Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Instalment #5 in the local thornbill identification series features the Yellow-rumped Thornbill.

Affectionately known as the ‘butter-bum’ by some birders, this species is the one most likely to be encountered around town, in home gardens or farmland. It does occur one the margins of the bush, in open woodland with a grassy understorey.

You’ll typically spot this thornbill feeding on the ground in small flocks, sometimes in the company of birds such as the Red-browed Finch and Southern Whiteface.

Identification is pretty straightforward, with two main spotting characters to look for:

1. Distinctive white spots on a black forehead and crown
2. The bright-yellow rump … obvious when the bird flys

Apart from these features this species has a white eye-brow (supercilium) and pale iris.

I apologise that none of the images below show the yellow rump to advantage – I’ll aim to rectify this in a summary post on thornbill ID soon.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Newstead, 18th Jly 2021

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Buff-rumped Thornbill

This is the instalment #4 in the series of identification tips for local thornbills. For previous instalments see Brown Thornbill, Striated Thornbill and Yellow Thornbill.

Today it’s the turn of the Buff-rumped Thornbill.

This species is possibly the most common thornbill in woodland habitats around Newstead. It is unusual not to hear its tinkling calls on a short ramble through suitable habitat.

The key features to look for are:

• pale-cream coloured iris, a feature shared with the Yellow-rumped Thornbill
• buff coloured rump with black sub-terminal tail band – this feature is very obvious when the bird is in flight but also usually visible when foraging
• rufous-brown forehead with delicate scalloping – this feature is not that obvious but contrasts markedly with the white-spotted black forehead of the Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Overall though it is the uniform colour and lack of markings that set this species apart from other local thornbills – no streaking on the breast, forehead or ear coverts.

Buff-rumped Thornbills are typically found in open woodland habitat with reasonably intact grassy and/or shrubby layers. They feed mostly close to the ground but will also glean insects from low foliage and bark. They are almost always in small tight parties of 4-6 birds, frequently with other insectivorous species in mixed feeding flocks outside the breeding season.

While I’ve recorded all other local thornbill species in our garden on a regular basis, the Buff-rumped Thornbill is a rarity in town, highlighting its preference for intact woodland habitat.

Buff-rumped Thornbill, Spring Hill Track, 8th July 2021

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Acanthiza nana

Instalment #3 on the identification guide to central Victorian thornbills. Today it’s the turn of the Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana.

This species is arguably the most nondescript of our local thornbills, the lack of distinctive markings are what makes it relatively easy to identify.

In my view there are two handy spotting characters, firstly the boldly streaked ear-coverts – a feature  shared with the Striated Thornbill, and secondly the russet wash on the throat and chin. This latter feature renders an overall ‘golden’ hue to the bird and is unique to this species of thornbill. It is the lack of streaking on the crown and breast that sets A. nana apart from both the Striated Thornbill and the Brown Thornbill.

A close-up look reveals that the iris is actually olive coloured – it tends to be described as dark in the field guides. The second image also shows off the black sub-terminal band on the tail – quite narrow in this species, but a more or less obvious feature of all the thornbills.

Yellow Thornbills tend to be canopy feeders, although this can include foraging in low shrubs – the third image below shows a Yellow Thornbill feeding in planted saltbush in our garden. While I often encounter them in box-ironbark woodlands they can also be found in scattered remnants on the Moolort Plains, as well as our home garden where they appear to be resident.

I have difficulty separating the Striated and Yellow Thornbill on the basis of calls but that is largely due to my own incompetence … check a good field guide for a description of voice!

Yellow Thornbill, Wyndham Street Newstead, 13th June 2021

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A Robber Fly at last (& one spider shot at the end)

Autumn has seen a lot of Robber Flies at our place. I love getting photos of these amazing looking animals – they certainly look like they come from the realms of science fiction. So far I’ve had little luck getting shots of them as they have been very restless. In the cool of a recent afternoon, I was pleased to find one perched very sedately on a Cassinia bush.

Robber Fly

Perhaps it was the cool conditions slowing it down, but I was able to get some good close up shots. They are called Robber Flies as they grab their prey in their strong claws and whisk them off somewhere safe for a feed

Looking a bit otherworldly

There are also a few small Leaf Beetles of various types about at the moment and they are heavily favouring Golden Wattles (Acacia pycnantha) and especially their developing flower buds.

.Leaf Beetle on Golden Wattle

Nocturnal excursions into our bush have also yielded a few finds. One was a small wasp, about 10 mm long snoozing on a native Clematis in our yard.

Wasp

And here is the spider warning for the arachnophobes!

Most of the Huntsman spiders that we encounter tend to be fairly large specimens and quite impressive. However, when I’m snooping around the bush at night, I often encounter quite small ones that I assume are young examples of the larger varieties, as they look so similar. These small spiders are usually hiding on a leaf of some type. Although the one I’m presenting here looks very imposing, it was only about 20 mm across.

Small Huntsman on Grey Box leaf

 

A bright spot and a puzzle

Update: Suggestions for the mystery feather include … Square-tailed Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Southern Boobook, Powerful Owl and Tawny Frogmouth. Nothing definitive as yet but will keep you posted.

Late yesterday I ventured to a favourite spot on river – an area I call ‘The Reserve’, where the Muckleford Creek meets the Loddon River.

Newstead Landcare has been doing a great job of restoration in this area, planting a variety of local small trees, shrubs and grasses. These plantings are doing well in their own right, as well as suppressing weeds such as blackberry. A Eastern Yellow Robin perching in a Silver Wattle in dappled sunlight was the highlight of the day.

Eastern Yellow Robin, Loddon River Reserve, 22nd March 2020

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Now to the puzzle.

I found this feather the day before near Bruce’s track. It has me baffled, apart from some confidence that it belongs to a raptor. The dimensions are 140mm from the tip to the base of the shaft and 75mm wide. It feels as though it’s too wide to belong to a diurnal raptor, but I’d be interested in readers thoughts.

Who am I?

A wagtail at the water

On most visits to the ‘pool’ at the Rise and Shine a Willie Wagtail will turn up at some stage to drink and bathe.

Largely unconcerned by my intrusion each visit is enjoyed, by myself and the wagtail!

Willie Wagtails are in the same genus, Rhipidura, as the fantails, but are a significantly larger bird. Grey Fantails weigh between 7 and 10 grams, while Willie Wagtails come in around 20 grams on average.

Willie Wagtail, Rise and Shine, 7th February 2020

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A follow up to yesterday’s less than definitive post regarding a ‘mystery’ honeyeater. The considered opinion of a number of experts is that it was most likely a Fuscous Honeyeater, not a Yellow-plumed Honeyeater (which does appear in small numbers locally at this time of year). A ‘true’ Fuscous Honeyeater is pictured below, a non-breeding adult that arrived to drink just after the Willie Wagtail departed.

Fuscous Honeyeater

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What am I?

This gorgeous, tiny bat was discovered yesterday amongst some stacked timbers.

I’ve no real idea of what species it is – any suggestions gratefully considered!

After a few quick images it was placed gently behind a flap of bark on one of the Yellow Gums in the backyard.

What am I?

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Greenhouse as habitat

Sometimes in my native nursery at Newstead the plants provide habitat before they even leave the greenhouse! This morning I found a 4cm long, smooth frog. Looking in Chris Tzaros’ ‘Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country’ I think it is Southern Brown Tree Frog, but am happy to be corrected.  The inner thighs are orangey in colour and eyes have slits not a crosses. I am more certain of the plant id: Montia australasica (White Purslane).

Natural puzzle #22 … Eggs for breakfast?

by Chris Johnston

Discovered these egg shells out in the paddock this week. Small, thin and fragile, apparently dug out of a shallow hole, eaten and the shells left behind. Whose eggs and who is the culprit?

A cluster of eggshells

Small, thin fragile eggshells (hand as scale)

A shallow hole nearby

A dark scat and a white shell – related?

Natural puzzle # 21

Two delicate structures … your thoughts?

Suspended in a Golden Wattle

Only just begun …

Solutions

#1 is the beginnings of a Mistletorbird nest

#2 is the partially built nest of a Grey Fantail

Stay tuned for updates on progress.