Areyonga is alive with birdsong at the moment as the wildflowers continue to bloom. The sight of small flocks of Budgerigars is pleasing to see once more. It is little wonder they have returned as the grasses are growing and the trees are flowering.
It is hard not to hear the piping songs of both the Black and the Pied Honeyeaters, as well as the Singing and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. Australian Pipits and Rufous Songlark also fill the air with both flight and song, and the Black-faced Woodswallows like to come down and see what I'm about if they are nearby.
The bird I have heard mostly, and seen occasionally though, are the Crimson Chats. They certainly do chat to one another, and with that bright plumage on the male, they can be easily spotted if not photographed when they appear. I had seen some budgies and woodswallows in a dead tree and decided to camp in front of a shrub to see if they returned to the twigs. I had also seen Black Honeyeater and what I suspected were Crimson Chats in the same area. As I squatted down, my back to the sun, a Crimson Chat female did a quick fly-by and then sat in a tree behind me. Then it came to feed on something in the shrub I was camped in front of. I couldn't take any sort of photo due to the light behind and the foliage, but it was an interesting experience sitting there while this bird fed, flew off, then returned a number of times. All the while its male companion chirped away from the larger tree behind. Finally the female finished feeding, then flew to an exposed branch on a tree I could see, and was soon followed by the male, although he went a bit further away and didn't stay long.
It is hard not to hear the piping songs of both the Black and the Pied Honeyeaters, as well as the Singing and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. Australian Pipits and Rufous Songlark also fill the air with both flight and song, and the Black-faced Woodswallows like to come down and see what I'm about if they are nearby.
The bird I have heard mostly, and seen occasionally though, are the Crimson Chats. They certainly do chat to one another, and with that bright plumage on the male, they can be easily spotted if not photographed when they appear. I had seen some budgies and woodswallows in a dead tree and decided to camp in front of a shrub to see if they returned to the twigs. I had also seen Black Honeyeater and what I suspected were Crimson Chats in the same area. As I squatted down, my back to the sun, a Crimson Chat female did a quick fly-by and then sat in a tree behind me. Then it came to feed on something in the shrub I was camped in front of. I couldn't take any sort of photo due to the light behind and the foliage, but it was an interesting experience sitting there while this bird fed, flew off, then returned a number of times. All the while its male companion chirped away from the larger tree behind. Finally the female finished feeding, then flew to an exposed branch on a tree I could see, and was soon followed by the male, although he went a bit further away and didn't stay long.
Crimson Chats
The friendly female
the male
Juvenile preening itself in the early morning light
As I mentioned the Budgerigars have returned. The numbers are steadily growing, and by their behaviour in the large gums around the area, they could be nesting too.
Budgerigars
In the tree
feeding on the ground
flock - getting larger by the day
The White-browed Babblers are around in small groups. This one was with 3 others
White-browed Babbler
and the wildflowers continue to emit beautiful aromas and colour the landscape (though the donkey population seems to be doing a good job of eating through them)
Aahhh, a memorable chat moment - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNow it took me a few days to get my hands on the Top End DVD. We've just had our second viewing last night. Congratulations Moses on some wonderful video (and narrative)! Video of such amazing birds as Azure kingfishers, nightjar and fantails tending a nest was great to see!
I hope your future birding ventures remain like big old Bruce .....
..... He never dried out!