I have been listening to the Drongos for a month or so now and this morning they were so noisy I decided to get up at 4.45am and take a walk around with my camera . These are not particularly good shots but are just to show an interesting point that these birds have returned from their northern wintering to nest in exactly the same nest that I found them in last year. It is high up and in the middle of the bush so not accessible for me and they were very shy and left the nest as soon as they noticed me lurking so I gather they have some babies in it. Only when I hid behind a tree for a while did they come back to stand guard again.
Found another family group over the other side of our cul de sac and they were a little more cooperative
I went back to bed for a while and then headed off for a walk about 8am....sans camera.... nearly tripped over a beautiful pale headed rosella in the long grass next to the path, and then found a female koel so close I could've nearly touched her!!! It's Murphy's law isn't it?
Nice story, birdie. Those drongos probably remember you, wondering who the pest is that comes and bothers them every year. Its nice to feel a connection like that to the local wildlife.
Yes.. it is great to get to know the area more intimately. Especially as we are renting this house and it is easy to feel disconnected and temporary when you are in that situation. We have lived here for 3 years now and getting to know the cycles of nature is something that keeps me wanting to live here. Yesterday I came across the little swamp wallaby that still manages to find enough bush to live in too. In the creek that flows from storm water down a steep hill and past my house and across the road there have been echidna sightings, and yesterday I also spotted a pretty blue bird having a bath in the rock pools. I am thinking it is the Juv Pale headed Rosella that I have posted before, but it was very blue and I only have this pic which is woeful to identify it from!
By the way... I bet I am not as annoying to those Drongos each year as they are to me when they land in and around the trees surrounding my bedroom windows and start their raucous noise at 4.30am every morning! They have such a variety of calls in their repertoire and can chortle as well as a Magpie at times :)
Sunshine Coast Queensland
that's very cool. all I have nesting in my front (or back) yard is Spotted Doves. they are cute though. :)
The mystery of the little blue bird is solved now. He is actually sitting on a rock in the water in the above photo and here is is
Akos.... what noise do those doves make? I still can't identify the most persistent and annoying call of the dawn chorus.. some kind of dove though.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
The turtle spotted dove tends to make the general cooing sounds of doves, luckily BiBY has the call if you want to check it http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Streptopelia-chinensis Windhover, I have the exact same thing in my backyard, last time the doves managed to raise one young in safety from the local cats the juvenile promptly flew into a window and died ): They're plain and introduced birds but I love them and their antics. Also, you come from the Penrith area right? Do you see/hear many channel billed cuckoos? Because lately in the morning i've been hearing them and caught my first look at one around a week ago! I only figured out why the Pied Currawongs were going crazy after when I found out they used them as surrogate parents.
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Birdie, nice to see your dedication of getting up at 4:45am to go and take some photos! Personally I prefer my sleep-ins when I can take them :)
Thanks Amateur , I thought it might be the mystery dove that drives me nuts in the mornings but it is not that one.
I am getting better at getting up in the mornings but I have to learn to get to sleep earlier as I am really buggered now.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hey Birdie how come you did not cimb into the tree canopy and get a shot of the baby Drongos Lmao :)
:'b
How do you know I didn't try Tassie??? I tell you one thing if I could I probably would.. if I knew which tree that Dove roosts in LOL this morning it was on again from dawn . Occasionally he changes it to a Cuck- coo just to give me a break.
Sunshine Coast Queensland