Australian Wood Ducks and Brown Thornbill/Large billed scrubwren?

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vas
vas's picture
Australian Wood Ducks and Brown Thornbill/Large billed scrubwren?

Just some Australian Wood Ducks and a Brown thornbill from one of my local spots close to Penrith. Wasn't the best light available and was a little late in the afternoon but managed some keepers. For full size images photo's you can visit my flickr.

Elsie
Elsie's picture

Beautiful photos vas! I love the two of the thornbill, so clear smiley

Thanks for sharing!

WhistlingDuck

NIce photos vas.  The wood ducks are very photogenic.

Your thornbill shots are great ... you make it look easy ... but they are usually too fast for me, or its hard to get a clear shot through the foliage. 

Rick N
Rick N's picture

Nice birds & photos vas.

Love that first Thornbill, what a cutie.

vas
vas's picture

Thanks for the kind comments!

The ducks were easy but did spook after a few quick snaps.

The thornbills (all species) can be tricky at times especially with my limited reach at the moment. I have to get really close to get a decent shot of such tiny subjects.

Here is another of a Yellow Thornbill i thought id'e throw in, they don't stay still for long at all but i just got this one in the nik of time ;)

HelloBirdy
HelloBirdy's picture

Lovely shots, Wood ducks are an absolute beauty up close, despite their simple plumage. Magnificent clear photos of the thornbills too... but are they really brown thornbill?? They don't look like any brown thornbill I've seen

Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera

vas
vas's picture

As far as their calls they are brown thornbills. I can easily recognise them this way.
Usually they show more white/greyish and black speckles on throat as the other one with it was more obvious but i didn't get a good photo of it.

Canonguy
Canonguy's picture

The one under the wood ducks looks like a Large-billed Scrubwren actually. Were you in Mulgoa NR?

Rick N
Rick N's picture

Canonguy wrote:

The one under the wood ducks looks like a Large-billed Scrubwren actually. Were you in Mulgoa NR?

Think you are right there CG, always pays to look hard which I didn't do before commenting even having seen Brown Thornbills.

vas
vas's picture

You may be indeed right. Hope you are because if you are iv'e added a new species to my birdlist :)
Well the confusion is why these two hanged out like best buddies/partners. Here is the other one which looks very similar but u can clearly see the brown thornbill throat markings. Explains why i could hear a brown thornbill too.
Could it be possible they are different species but best of mates? Hehe this is very interesting now. EDIT: I was in Glenbrook NSW, i also edited the title.
 

Owl of Kedumba
Owl of Kedumba's picture

The last photo is a Brown Thornbill as it has the rufousy forehead and streaking and a smaller bill, while the first "thornbill" is a Large-billed Scrubwren (short tail, large and slightly upturned bill, pale face, absence of streaking, large eye, plain colouring etc.).  

The LBSW shots are beautiful!

vas
vas's picture

Yeah i'm looking at more and more Large-billed scrub wren photo's now and i agree it is a Large-billed Scrubwren. All good i have ticked a new speciessmiley.
Now to go back and try find them again, be intersting to see if they are still hanging together. I would of thought they would be intolerant of each other but these two where best mates.
Now the hard part is working out why they are hanging with each other indecision

ungb
ungb's picture

Nice capture. Brown Thornbill is one of my favourite birds smiley

Canonguy
Canonguy's picture

I just clicked to follow your FLICKR

vas
vas's picture

Just returned the favour smiley

Canonguy
Canonguy's picture

BTW, they really aren't best buddies. They just live in the same habitat and mix in flocks to feed in a peaceful manner, as their dietary needs are pretty much the same.

In Glenbrook, the place I can think of having Large-billled Scrubwrens would be along the creek walk from Euroka to the river (starting at the left of the open fields). That's a great spot for these birds, the habitat is perfect.

Reflex
Reflex's picture

Interesting thread. Some great shots of the Large-billled Scrubwrens.

Samford Valley Qld.

Devster
Devster's picture

Great series of photos.

I though some of the guys would pick up that it was a Large-Billed Scrubwren as the bill was too big for a Brown Thornbill.

Nice clear shots of them.

Thise Wood Ducks seem nice a placid but don't get near their chicks or they will tear you apart.

I once found a family in our garage at Kallangur under the car of all places.

When I tried to direct them to a nearby dam the parents were most displeased and started attacking and hissing at me, like a feral cat.

I had to use an open umbrella to guide as gently as I could to the safety of the dam which was across a road about 500m away.

They got there safely eventually but boy it made the adreneline rush.

timrp
timrp's picture

Very nice photo's especially the Large-Billed Scrubwren.

HelloBirdy
HelloBirdy's picture

I'm glad we got the ID sorted, I was quite nervous about mentioning that it might not have been a brown thornbill as a not-too-experienced birder since no one else had mentioned it

Devster wrote:

Thise Wood Ducks seem nice a placid but don't get near their chicks or they will tear you apart.

I once found a family in our garage at Kallangur under the car of all places.

When I tried to direct them to a nearby dam the parents were most displeased and started attacking and hissing at me, like a feral cat.

I had to use an open umbrella to guide as gently as I could to the safety of the dam which was across a road about 500m away.

They got there safely eventually but boy it made the adreneline rush.

I guess that would depend on how used to people they are. I know the ducks at my local pond were quite friendly and were just happy to continue miling around me, some within a metre away, especially the young.

Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera

Woko
Woko's picture

No harm in raising a question about an identity, HelloBirdy. It's all part of learning.

vas
vas's picture

Thanks it's all good. If you hadn't raised the issue i most probably would not have noticed and there would be a species not ticked on my list that i have taken a photo of or seen. Did me a favour smiley 

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