We’re hosting a bevy of Eastern Spinebills in the garden at the moment. The autumn migration of this species has peaked – a few juveniles were the advance party about a month back, followed by the strikingly coloured adults.
The adults are similar in appearance – the main difference is in the crown colour – grey in the female, jet black in the male. A truly charismatic honeyeater!
Female Eastern Spinebill, Wyndham Street Newstead, 12th May 2016
Male Eastern Spinebill
Female Eastern Spinebill
Female Eastern Spinebill
Natural Newstead 
I call them squeaky wheel birds!
Beautiful images Geoff. They are quite an irregular visitor around home in Axedale.
Wow!! Great pictures as usual! These are Christine’s favourite honey eater and we had a pair visit us in our Adelaide garden about four years ago, but not seen since. As we have a large family of Noisy Miners in the trees around us and in our own garden, that probably explains the absence. The miner have their good points. We don’t have sparrows or starlings anymore either but they can be seen on the power lines all around our suburb.
Best wishes
Harold in Adelaide
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