I'm kicking off my 2023 big year with a lifer and a new yard bird (number 103, or number 99 if I only include birds I've managed to photograph).
1. Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (no fact sheet)
The rest are the usuals around my place, and a rare visit from a Leaden Flycatcher. They are all enjoying the water here after some pretty hot days.
Many EBC shots in this lot, I may replace with better ones later... but I seem to have less and less time for birdwatching lately so will just go with what I've got for now.
2. Variegated Fairy-wren
3. Leaden Flycatcher
4. Rufous Whistler
5. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
6. Brown Cuckoo-dove
7. Common Bronzewing
8. Dollarbird
9. Eastern Yellow Robin
10. Laughing Kookaburra
11. Rainbow Lorikeet
12. Red Wattlebird
13. Satin Bowerbird (blurry bird bath camera shot, but I love it, I always have to refill the baths after a visit from these guys)
14. Striated Thornbill
15. Superb Fairy-wren
16. Wedge-tailed Eagle
17. Willie Wagtail
18. Yellow-faced Honeyeater
19. Grey Fantail (young one, about to take a dive into the bird bath below)
20. Brown-headed Honeyeater
21. Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo
And a bonus pic of our resident Bearded Dragon who has decided to hang out in one of the garden beds... he has his own dish of water there now.
Great start, Karen and how exciting to get a new yard bird.
A great backyard start! Those birdbaths are paying off; I keep forgetting mine, they dry up and the birds give up. Your yard must be busy with song, twitching, fluttering and splashing, and while most are your regulars, I still haven't seen the brown-headed HE or the flycatcher. And the heathwren would certainly be a lifer.
Wow Karen great start. Your backyard is amazing.Too many lifers in that lot for me to list. Looking forward to many more.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
It would be great to have birds like that in my backyard. I've never seen any of the Heathwrens so that would be a lifer for me. Amazing set.
Thanks all. At the moment I have 11 bird baths, though I suppose 4 of them are more reptile baths as they are shallow dishes on the ground. I really need 9 more wildlife cameras as I only have 2. I'd love to see the activity going on at all the others but I mainly watch the ones close to the house.
Leo and I went for a drive up to Mount Tomah Gardens on Sunday, we just did a quick walk through the rainforest walk and then stopped in at Bilpin Cider and Tutti Fruitti on our way back, for his last day out before school went back on Monday. I did manage one bird shot, though quite blurry. I believe this is a Brown Gerygone, but feedback welcome.
Also adding a pic of a young White-throated Gerygone in the garden at home, I hear the adults calling often, they usually nest here (and make a fortress of a nest!).
22. Brown Gerygone
23. White-throated Gerygone
Nice Karen. I didn't realise how yellow the immature White-throated gerygones were
Loving all the birds from your backyard Karen.
The little gerygones are very cute, one of my favourites, and I have been enjoying more backyard birds this morning when a bunch of little ones stopped by for a swim/drink. They seem to all come by together. There were at least 5 species and quite a few of each... but I have two more little ones to add.
Plus an evening shot of the valley at the back of my place with my resident magpie family. They only had one baby this year after kicking out last years 3 kids. They did start with 2 as I found a dead nestling on the lawn after I'd been away for a few days which was sad. But this one is doing well. The dead tree is on my property and some would say it is in the way of the valley view, but I see so many birds land there - families of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and others... I love that the tree is there. Plus it may have a hollow or two.
24. Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
25. Spotted Pardalote
26. Australian Magpie
Oh I found one more from the morning swim....
27. Grey Shrike-thrush
Certainly looks like the magpies have an awesome view of the valley. I love the yellow-tufted HE too (never seen one myself).
Also hope the first day back to school went well, especially after a day on cider! ;)
Some more great birds Karen. Love the scenery and the stories behind the photos.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Lovely birds thanks Karen.
What a cracker view! Love the story behind the birds.
Thanks guys.... and a few more EBC photos, just to make sure I keep my counts going! More from around home. I installed a new birdbath today too (number 12!) and have set up the camera there, may take a little while but hope to get some visitors to it soon.
28. Noisy Friarbird
29. White-throated Treecreeper
30. Channel-billed Cuckoo
31. Crimson Rosella
12 bird baths, thats fantastic. All lifers ther for me Karen. Those Friabirds have a bit og "ugly" going on (in the nicest possible way). Your numbers are ticking over nicely.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
12 Birdbaths, thats impressive.
Awesome Karen. Do you have all different sizes and heights for your bird baths? Love seeing your photos.
I guess 12 seems a lot, but to be fair, 3 of them are shallow dishes on the ground for reptiles, 1 is a deeper dish on the ground for the possum who has managed to topple the bird baths in the past, so now he drinks from that. I also have a few down in the bush where I can't see them but I can see evidence of them being used - one hidden in spikey bushes for little birds, the other is deeper and I think used by the wallabies as well as the larger birds. Another is also kind of hidden under trees in an area we have planted some ferns. We have a kind of strategy to align a bird bath with newly planted natives, as that way they will get watered.
There are 4 up near the house, 2 are just shallow dishes we stuck on top of some garden posts, one is out in the open and built into the garden path (and came with the house). The 4th which I think gets most use (or which I see the most) is in between two grevillea trees and has chain above it which we have hanging pot plants on. So lots of places for the little birds to observe from before diving in.
My newest one is a small hanging one that I have put down the back of the property where I have a concrete slab awaiting a garage/home office to be built later this year. I think I will be able to view it from my office window when the time comes.
Ha yes agree re the Friarbirds :-). The young don't have that lump on their heads.... they are kind of cute. In the past they have been one of the most dominant species I had here, and I kind of wanted them to move on, but they aren't too bad at the moment. I do seem to have a lot of Rainbow Lorikeets around which I only ever used to see a handful of times a year, they seem to have moved in over summer, but I'm still seeing variety so they can stick around... just hope it stays that way.
Great start, Karen... your bird baths and yard are very productive. Great start and I look forward to seeing what visit the new water source.
Thanks Sue.
Three more yard birds for me today. I heard the Eastern Spinebill over near the birdbath while I was on the other side of the yard and got a pic from quite a distance. I realised later I had a bonus Red-browed Finch in the shot. More EBAs, but oh well... I'm happy just to see them.
32. Jacky Winter
33. Eastern Spinebill
34. Red-browed Finch
Also a bonus pic (through dirty window) of a little Lace Monitor 'toddler' who stopped by this morning, (s)he almost walked right up to my door. It was hot so I put some water out for it. Only a little one, about 70cm or so long.
Lovely finds again Karen. I have always had a soft spot for reptiles, so thanks for sharing that as well. That would have been a cool encounter.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale, yes I love the reptiles too, always an exciting day when we one of them pays us a visit :-)
Nice to 'kill' two birds with one photo. The noisy friarbirds I see are way up in the trees, I guess your water baths bring them down low.
Good to see the young lace monitor, they have just started making their way back into the South Coast after the '19 - '20 fires - a long slow process for them and the snakes.
Nice photos Karen. Very neat to see the Lace Monitor.
Thanks yes loved seeing the lace monitor. So devastating to think how many suffered in those fires, we were spared by just a few km from the Gospers fire.
One from my morning walk with the dog today....
35. White-eared Honeyeater
Nicely done through the trees, Karen. My automatic focus would have dancing back and forth on eveything but the bird. Do you switch to manual focus?
Thanks Michael, yes had it on Auto but I have it set on single point AF, then I just take about a dozen shots with the hope that one will focus ok :-)
Wll done, that would have also caused me focus issues.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale, just got lucky...
Two more new ones for me after a trip into 'town' recently. I don't get these at my place often, think I have only seen a Common Myna once.
36. Magpie-lark
37. Common Myna
Nice Karen, the Honeyeater would be a lifer for me. Its certaily not a bad thing you don't see the Mynas very often. There are far too many where I live
Wow, Karen, what a fantastic selection. Great shot through the branches.
Nice shots Karen, just as the others said well done getting that shot through the branches.
Thanks, just two more for me today. Had a whole bunch of birds, probably 10 species or more, swing by this morning for a swim/drink. But only two new ones that I was able to spot...
38. Lewin's Honeyeater
39. Little Wattlebird
I see you have found my stick in the Little Wattlebird photo. lol
Good work Karen. Some more nice birds.
Dev, I wish you would keep your sticks to yourself.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Well done, Karen. Is this the view from the office?