Figbird

This post is for the Bird Photography Weekly.

I often hear Figbirds (Sphecotheres viridis) sitting high in the trees. However, that's not much good for a clear photo so when this one sat on the electricity wire the other day I walked quietly around the house to take some photos. The bird was so intent on singing that it took little notice of me and I was able to get a series of clear photos. This is a male bird - the female has a grey/brown color around the eye and is streaked down the front.

Golden Gleams

Walking beside the bay in the early morning light changes the perception of distance and even shapes. For a few minutes as the sun first comes up even the colors are different. This morning it was a golden world. (Click to enlarge all images.) There was a White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae) on a little rocky outcrop. As it sprang into the air to fly away it too seemed to change color. The book says that the wing coverts are a pale gray color - something I had never even noticed before. I am not sure if it was just the morning light that made them appear almost white or if it was a variation in the color of this particular bird.A short time later the sun was up and all the colors returned to normal. A bright blue sky enhanced the colors of this Figbird that was feeding up in a paperbark tree.For more bird photos visit the Bird Photography Weekly.

Figbird

Over the last few weeks I have heard a Figbird calling in the big pine tree next door. I have only seen one bird there and the photos I took are of a male bird. The male is most distinctive with its red eye patch.
The female is quite a different color and instead of the red eye patch has a grey-brown patch. This one was sitting out on the power line beside the road.
The video clip is of the male calling in the tree. In the background kookaburras are laughing.

For more bird photos visit the Bird Photography Weekly.

Noisy Birds

Yesterday the predicted cold weather arrived from down south. Before the sun rose there was even a touch of frost on some dry grass next door. When the sun got up high enough to warm things up a little, every bird in the neighbourhood seemed to want to comment on conditions.

The Rainbow Lorikeets were around and as noisy as they usually are. I heard Noisy Friarbirds and had a brief look at some Spangled Drongos before they flew off. The Figbirds were making a lot of noise in both the big pine tree next door and also out on the power lines beside the road.

Male Figbird

A juvenile Pied Butcherbird joined the group on the wire.

The noisiest of all were the Blue-faced Honeyeaters. One juvenile, especially, sat and simply screamed for some adult to come and feed it. As soon as it had been fed it started the same noisy behavior again.

Juvenile Blue-faced Honeyeater

Blue-faced Honeyeater

A Kookaburra was sitting in the big pine tree next door and apparently objected to the noise. It hopped closer to the noisiest youngster in the tree – and was immediately mobbed by a whole group of birds until it flew off with a disgusted squawk. The Blue-faced Honeyeaters are such aggressive birds. I have frequently seen them mobbing and chasing off both cats and dogs.

Kookaburra