This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
This post will look at the Superb Fairy-wren, Malurus Cyaneus , which can be easily found in a variety of habitats within the south-eastern corner of Australia. From suburban gardens to forests and marshes, they pop up from the cover of the undergrowth to investigate any unusual noises and respond very well to pishing.
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae is Australia’s largest bird standing at up to 2 metres (6 foot 6 inches) tall. They are also inquisitive, so if you observe some near the edge of the road and you want to gain their attention you can turn on your car indicators and they will often investigate rather than run off.
These shorebirds are mainly found in arid areas of Australia and the population is believed to be approximately 60,000. As a result of this there is a lot of head movement as they investigate all around them.
The species ranges widely across the Pacific, as its scientific name suggests, from the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico to the Japanese Bonin Islands to New South Wales in Australia. But it also occurs in the Indian Ocean, from Aldabra near Madagascar to Western Australia. Here a bunch of them are investigating one such burrow.
Feral cats are a huge problem in Australia and they do take a lot of the eggs. As we explored the reef over the following hours we found our Pied Oystercatchers enjoying and investigating food options. These are not pet cats, but cats that have only ever lived in the wild and can survive in extreme conditions.
We had both seen it go into the hollow and decided to go and investigate from a distance to see what it was. It had quite possibly not come across a human being in this remote part of Australia and these birds are generally only seen at night-if at all. I had my camera ready as we had no idea what was watching as we approached.
Christmas Hermit Crab being investigated by other hermit Crabs One actually went right up to it and I don’t know what they thought of each other, but it was rather fun to watch. Christmas Hermit Crab makes a friend! This is the second time I have seen this, but last time it was a small clear plastic lid and it wasn’t Christmas!
We own at least one of each field-guide available for Australia as the information and drawings in each is slightly different and each has its benefits. Apostlebird investigating field-guide. We had the most waterproof one with us for obvious reasons!
If you need some shade for yourself in an area where there is little in the way of trees you turn to the “rest areas”, which are maintained by the “Main Roads” in Western Australia. They offer shade, picnic tables and composting toilets, but no water. View from Ngumban Cliffs. Grey-fronted Honeyeater having a drink.
This cyclone has been named Cyclone Iggy and is a dominant circle on our satellite image of Western Australia. We have been aware of large flocks of the smaller species using Cable Beach during the day and night on very high tides to roost for some years and decided to risk the weather and investigate.
For example on my trip to Australia earlier this year I borrowed the car one day to drive to Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, a location that proved fruitful for Clare later in the year. Instead we turned back and investigated the rock pools along the coast. In the distance you can see Red Rocks- access denied.
A Grey Shrike-thrush was vocal and investigating the area that we chose to sit for our lunch. Trips Australia Broome' We had White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes and Grey Fantails in the trees and overhead we observed Brown Falcons, Black Kites, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Blue-winged Kookaburras, Red-winged Parrots and Cockatiels.
I noticed a silhouette and we investigated and we got our first Pallid Cuckoo for the year. There is very little information on this species of bird and it is believed that there are only 1500 in Australia. These birds are listed as a Threatened Species in Australia, so we have reported them to the relevant authorities.
There is a lot of bird movement around Australia at the moment due to the weather, so time to go and investigate! Plumed Whistling Ducks and Red-kneed Dotterel We waded off the edge of the road to investigate what was in the fields apart from the hundreds of Straw-necked Ibis and discovered a kindergarten of Black-winged Stilt !
It is about an hour’s drive to Lake Argyle, which is Australia’s largest artificial lake by volume. Once we sat at the picnic table we were of even more interest to them and they came to investigate further. On our recent trip to Kununurra we did a day trip to Lake Argyle. An inquisitive Great Bowerbird!
When we were travelling he would write notes for each photo he took so that we would know the location and when we returned to Australia from travelling across the USA in early 1990 we had over 30 rolls of film to develop. This all must seem rather bizarre to some of you! This all must seem rather bizarre to some of you!
He had gone there to investigate whilst his wife had a work commitment nearby and it was on a promise of a Brown Dipper that we both jumped at the chance! I was rather keen to see a Blue and White Flycatcher , as I had never seen one outside of Australia and that was rather special, as it was a “first for Australia&#.
Following on from last week where I introduced you to the Sarus Crane , which is one of the largest bird species that we observed on our recent trip across the north of Australia , I will now introduce you to one of the smallest bird species that we encountered. Their tails were constantly on the move making for some interesting photography.
By then the light was fading and we were half frozen and a plan was made to return to the area again before we returned to Australia. It had displaced the Common Snipe , but it did not take long and they were back in front of the hide investigating the newly cut reed bed.
Galahs drinking at the dam Just as the gravel road started we noticed a lot of activity around a small water body and investigated. Corrugations at the start of the gravel Gibb River Road Dam alongside the Gibb River Road The noisiest birds and undoubtedly the most colourful birds to visit for a drink were the Galahs.
We quickly investigated once the Brahminy Kite had moved through and discovered two eggs laid on the top of the cliff. We suspected there would be a nest there and on our return trip from walking to the south side of Willie Creek the vehicle had left. We then observed the pair of Pied Oystercatchers flying up at a Brahminy Kite.
Common Tree Snakes are one of the few snakes in Australia that are not venomous, which may be a bit boring for some of you! Common Tree Snake coming forward to investigate us. This specimen was easily 120cm long and very agile. Not only that, but it was very beautiful and we were in awe rather than afraid.
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike was observed every day, but the less common to the area White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike did drop by to investigate on a few occasions over our visits. Grey-crowned Babblers were constantly turning over leaves around the area and chuckling away to themselves and anybody else that would listen.
On our recent trip to Kununurra on the Western Australia/Northern Territory border we camped right next to the Hidden Valley National Park , because you are not allowed to camp in the park itself. The second bird flew and we investigated closer to the base of the cliff.
This may seem like an incredible distance to some of you, but in Australia that is a 12 hour drive with only two small towns and a small community to pass through. Star Finch We heard some rustling near the boardwalk close to the hide in the middle of the day and closer investigation produced an active Buff-banded Rail.
Over the past week in Australia there has been a lot of talk in the media about coral bleaching and most of the conversation has been about the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. Sooty Oystercatchers breed on offshore islands rather than the mainland in this part of Western Australia.
In Australia we often observe Peregrine Falcons and they are the subspecies Falco peregrinus macropus. There has been a previously accepted record by the Birdlife Australia Rarities Committee in regards to a Peregrine Falcon observed in the Northern Territory on November 4th 2016. Peregrine Falcon on the light tower.
Dusky Moorhen investigates the Tiger Snake. Birding Australia Australian birds Melbourne snakes and birds' You can see in the header photo that there was interest from both the Tiger Snake and the birds. The Dusky Moorhen then moved in to have a look at the Tiger Snake as it moved off. Ducks observing the Tiger Snake.
Derby is approximately 225 kilometres from Broome and has had almost three times the rainfall that Broome has had so far this month and so we thought it would be interesting to go and investigate the various birding areas that we knew of from other visits during our dry months. Birding Australia Derby'
The bridge was improved in 1958, but would still make the main highway through the north of Australia impassable for months on end. We wandered over to investigate what a Great Bowerbird would collect near the township of Fitzroy Crossing and we were delighted to find quite an assortment of treasures.
One of these clades holds a diversity of Old World species in several distinct groups, including an Australasian clade, the green-pigeons, the emerald- and wood-doves, the imperial-pigeons and fruit-doves (favorites of mine), and the subjects of our investigation today, the 15 known members of the Raphini.
It was actually ten years ago that we observed our first Painted Snipe in Australia on Grant’s birthday! Goanna investigating the drop-off. With it being Grant’s birthday it gave us an excuse to make our first camping trip for 2021. We don’t actually need an excuse to go camping!
Further along the track I noticed some short pieces of tree branches dropping to the ground and on further investigation there were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos high up in the tree. Birding Australia Australian birds Melbourne' They did appear to be retrieving some large grubs from the dirt. Long-billed Corella.
The Negri River starts in the Northern Territory and flows into Western Australia and it then merges with the Ord River and flows into Lake Argyle. They were even investigating an old fire pit, which was interesting to observe. They were the first of many of the finch family that we would observe along the Negri River. Crimson Finch.
An Australian Raven was investigating the area between the forest and the coast and concentrating on something that was not apparent to us! Trips Australia cormorants Fairy Wren heron Magpie oystercatchers Raven' Little Black Cormorants and Little Pied Cormorant. Australian Raven.
I investigated where the Beach Stone-curlew had been and noticed it had recently deposited a small pile of waste. The walk to the Willie Creek lagoon entrance takes a couple of hours and as we wandered north we were suddenly surprised to see a Beach Stone-curlew move out from behind a small dune.
The sky had been blue when we had left Wiluna a few hours earlier and there was no indication of what was likely to happen to the weather later in the day, but we had pulled in at a rest area about 55kms/34 miles south of the town to investigate the facilities. There were a few rubbish bins and a shelter with a picnic table and benches.
The next surprise was an Australian Pipit that walked in and investigated. This continued all evening and into the next morning and more species appeared to investigate and check out the new feature at Cleaverville Beach! It watched the other birds for some time and then jumped in! Australian Pipit and Zebra Finch.
The small crocodile positions itself near the larger crocodile eating the Magpie Goose and a Black-necked Stork comes over to investigate what is going on. The next excitement was a smaller crocodile moving in towards the larger crocodile and it is at this point that the Australian Pelican decides to leave the area!
Once again a dull part of the forest with its challenges, but it had found a good spot to feed as it investigated the trunk of the tree for insects. Birding Australia Australian birds Melbourne parrots treecreeper' White-throated Treecreeper. Just remember to be ready to look up very high!
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 30+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content