Budgerigars, Zebra Finches, and there is nothing common about the Common Bronzewing

The birding action is everywhere around Central Australia, with a variety depending on which direction you head from Alice Springs. South of town there are lots of Budgerigars and Zebra Finches, around town there are still Redthroats, Fairy-wrens, lots of Thornbills and the usual plethora of Black and Whistling Kites, not to mention the ever-present Australian Ringnecks and the White-plumed Honeyeaters. West of town sees the Southern Whiteface and Thornbills in numbers, and the occasional Common Bronzewing, not to mention Brown Falcons along the roadside. The red-capped Robins seem to be everywhere too.

First up is a few photos of the Budgerigars.Knowing that the first photo is the one people will see first, makes it a hard choice. Although the one I have chosen isn't the crispest of shots, as I looked at it a thought went through my head from some 70s/80s cartoon show "Everyone Split" and I also added "man with a camera!" The birds all scattered in different directions.

Budgerigar

There were probably over 100 birds in the group near me. The noise they made seemed like a lot more than that, especially when the alarm call was sent out by a White-plumed Honeyeater nearby. The whoosh as all the Budgies flew off together from the tree-tops was amazing. I eventually saw an Australian Hobby but wasn't sure if this was the cause of all the alarms. Interestingly, a Whistling Kite flew overhead and the alarm wasn't raised, and the Budgerigars all sat where they were.

The above photos were taken around a puddle, and where there is water, there are Zebra Finches.

One bird I see more often at dusk around water sources rather than during the day in the open, is the Common Bronzewing. In my opinion, the naming of this bird is up there with the Black Kite (that isn't Black), the Singing Honeyeater (that doesn't sing) etc. etc. When you see the amazing array of colours in the wings, as well as the striking markings it has on its head and neck, surely there was a better option than the word "Common". I'm sure there is a very good reason, and after this post I'll be looking up the bird in my birding apps and on the internet, but regardless of what it says, I think the powers that bereally should have another go at the naming of this species.

Common Bronzewing