This and That!

This post shows a mixture of birds photographed over several weeks. I have had the flu and haven't been well enough to go and look for interesting birds.
This first bird is a Scaley-breasted Lorikeet. It is only the second time I have seen these birds in my yard and this one was a lucky chance! I heard Rainbow Lorikeets in my callistemon trees and when I went out with my camera I also saw a couple of Scaley-breasted Lorikeets. They are a little smaller than the Rainbow Lorikeets and a bit quieter - but just as hard to photograph among the leaves.

This bird is not such a good find. It is a Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis). These birds were brought in to Australia back in the 1860's. At first they spread through the cities but then started taking over country areas. The trouble is that they displace native birds and small mammals.  They compete for nesting hollows in trees and usually win! We have not had them here where I live until very recently and this bird was one of a pair that came into my back yard last week. I opened the door and took a couple of quick pictures but when I tried to get closer both birds quickly took off.

I photographed this third bird out at Inskip the other morning. (It was a beautiful morning but unfortunately I came home and had to go back to bed! I wish this flu would go quickly!) While I was watching, it dragged itself up on the sand and sat there apparently exhausted. It is a Shearwater but I am not sure beyond that exactly which kind it is.

There have been numbers of recent reports of Shearwaters found dead and dying on the beaches in NSW and southern Qld. The birding New Zealand forum also has been reporting dead and dying birds over there. I can only imagine how many birds are dead if they are reported from both Australia and New Zealand! It is not known yet if the birds are dying from an extreme weather event or if they are starving because the fish are not around. Many people are saying that the oceans are being over-fished and it may already be too late to reverse the trend. This article is written by a yachtsman and tells of what they found on a recent trip from Australia to Japan and then over to the USA. He titled his article "The Ocean Is Broken" and gives quite horrible details. It is not a good outlook for any of our oceans!

For more photos of birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.