Superb Parrots.

On the way back from Wagga, I stopped in at the Narrandera Wetlands. Not many water-birds there at all, just a few Pacific Black Ducks, Purple Swamphens, etc. It was in the middle of the afternoon, so that may have not helped.

female Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)

The female Superb Parrot is dull green, with no red crescent on the breast. It has no yellow. The Superb Parrot is part of the Polyteline group of parrots. They are like Eastern Rosellas, with extremely long tapered, pointed tails and they scratch over the wing. They used to be known as the Barraband Parrot.

male Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)

The male is green with a yellow crown and throat, with a red crescent bordering yellow on the upper breast. They feed mainly on grass seeds, other small plants and eucalypt nectar. Their range is restricted to mainly the Murray and Riverina region.

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans flaveolus)

This is the flaveolus race of the Crimson Rosella, commonly called the Yellow Rosella. It was formerly known as the Murray Rosella and its range is around the Murray and Riverina areas.

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes)

There were a couple of these feeding in the wetlands.

Little Friarbird (Philemon citreogularis)

Very easy to mistake these for Blue-faced Honeyeaters at first sight, but only superficially similar due to the blue patch around eye.

Griffith Birding.

I finally got the camera out to take some shots of the Marsh Terns that have been feeding every afternoon on the lake right in front of my lazy arse. Lake Wyangan is about ten kilometers from Griffith and is a man-made lake that used to be a quarry once upon a time as far as I know.

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

There are lots of Red-rumped Parrots flying around the camp site and at the edges of the lake. I have also seen the occasional Cockatiel. Other birds include Yellow-necked Miner and Blue-faced Honeyeater, though there are not many of them around at the moment. Maybe in a few weeks time.

Welcome Swallow

I could not resist this cutesy shot of a baby Welcome Swallow in the hollow of a dead tree sticking out of the lake. awwww.

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)

The Whiskered Tern is also known as the Marsh Tern. Most of these birds I saw were breeding birds with the black belly. Non-breeding birds have a white tummy and the black cap looks more like a receding hair line. Their habitat is shallow freshwater wetlands, flooded saltmarsh and estuaries.

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)

Leeton.

Last night I headed off to Leeton for the week-end. There were thunder-storms all over the place later that night with flashing lightning and thunder. In the morning it cleared up nice and sunny. There were not a great variety of birds at the swamp, mainly Purple Swamphens and thousands of ducks.

Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans)

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Kosciusko National Park.

This was my last walk along the Pallaibo track at the Thredbo River Picnic Area, where the Thredbo River crosses the road to Perisher Valley. The weather has really warmed up now, the day before yesterday it was 29 degrees Celsius. And today it has got cold again. The weather has gone crazy.

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Here is a Great Cormorant fishing in the river with full on breeding plumage.

Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

I have not seen any Swamp Wallabies all winter and here they all are, feeding on the grass as if they had been there all the time. I wonder where they had all been hiding for the winter?

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)

I came across this nest and found a Brown Falcon in the nest.

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)

Later I found the pair on a dead tree overlooking the valley of the Thredbo River. Could this one be a rufous morph?

Birds of the Snowy Mountains

Great Cormorant
Brown Falcon
Blackbird
Willy Wagtail
Superb Fairy-wren
Laughing Kookaburra

Kosciusko National Park.

It is spring time along the Thredbo River. The weather has turned very warm and all the birds are coming out of the wood-work. There are a lot more birds now after the freezing cold of winter.

Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)

The Scarlet Robins have been around all winter because they are a high altitude bird. There are a few more young ones around too.

White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus lunatus)

The White-naped Honeyeaters were hanging out with the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters (Lichenostomus chrysops) of which I did get a couple of photos but not very good ones.

Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus)

Fuscous Honeyeaters have a black and yellow stripe on the neck.

White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis)

I saw a few of these about a month ago at Sawpit Creek.

Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)

I do not know if these are young ones or if they are just huddling up for the night or just for comfort.

Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)

A loner.

Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta)

Grinding the scissors, as ever. I also saw an Echidna but could not get any decent shots as it was in the undergrowth, went to ground, curling up in a ball and was too close.

Birds of the Thredbo River

Laughing Kookaburra
Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops)
White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus lunatus)
Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus)
White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis)
Willy Wagtail
Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)
Golden Whistler
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Superb Fairy-wren
Welcome Swallow
Australian Magpie
Crimson Rosella
Whistling Kite
Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta)
Eastern Yellow Robin
Pacific Black Duck
Australian Wood Duck

Gillards Beach.

This is the second part of my photos from my trip to the beach. I did not have time to process them all yesterday so here they are in an extra bonus post.

Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

Grey Butcherbird

Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)

On the fence right near my camp. This Eastern Whipbird, with three of his mates hung around my camp for a couple of days.

Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)

This is front on showing the chest. He looks a bit angry bird.

Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)

This one has got no tail. I have no idea why or how.

Mogareeka.

I Headed down the mountain to the beach for some rest from the cold of the snow. There was not much sun but it was nice for a change. Tathra is about twenty kilometers from Bega, on the south coast of New South Wales.

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)

Kianinny Bay

Kianinny Bay is a very protected anchorage and boat ramp in Tathra. The water was crystal clear and there were a bunch of Silver Gulls and an Eastern Reef Egret, Grey Morph, hanging around where the fishermen were cleaning their catches.

Red-browed Finch (Neochmia phaeton)

Eastern Reef Egret (Egretta sacra) (Grey Morph)

Gillards Beach, Mimosa Rocks National Park.

Further north is Gillards Beach in Mimosa Rocks National Park. It is an isolated beach with some excellent camping sites right on the beach. I spent two nights here and had a very restful time. There were lots of macropods around, mainly small Swamp Wallabies and a few Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

The Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) is also called the Black Wallaby or Black-tailed Wallaby. They have a distribution along most of the east coast of Australia.

Eastern Yellow Robin

Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) 3983

The Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) has an olive-green back, a black crest, long, broad tail with bold white cheeks to sides of neck. Normally they are very shy and are very hard to spot. But there were four of them around my camp and they would move around scattering leaves and not showing the least interest in me, except to bite me on the toe at one stage. One of them had a truncated tail, and I could not work out the reason for this.

Tathra bird list

Pied Oystercatcher
Australian Pelican
Great Egret
Silver Gull
White-faced Heron
Crested Tern
Rainbow Lorikeet
Australian Raven
Little Wattlebird
White-backed Magpie
Magpie-lark
Chestnut Teal
Australian White Ibis
Pied Cormorant
Red-browed Finch
Superb Fairy-wren
Eastern Yellow Robin
Eastern Reef Egret (Egretta sacra) (Grey Morph)
Great Cormorant
New Holland Honeyeater
Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)
White-browed Scrubwren
Grey Butcherbird
Black Swan
Eurasian Coot
Black-fronted Dotterel

Kosciusko National Park.

Sawpit Creek is 1200 meters above sea level in Montane forested area. It is at a boundary between wet and dry sclerophyll forests. This is an area where snow falls but does not last.

White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis)

The White-eared Honeyeater has a conspicuous white ear patch with a black face, chin and throat. They have bright olive-green upperparts and a yellowish-green abdomen (Simpson and Day).

Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)

The Pied Currawong has a hooked bill and yellow eyes. There is a prominent white patch on the wings. In the picnic areas around the national park, they have taken to stealing food from travellers. They stole a cheese sandwich from me. As soon as you turn your back on them, they are at your table, looking for anything to eat.

Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Last night, at Thredbo Diggings camp, I managed a shot of a Brushtail Possum in the tree. They too, like to steal food from the campers at the picnic areas.

Sawpit Creek birds

Pied Currawong
Superb Fairy-wren
Crimson Robin
Australian Raven
White-backed Magpie
White-eared Honeyeater