Bell Miners are one of those elusive little birds that I've heard a lot, and not managed to photograph successfully before. The last time I was out at Gold Creek Reservoir, I tracked down their colony, but there was a very active bee-hive blocking the path to get to it. (I'm highly allergic) Today there were only a few active bees, and I managed to find some Miners. 
We dont get this type of bird here in West Aust . (that I know of .) Cute little bird , looks sad though like its just about to burst into tears . Glad you manage to get some photos . Thanks for sharing too
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
Nice to see these different birds, gets me reaching for the book
Thanks.
Thanks guys.
These are definitely one of those birds which are more often heard than seen (and definitely live up to their name). Was glad to finally catch sight of a few of them. (and not be stung by bees in the process, hehe)
Gorgeous windshear! I'm so glad you got them too, sounds like a bit of planning was in action - happy you got to them in relative safety also
. They do have a worried little expression on their faces these guys, don't they. Sweet little social exchange happening in that second to last shot. Hope you get to see some more, without the bees again too!
West Coast Tasmania
Love those bell miners. Yes they do look sad.
They were once fairly prolific in the bushland gullies of outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, but they haven't survived the steady creep of housing, concrete and bitumen.
Great photos of the bell miners.
You are right windshear they can be frustrating to find as they ding-ding-ding away high up in the canopy - their call seems to carry a long way. The sound of a colony all ding-dinging is very charming.
Night Parrot, I wonder why new housing developments contain so much exotic vegetation rather than retaining some of the original vegetation which might help Bell Miners to survive.
You have done really well to get such clear shots of Bell Miners Windshear... they are always pinging away highh in the canopy when I have seen them... there can be ten of them in a gum tree right in front of you and still you cannot tell them from the leaves!!! They need high forest canopy and open woodland ... that is their habitat mainly and are endemic to to South eastern Australia mainly .... mainly in coastal areas.
Their sound is unmistakeable and I just adore it, have been lucky enough to hear heaps of them both here and in NSW .... seeing is a little more difficult
Sunshine Coast Queensland
They are doing okay in the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens.
They're quite prolific in the Mt Nebo / Mt Glorious area of SE Queensland.
Apparently the farther away they are, the more they sound like a Bell. Up close their call sounds different. They were also making sounds more like a Noisy Miner's squeaks and chirrups.
Yes same anywhere in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland ... their sound is amazing when they are all en masse like that. Out at the back of Conondale to Bellbird Creek ( named accordingly I guess) they can be heard everywhere. I still found it hard to get an eyeball on them though, even when they were in froint of me calling their hearts out... they just blend in totally!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Wow! I live at the base of Mt Glorious and haven't seen one yet. Mind you I only saw my first Drongo on the week-end but I have only just started really, "looking'' if you know what I mean.
Samford Valley Qld.
Heartening to read these reports about the bell miners. They are obviously thriving, even in the city of Melbourne. The last time I heard bell birds was in the gully of a place on the NSW south coast near Tanja. They must be fairly widespread. I am also on the Sunshine Coast but I've never heard one here before. I guess I don't get around enough.
Night Parrot, I've heard them oodles of times but I've never actually seen one. If you take a drive to the top of Mt Glorious there is a viewing platform just to the north of the Mt Glorious cafe on the left hand side of the road. It's a great place to hear them.
Nice spot just Google images of Mt Glorious cafe for a sticky beak.
Samford Valley Qld.
I quite like the tea room at Mt Nebo(ish). (name escapes me, it's a little creamy-yellow building) Has the added advantage of a horde of King Parrots and Cockatoos visiting for a feed in the afternoons. :) (hear lots of Bell Miners here too)
Night parrot the Bell miners are not around the coastline here to my knowledge at all, but once up in the real hinterland where there is plenty of healthy Eucalypt forest they are everywhere. I drove out through Woodford from here and did the inland road down to Brisbane one day, and got half way up the big hill outside of Woodford and had to stop the car just to listen to them and their lovely tinkling sounds . What area are you in then?
Reflex same as me...hear hundreds ...see one if I am lucky . Yes that tea room's rather cute up there I must agree
Sunshine Coast Queensland
If anyone is interested and as long as you have no objection Windshear ... I have uploaded a short video I made.... terrible footage but i just wanted to show their amazing sounds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmir4yKDAkE&feature=youtu.be
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Thankyou birdie for your video I got to hear what they sound like now .
Wish we did have them here in Western Australia.
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
No objection here.
It really is a beautiful call.
Thank you Reflex and Windshear for the suggestions about Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo. I really should get around a bit more. I enjoyed listening to the bellbirds on Birdie's video. I go to Kenilworth every now and then (over the Bli Bli road). It would probably help if I stopped and got out of the car occasionally. I should mention to Shoop that the sound of the bellbirds can be quite loud and penetrating in quiet surrounds; like little explosions.
On my walk along the beach this morning I noticed how penetrating the calls of some birds can be, despite competition from the waves. The foreshore vegetation, only about 100 metres wide, obviously provides great habitat for a host of birds, judging by their calls. The paperbarks there have just finished flowering and now the coastal banksias are in full flower, keeping the honeyeaters very busy (one bird that came close enough for me to see this morning was the yellow winged honeyeater).
Coastal vegetation strips seem so important and I always think it is a tragedy to see where governments and councils of the past have allowed development right to the beach. Surfers Paradise of course is a prime example, where greed, corruption and complete lack of foresight have resulted in the permanent loss of natural beach vegetation. Once its lost, its lost for good.
No prizes for guessing where to.
Samford Valley Qld.
I am glad you all enjoyed hearing them ....obviously I was pretty blown away by finally finding a place echoing with their calls or I wouldn't have recorded them ... would love to have the know how to make a really top quality video with a backing track of bird calls from where the footage was taken. Maybe I am just too lazy and can't deal with the huge uploads it takes for good quality video.
If you are hearing birds at the beach you must be fairly close to me Night Parrot. Not sure if i posted them or not but I saw heaps of Spangled Drongos and Striated Pardalotes at Mudjimba a few weeks ago when I was there. You don't have to move far into the sand area to hear them I agree .
Sunshine Coast Queensland