Aurora fail … not totally

After admiring some of the amazing images of the recent aurora australis I headed out last night in the hope of capturing some shots of this extraordinary phenomenon.

Upon my arrival at the chosen spot I could hear an Eastern Barn Owl calling close by and directly behind me (north) from its perch in a massive River Red Gum. Cursing my failure to bring the necessary gear I hurried home to rectify the situation and returned … the owl was continuing to call repeatedly from the same perch.

As I fumbled with camera, tripod and flash another individual arrived, rodent in its beak, passed it to the calling bird which then disappeared into a nearby hollow. What to make of all this?

The bird pictured below was the recipient of the rodent. I think it’s an adult female – somewhat boldly marked underneath and no real sign of juvenile down, although perhaps some vestiges on the back? Was the adult female passing the kill to juveniles?

It reappeared some minutes later and flew to another perch higher in the tree, continuing to call enthusiastically. When I returned a couple of hours later there were no owls to be seen – just some soft hissing calls from the hollow.

The last image is my aurora fail … missed by 24 hours it seems!

Eastern Barn Owl, Green Gully, 12th May 2024

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Looking south at the remnants of an aurora!

At flame height

It’s mid-May and flames are at their peak, Flame Robins that is.

The first birds arrived over a month ago and I’ve been seeing small numbers on most visits to the Muckleford bush since then. While this handsome robin is often seen in open areas of grassland and also across the plains, the first arrivals appear to concentrate in the forest, before expanding their local range as winter sets in.

The images below are of a small flock of about half-a-dozen birds, all adult males, moving north along Mia Mia Creek. It was special to be able to recline in my chair and watch on as the birds approached, and then pass me by.

Flame Robin (adult male), Mia Mia Track, 6th May 2024

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Black-fronted Dotterels at Picnic Point

Locally, late autumn is a quiet time for waders.

The northern hemisphere migrants have mostly left and the only potential visitor with any sort of reliability is the Double-banded Plover, a species that may be seen in low numbers on Cairn Curran in some years.

One of the few resident waders is the Black-fronted Dotterel, a species that ranges across a broad range of habitats from large water bodies to small wetlands and even open bushland and farming areas, so long a there is some water nearby.

The birds pictured below, part of a quartet, were disturbed initially by the unwelcome appearance of a low-flying Whistling Kite, followed by a Brown Goshawk. Some opportunities to capture some brief flight shots in the golden late-afternoon sunshine resulted.

Black-fronted Dotterel, Picnic Point (Cairn Curran), 7th May 2024

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Something to chat about

Today’s post features a relatively common local species, the White-fronted Chat.

There are five species of Australian chats, with recent research demonstrating an evolutionary relationship with the honeyeaters. The White-fronted Chat is the only chat we are likely to observe locally, although another species, the Crimson Chat, sometimes appears as a vagrant after bumper breeding seasons inland, their usual haunt.

Writing this note I was reflecting on what appears to have been something of a decline in numbers of the White-fronted Chat over the past decade. It is a bird of the plains country where it can be found around the margins of wetlands (especially lignum wetlands) and in areas of rough grassland, both native and exotic. It will often feed in open areas, including crops and pasture but for breeding requires small shrubs or tussocks, so tends to favour areas with these features for much of the year.

The images below are of a small flock at Picnic Point (Cairn Curran Reservoir). The birds were feeding along the  shoreline on insects, possibly brine flies (Fam: Ephydridae), that were congregating in large numbers on algae and associated detritus.  You can see the flies in a number of images below, particularly image VI.

The sexes are quite different and while the first image is clearly an adult male, the subsequent images, apart from the last, appear to be scruffy immature males. The last image is an adult female, enjoying the dying rays of sunshine on some gibber-like terrain. This is the type of habitat where on a grander scale you might encounter the Gibberbird Ashbyia lovensis, an unusual endemic Australian chat that is restricted to the arid interior.

White-fronted Chat (male), Picnic Point, 5th May 2024

Foraging for brine flies

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White-fronted Chat (female)

A powerful hawk-owl

At this time of year our local hawk-owls are entering their breeding period and this is when you are more likely to hear them calling.

Recently I’ve had numerous local reports of calling Barking Owls and Powerful Owls – last night I heard both species calling in town, along with our smallest local hawk-owl, the Southern Boobook.

The sequence below, taken mid-afternoon yesterday, features a Powerful Owl roosting on an exposed limb of a veteran River Red Gum. This is somewhat unusual as owls are often pestered by small birds when in the open, which is one reason they often select a spot inside the canopy of a dark-foliaged tree such as a Blackwood to spend the daylight hours.

The last two profile images clearly illustrate why the owls belonging to the genus Ninox are known as hawk-owls.

Powerful Owl, Green Gully Creek, 4th May 2024

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Time well spent

Yesterday I spent some ‘quality time’ with a pair of one of my favourite woodland birds – the Chestnut-rumped Heathwren.

While they remain reasonably common in suitable habitat throughout the Muckleford bush they are shy and difficult to photograph. Most views are had as they run ‘mouse-like’ through the understorey. I’ve had success by sitting quietly, sometimes for more than an hour and waiting for better views as they become accustomed to my presence.

The following series of images are of a male Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, showing some of its distinctive features and behaviour. The females are less strongly marked with buff tones on the ‘eye-brow’ and underneath. The males tend to be more curious and willing to venture into the open.

I have a theory, completely unproven, that this species breeds quite early in the season, as in my experience they are quite vocal in the early winter as they establish their territories. Their territories shift subtly from year to year but always feature good quality understorey, often dominated by heath as well as fallen wood.

From late spring through summer they can be hard to find, although they do occasionally venture to water to quench their thirst.

Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Muckleford State Forest, 3rd May 2024

Rufous uppertail-coverts

Distinct streaking on the throat and breast, and white supercilium

Orange-brown iris

Typical view of this furtive species

They are mainly ground foragers but will also chase insects low in shrubs

About to scuttle off into the undergrowth – the rufous uppertail-coverts on show

Now an autumn constant?

Regular observations of Fan-tailed Cuckoos in late autumn are apparently the ‘new normal’. The bird pictured below descended to the ground in front of me to pounce on a hairy caterpillar as I was watching a small flock of Varied Sittellas.

A brief examination of observation data suggests that this species is becoming more common in central Victoria during the cooler months. Typically regarded as a partial migrant, its arrival in late winter is quite apparent as it heralds its arrival with distinctive far-carrying trills, generally more obvious in the early hours or around dusk.

I have no idea as to whether these ‘autumn fan-tails’ have arrived from further south (they do travel as far as southern Tasmania), or simply part of a small resident breeding population.

Comments, suggestions or theories are invited …

Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Muckleford State Forest (north of Pullans Road), 30th April 2024

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Varied Sittella

Mid-autumn bird notes

It’s a nice time of year with a changing of the seasons and with it a changing of the ‘guard’.

Flame Robins, Pied Currawongs, Eastern Spinebills have been arriving in good numbers since early April. Interestingly I’ve heard Fan-tailed Cuckoos several times, as well as Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters – calling not long after dawn around the house. The only previous time I’ve recorded this honeyeater locally was in July 2022.

The following images, all familiar faces, are from the Rise and Shine, taken a couple of weeks back.

White-plumed Honeyeater, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 15th April 2024

Dusky Woodswallow

Brown Treecreeper

Grey Currawong

Also noted on this visit: Painted Button-quail, Willy Wagtail, Eastern Yellow Robin, White-naped Honeyeater, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Fuscous Honeyeater, Red-rumped Parrot, Eastern Rosella.

Stubble burns and raptors … some observations

Stubble burning is a vexed subject, even in the farming community.

While numerous studies indicate that the economic benefits of stubble burning are short-lived and outweighed by longer-term financial and ecological costs, it continues across large areas of cropping country, albeit at lower levels than much of last century. While retention of stubble has increased in recent decades it is by no means the norm and autumn burning has seemingly become more popular during the recent run of wetter than average seasons.

It is not my intention here to delve further into what is a complex story …

Stubble fires are a magnet for raptors – the first whisps of smoke will attract a a variety of species, often in large numbers.

My observations on the Moolort Plains over many years suggest that four species are especially associated with stubble burns – Black Kite, Whistling Kite, Brown Falcon and the Black Falcon, the latter a threatened species in Victoria. While the kites and Brown Falcon profit from the many large insects (grasshoppers, crickets etc.) that are dislocated by the burn, Black Falcons are mainly focused on small to medium sized grassland birds such as pipits, quail and larks.

The burn shown in this sequence of images was dominated by Black Kites with smaller numbers of the other three raptors mentioned above. There were two Black Falcons, possibly three – not an insignificant number for such a rare (and beautiful) raptor.

The behaviour of the birds before, during and after a stubble burn are certainly interesting. Black Kites will happily fly close to and through the fire front, landing briefly to take insects on smoldering ground. The Whistling Kites tend to float above the fire, descending when conditions are calmer. Black Falcons likewise can be seen soaring, often dropping to a lower level when actively hunting. On a number of occasions during this burn I observed Black Falcons making fast, low level passes in pursuit of prey, one cameo involved two individuals with a second apparently chasing the other which had successfully snared a luckless bird.

Moolort Plains stubble burn with Black Kites, Picnic Point, 12th April 2024

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Brown Falcon over stubble burn

Black Kite

Black Falcon

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Black Kite with grasshopper prey

Brown Falcon on still burning stubble

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Black Falcon

Orioles and robins

The first calls heard were those from a small group of Olive-backed Orioles, a regular at this time of year at the Loddon River Reserve. Masters of mimicry, I thought at first it was a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike. With only a handful of figs on offer this autumn I expect the orioles will head north soon.

Olive-backed Oriole, Loddon River Reserve, 14th April 2024

Suddenly I was surrounded by a small group of Eastern Yellow Robins, at least four different individuals. This species is a ‘perch and pounce’ insectivore, often using vertical perches such as tree trunks while scanning the forest floor in search of a meal. Over the next few minutes I followed one of the robins as it moved between a selection of perches. I was only quick enough to capture one pounce!

Eastern Yellow Robin

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