Honeyeaters of the Top End

Even though I didn't manage to see all of the available birds, I did manage to get some photos of the ones I did see.

After being confused about the White-gaped and the Dusky Honeyeater, this year I was lucky enough to see both at the same time, at very close range, and the size difference was very obvious. The coppery-brown colour of the Dusky can be stunning, and a lot quieter than the sometimes noisy White-gaped Honeyeater.

Dusky Honeyeater

Juvenile Dusky Honeyeater

White-gaped Honeyeater

Then there were the Rufous-throated Honeyeater and Rufous-banded  Honeyeater. 

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Rufous-banded Honeyeater

and the Blue-faced Honeyeater

Juvenile Blue-faced Honeyeater

and the White-throated Honeyeater

Honeyeaters of the Top End NT

The boys and I counted a lot of Honeyeaters during our recent sojourn to Darwin, Litchfield and Kakadu. Here are some photos, I hope you enjoy.

Banded Honeyeaters

Bar-breasted Honeyeater

Blue-faced Honeyeaters

Brown Honeyeater

Dusky Honeyeater

Helmeted Friarbird

Little Friarbird

Rufous-banded Honeyeater

Rufous-throated Honeyeaters

Silver-crowned Friarbird

White-gaped Honeyeater

White-throated Honeyeater

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater

Rum Jungle Lake birds, photos

This morning we were a little slow to get going and meandered out of the campground by around 10 o'clock. After stopping at the local shops for some lunch/food, and being "grossed out" according to the boys at the sight of a couple of large (dead) wild pigs in the back of a ute, we headed towards Litchfield National Park. I had read somewhere about a lake on the Rum Jungle road and sure enough we found it by the sign. The first car park only has a toilet, and a self-made rubbish area under the lone tree in the middle of a sparse car parking area, but we parked there anyway. Later I moved the car down about 400 metres to the picnic area. anyone reading this and wishing to try their luck at Rum Jungle Lake, I recommend the Picnic area as a better place to stop, there isn't a sign, just follow the dirt road through the car park, with the lake on your left and some grassed hills on your right.

We watched a Blue-winged Kookaburra, Nankeen Night Heron and Australasian Darter fly off before we managed to see them perched, and could hear the little zitting sounds of flycatchers, but found the photography a bit tough in the "Toilet Car Park" area, so continued on to the Picnic area. We had two sessions, about an hour or so before Litchfield NP and about an hour and a half before dusk. The boys eventually climbed trees to find fruit doves of any sort, but ended up just getting fruit dropping on their head, mainly the older one who decided if they couldn't see a bird, he would shake it out, forgetting birds fly off whereas fruit just drops on your head.

Meanwhile, dad was out trying to spot birds. Here is a sample of some of the birds seen at the Rum Jungle Lake. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Little Bronze-cuckoo

Shining flycatcher

Restless Flycatcher

Bar-breasted Honeyeater

Rufous-banded Honeyeater

Honeyeaters from the Top End

There was a lot of noise from the honeyeaters, especially the White-fronted, Brown and White-gaped varieties, but by far the most noise came from myself and my two sons when we had an amazing close-up experience with a Red-headed Honeyeater while walking along the Mangrove Boardwalk at East Point:

Red-headed Honeyeater

There were a few others we saw in Darwin and Kakadu, photos below:

Bar-breasted Honeyeater (seen at Fogg Dam)

Brown Honeyeater at East Point

Rufous-banded Honeyeater (South Alligator campground)

White-gaped Honeyeater (South Alligator Campground)

White-throated Honeyeater (South Alligator Campground) [thanks John for the correction]

Happy Birding!