The rain has been and the birds have followed - back in familiar territory

After a long time neck-craning, it is nice to be back in the smaller trees and familiar territory of the Northern Territory. It was interesting to go from the straw-coloured grasses of the last part of SA to the lush green in the NT from the border all the way up to Alice springs. Alas the Poo Ponds are closed, so the unusual waders like a Ruff will probably be missed, but the budgies are back, Crimson Chats everywhere, and another lifer for the year, Red-chested Buttonquail. They are slippery little buggers, but identifiable by their "Oooom" call. They almost wait until you step on them, then fly off and quickly run along the ground away from where they land. As yet, no photos, but hopefully in the coming days/weeks.

Some birds are much more photogenic and co-operative.

Here are a few since I arrived back in Alice.

Painted Finches

Crimson Chats

Brown Falcon

Pied Honeyeaters

White-winged Triller

Spinifexbird

Grey-crowned Babbler

Australian Ringneck

Yellow-rumped Thornbills nesting, Pied Honeyeaters, Crimson Chats and other photos - Alice Springs to Papunya

I drove out to Papunya today to return to work after an exciting long weekend in Melbourne watching the footy with one of my sons. Along the road I came across some Yellow-rumped Thornbills busily preparing a nest.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill's nesting

I also came across a lot of Pied Honeyeaters near Papunya. They enjoyed keeping their distance.

Female Pied Honeyeater on left, Singing Honeyeater on the right

Female above the male Pied Honeyeaters

Male (right) chasing the female on the left

A couple of males

The Crimson Chats were in the same area as the Pied Honeyeaters

Just to make things slightly confusing for the observer, a few Hooded Robins were around, and the female White-winged Triller (not unlike the female Pied Honeyeater at first glance:

Hooded Robin

The Zebra Finches are starting to gather in certain spots as well as the recent rains dry out.

Zebra Finch

and the Masked Woodswallows were hanging around with the Pied Honeyeaters as well

after a short period where the birds seemed to have hibernated for the winter, I was glad to see them out in force today.

Alice to Atitjere and back - bird photos

Spent the last couple of days visiting communities just to the north and east of Alice Springs for work. Along the way I came across some lovely bird activity and it started just to the north of town with this Spotted Harrier which was doing a nice gently flap along the roadside and then swinging across the road and doing the same on the other side of the road.

Staying with the Birds of Prey theme, the Wedge-tailed Eagles were busy with roadkill feeding and didn't take too kindly to me disturbing their lunch I pulled up well before the roadkill and they flew off, I drove past the roadkill and stopped and they flew off, I pulled up opposite the roadkill and they flew off. These were the best photos I could manage:

Wedge-tailed Eagles

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and White-winged Trillers were in the creekbed of Edwards Creek

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos

White-winged Triller

And in a sense going from large to small, here are some shots of Mistletoebird at Gemtree