Finally they decided to come down for a drink, alas a bush in front of me spoilt my view, but rather than get up and move I hoped they would move along and I would get my photo. Before that opportunity arose, Zebra Finches and Budgerigars scattered everywhere, and noisily. I took my eyes away from the camera and saw movement to my left. At first I thought it was one of the Rainbow Bee-eaters who had been sitting in the same tree 5 minutes earlier, but then when I looked I was thrilled to see a Collared Sparrowhawk sitting about 15 metres away. I had seen either a Brown Goshawk or a Collared Sparrowhawk yesterday at Uluru, but now I knew yesterdays bird was a Brown Goshawk and the one before me was a Collared Sparrowhawk - much smaller. For those of you who read this blog on a semi-regular basis will know I love my Birds of Prey. And this one was no different. Although I felt I could possibly get better shots if I moved, I was a bit awestruck by this magnificent bird, and stayed put:

Major Mitchell Cockatoos and Cockatiels

Stopped off at one of the designated Rest Areas on the way back from Yulara today and was very happy to see Major Mitchell Cockatoos feeding on the cones from the Desert Oaks:

Between Yulara and the Rest Stop, I had seen large numbers of small to medium (read 4 to 120) flocks of Budgerigars and had noticed flocks of larger birds, not nearly as many flocks, but only realised when I saw the flock at the rest stop that they were in fact Cockatiels (although I'd like to, I can't stop at every bird or group of birds I see, otherwise I'd never get home!)

:

Well worth the stop I thought to myself as I drove out back onto the Lasseter Highway.