New bird over the fence

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birdie
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New bird over the fence

Now it's my turn!
I heard a very different call outside my bedroom this morning and shot outside to see if I could see who it was.

found a bird that I thought was a monarch of some sort by appearance but when I looked up the call it was nothing like it. There were two of them calling to each other, and one would do a real tsk tsk tsk kind of click . I thought at first they were imitating the butcherbirds 5 note call but in a much faster and higher pitched way.

It was definitely small, grey/blue blacked, buff-orange breast and had the black through the top of the head and below the chin. I rushed in to get the camera, lined the shot up and ...."no card in camera". Unbelievable!
Went back in to remedy that and change lenses but it had retreated into the leaves and I didn't get another chance. The mate was very persistent in trying to reply though with a high pitched repeated whoopy kind of sound.

Any ideas?

cheers

Birdie

ed
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Hi Birdie
Discription sounds like a Spectacled Monarch or maybe a Black Faced M, both have a wide range of calls.

Ed Townsville NQ

birdie
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Thanks Ed, that's what I thought anyway. Tomorrow morning I will be more prepared and have the camera at hand if I hear it.

cheers

Birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

birdie
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Thanks Ed, that's what I thought anyway. Tomorrow morning I will be more prepared and have the camera at hand if I hear it.

cheers

Birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

birdie
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oops double up sorry.
Haven't heard it again unfortunately

Sunshine Coast Queensland

DenisWilson
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Hi Birdie
The Black-faced Monarch makes a low-toned chattering call as well as the more familiar "Whit-chew" call.
Cheers
Denis

birdie
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Thanks Denis. I did go out and try to catch it the next day - but as I lined up the shot a !@#$%^& noisy miner flew in and drove it off!!

Haven't seen it since, but definitely some kind of Monarch. I have cleaned my bedroom window as the only way I can be sure to get it is through glass at this stage!

Cheers

birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

ed
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Hi Birdie, look what I found in my garden over the week end...is this your bird?

Ed Townsville NQ

birdie
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Yes I think so Ed, but your bird is so vivid it almost looks different, if you know what I mean. I don't remember it having so much black, but I wasn't close up like this so I think it is the same one.

Thanks

Birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Amateur

Was it more a grey? Because if it was grey/developing brown it could be an immature Black faced Monarch.

Or it could be a spectacled monarch?

just type in Black Faced Monarch Immature into google images and see if it's the same bird.

ed
ed's picture

Ed Townsville NQ

birdie
birdie's picture

Hi Ed,

Thanks that is definitely it. haven't seen it again since the noisy miner attack though which makes me cross.
e don't have a lot of undergrowth in our garden so that little birds can shelter there. I recently had the garden chopped right back as it was taking over so that makes it even worse, but now I realise how necessary that layer of plants is. As we are renting this house I don't really get involved in gardening.
the colours from your lens are just amazing by the way. I have to get on some day.

Cheers

Birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

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