A planted Wirilda Acacia retinodes in the yard beside the house is home to a duo of newly hatched Red Wattlebirds. I was alerted to the nest by the parents, disappearing into the top of the dense shrub on a regular basis as I sat outside having lunch.
Adult Red Wattlebird with a bill full of insects, Newstead, 27th August 2014.
Both adults paid visits every five minutes or so, sometimes with a meal of insects, with nectar on other occasions. Red Wattlebirds dominate our yard – they were a bit jumpy yesterday when a lone Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo appeared searching for hosts. The combined efforts of the wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters eventually evicted the cuckoo.
The brush-tipped tongue is visible in this shot.
One of the nestlings squawking for another meal.
One of the parents sitting later in the afternoon – sheltering the youngsters from the sun.
Natural Newstead 