Honeyeaters +

A nice selection of honeyeaters along with some familiar favourites.

This small pool in the Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve rarely fails to delight after rain.

Also observed – Black-chinned Honeyeater, Brown-headed Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird, Willie Wagtail, Restless Flycatcher, Crimson Rosella, Musk Lorikeet, White-browed Babbler.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve., 10th April 2024

Fuscous Honeyeater

White-naped Honeyeater

Eastern Rosella

Painted Button-quail

Golden Whistler

Diamond Firetail ‘nest’?

I first heard the soft, mournful calls of a Diamond Firetail in the distance and went to investigate.

Three birds were spotted in the canopy of a sapling Grey Box, nearby to a White-browed Babbler nest. Almost on cue one of the firetails flew a short distance and disappeared inside the ‘babbler house’, an untidy mess of slender sticks lined with moss and grass. At least one of the other two individuals then flew to perch beside the nest.

Diamond Firetails, like White-browed Babblers, occupy roosting nests which they build for use during the cooler months. I’ve found these nests a number of times at the Rise and Shine and several other locations. While I’ve no definitive evidence, it would not surprise if the firetails are planning to use the babbler nest for winter roosting, although this visit might have just been an inspection by a prospective tenant. There is quite a collection of babbler nests in the general area so I’ll keep an eye out for ‘happenings’ over coming months.

Diamond Firetail at roosting nest, Rise & Shine Bushland Reserve, 4th April 2024

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Veteran at the ‘shine’

I won’t even hazard a guess as to the age of this specimen, a Long-leaved Box, growing near the start of the walk at the Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve. The sheer size of the swollen lignotuber at its base suggests it would certainly be in the hundreds.

Veteran Long-leaved Box, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 12th March 2024

Long-leaved Box Eucalyptus goniocalyx is one of two closely related species growing locally. The other, Mealy Bundy E.nortonii, differs in having a powdery-white coating on the buds, fruits and juvenile leaves, whereas these parts on E.goniocalyx are green. It is common to find intermediates between the two species, often growing side-by-side with what appear to be pure forms of each.

Whatever the age of this wonderful specimen it will have marked the passing of countless generations of woodland birds, many of which depend on it for food, perches and nesting sites. The dark canopy is a favoured refuge for owls – I’ve seen both Southern Boobooks and Powerful Owls using it, while the flowers attract honeyeaters such as this Black-chinned Honeyeater for nectar, pollen and insects.

Black-chinned Honeyeater

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Long-leaved Box flowers and buds

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Fruits

As ‘tough as nails’

List of other birds seen or heard: Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Fuscous Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird, Dusky Woodswallow, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Musk Lorikeet, Brown Treecreeper, Eastern Yellow Robin, Striated Pardalote, Spotted Pardalote, Rufous Whistler.

Camp chair view

A cool and wet January has made for pleasant birding in the local bush.

An enjoyable evening pursuit is to take the camp chair, sit quietly beside a bush pool and then just let the action unfold.

Rainbow Bee-eater (adult male), Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 24th January 2024

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Eastern Yellow Robin

White-plumed Honeyeater

Pardalotes … down to earth

Further to Patrick’s excellent post earlier this month I was interested to see both of our local species of pardalote gathering fallen lerp from the ground near one of my favourite bush pools.

A number of individuals were involved, dividing their time between foraging low in eucalypt saplings, bathing in a puddle and diligently plucking lerp from amongst the gravel and moss. I’ve observed this behaviour previously, but this is the first time I can recall documenting it.

Spotted Pardalote with lerp, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 23rd January 2024

Spotted Pardalote at the pool

Striated Pardalote with lerp

Striated Pardalote at the pool

Worth a closer look

Two locally occurring species, one a resident, the other a summer vagrant, can pose some identification challenges.

The Fuscous Honeyeater Ptilotula fusca is possibly the most abundant local honeyeater and can be found throughout the district, although it tends to be more common in larger, intact areas of forest and woodland.

The Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Ptilotula ornata is mainly a mallee species, found commonly to our north but a post-breeding wanderer to our area.

Yesterday at the Rise and Shine I observed a single P. ornata amongst possibly fifty Fuscous Honeyeaters that arrived to drink and bathe in a bush pool.

A careful look at the images below show the distinctive features of each species. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters have a prominent yellow cheek plume and a heavily streaked breast. Fuscous Honeyeaters also have a yellow cheek plume but it is much less pronounced – some individuals also have faint streaking on the breast. In both the bill colour varies from entirely black while breeding, to black-tipped with a yellow base outside the breeding season. Juveniles of both species are duller, browner versions of the adults without the distinct markings.

Fuscous Honeyeater (non-breeding adult), Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 20th January 2024

Yellow-plumed Honeyeater (non-breeding adult)

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Fuscous Honeyeater

Also noted: Diamond Firetail, Striated Pardalote, Spotted Pardalote, Peaceful Dove, Dusky Woodswallow, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Brown-headed Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Brown Treecreeper, Red Wattlebird, Olive-backed Oriole.

Promising signs

Along with the usual procession of honeyeaters (Fuscous, Yellow-tufted, White-naped, Brown-headed, White-plumed and Black-chinned) were a couple of nice surprises.

A single Yellow-plumed Honeyeater, not pictured here, however I’ve observed small numbers at the same spot in past years … plus a couple of Diamond Firetails. An adult arrived first, announcing its presence from a distance with a couple of mournful whistles, followed by a wary juvenile. Both birds drank and bathed briefly before departing. It’s always good to see evidence of successful local breeding by this declining woodland bird.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, , Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 14th January 2024

White-naped Honeyeater

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Diamond Firetail (adult)

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Diamond Firetail (juvenile)

Eastern Rosellas bathing

What a delight to get close-up views of Eastern Rosellas.

Three birds, probably a family group, descended cautiously to bathe in a rapidly drying puddle – the urge for water overcoming the close proximity of the observer.

Eastern Rosella, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 13th January 2024

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Painterly reflections

I’ve been contemplating the recent weather patterns and the effect on our birds.

One species, the Painted Button-quail, boomed in numbers from late 2022 into the winter of 2023. Since then the onset of dry conditions has coincided with far fewer personal observations. While the birds have still been around they were less evident last spring, whereas during the spring of 2022 their calls could be heard on almost all excursions into suitable habitat.

I wonder whether there might be a relationship between moisture and their propensity to call. Since the deluge of rain over Xmas and New Year I’ve again heard some birds, along with a number of observations in the Mia Mia and Sandon bush. Late yesterday afternoon a pair started calling near one of my favourite spots in the Rise and Shine. The female posed briefly for the camera as it strolled past a storm-filled depression in the track, while the male made only a fleeting appearance at a distance. Both birds retreated into a nearby patch of Daphne Heath and Gold-dust Wattle, continuing to call at intervals.

Painted Button-quail, female ‘booming’, Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 9th January 2024

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Other species noted: Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Fuscous Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Spotted Pardalote, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-browed Babbler, Brown Treecreeper.

Summer life in the ‘Shine’

Some images from a visit to the Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve yesterday.

Also noted: Diamond Firetail, Brown Treecreeper, Fuscous Honeyeater, Painted Button-quail, Red Wattlebird, Dusky Woodswallow, Peaceful Dove, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Black-chinned Honeyeater.

Crimson Rosella (imm.), Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve, 5th January 2023

Eastern Yellow Robin #026

Australian Owlet-nightjar

White-naped Honeyeater (imm.)

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater chasing lerp on Long-leaf Box

Eastern Rosella