My first photos !

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gwils15
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My first photos !

I visited Tasmania at christmas and travelled to Bruny Island, where I was repeated visited by a little family of Superb Fairy Wrens-Dad, mum and 2 juveniles.  The campsite was also home to the Dusky Robin baby.  I was enchanted by both sets of birds landing on my camera bag in front of me and hopping around our feet.  On a later day trip to Richmond bridge, I took the photo of the European Gold Finch in a local garden.   Being brought up in Queensland, these were my first ever views of all these birds outside photographs.

Araminta
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I love the juvenile Dusky Robin, gorgeous photosyes

M-L

WhistlingDuck

lovely photos - thanks for posting. Great shots of the dusky robin. Look forward to seeing more from you.

gwils15
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I would have loved to see an adult dusky robin as well as the baby was adorable.  Thank you both for your comments. Gail

Annie W
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Bruny Island is bird lovers heaven laugh.  Gorgeous shots, particularly of the baby Dusky - I'd suspect a very very young little one too judging by the plumage, so sweet.  So inquisitive the Dusky's, they're such a treat to see aren't they?  I've never seen one with such dark plumage before though so thanks for sharing, really interesting! yes

West Coast Tasmania

gwils15
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Thanks for your great comments.   I have never even seen a robin of any type before and had , with my friend Odille looked up a Tasmanian birds site and determined he must be a Bassien Thrush.  But when I checked the websites-that did not seem correct as they were all browner and much less beautiful.  He seemed to be playing with us - it was definitely love at first sight cos he was an absolute darling. We also saw quolls and scads of little round-eared bunnies on the roads at night on Bruny- a very special place.

Araminta
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One of my favourite birds, the Bassian Thrush,much  less beautiful?crying I don't think socheeky they live in my garden and I love themheart

Other than being gorgeous, they are a lot gigger than a little Robin.

M-L

gwils15
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You are right-they are beautiful-you can see why we thought the belly feathers of the little robin looked similar on the i Pad. Are they only found in Tassie? We also saw a black/brownish bird of similar shape with an orange band around the eye which I don't know either. Here is a poor picture of it form some distance away in the shade.

Annie W
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Some Fledglings and Juveniles are very hard to ID gwils15, they can look so different from the adult plumage that they end up with.  This one would have thrown me - like I mentioned, I've never been lucky enough (yet laugh​) to see one so young, and have never seen one so chocolatey almost.  I'd even go out on a limb to suggest it's only just fledged, so not technically a juvenile yet either (the juveniles are a brownish-grey colour, but still have some of the "mottling" in their plumage).   Both the Dusky & Bassian beautiful in their own ways for sure.  To answer your question, yes Dusky Robins are endemic to Tas (only found in Tasmania) - one of my favourites as they're so curious, and sometimes quite easy to sneak up on - I like it when they don't hide too much, haha.

Edited to add:  If I get the chance, I'll post up a couple of juvenile Dusky's that I took yesterday for you, for comparison.

West Coast Tasmania

Araminta
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The Dusky Robin is only found in Tasmania, while there aren't any Bassian Thrushes in Tasmania. (At least I don't think so)

I live in Victoria and am fortunate enough to have some in my garden. But in other regions they are becoming less frequent.

M-L

Araminta
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That's very interesting , I just looked at different books and sites on the net. Some do tell me there are Bassians in Tasmania, others say there aren't. Now, all you Tasmanians, are there , or aren't there????

M-L

Annie W
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Definitely have the beautiful Bassian Thrush here M-L yes

West Coast Tasmania

gwils15
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I'd love to see some others that you have taken to compare, Annie.

Annie W
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gwils15 wrote:

You are right-they are beautiful-you can see why we thought the belly feathers of the little robin looked similar on the i Pad. Are they only found in Tassie? We also saw a black/brownish bird of similar shape with an orange band around the eye which I don't know either. Here is a poor picture of it form some distance away in the shade.

Just noticed your black bird post gwils15.  I would say it is just a male Common Blackbird - it seems to have some feathers missing from around it's eye though, perhaps a juvenile just finishing moulting into adult plumage (?).  The females (and juveniles) are similar, but have a mid-brown plumage instead.  A beautiful bird in it's own right with a delicious song, but sadly (for it and our natives) an introduced species.

Just about to post those Dusky Robin pics, but will pop them up in a separate/new thread.

West Coast Tasmania

zosterops
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The blackbird appears to be an old bird. 

Granted 'introduced' does not necessarily entail negative impacts though I've heard of them spreading introduced weed seeds, disturbing the soil to the detriment of native orchids and possible competition with Bassian Thrush. . 

The goldfinch is a happier introduction feeding mainly on exotic weedy thistle and capeweed seeds. 

george
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yellow around the eyes common Blackbird you can have them  [Garden wreckers] .lovely pics .

Woko
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Being seed eaters I'm concerned that European Goldfinches will compete with the Red-browed Finches & Diamond Firetails at my place, Zosterops. Fortunately, the European Goldfinch numbers have declined over 26 years. Their numbers have stabilised at around 10 whereas once we had over 100.

gwils15
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We don't have this blackbird in QLD as far I know. It reminds me of the Minor birds a bit 0r as mum calls them-mickey birds.

zosterops
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That's 90 less noxious weed controllers, Woko. 

'Slender Thistle... Goldfinches and other granivorous birds eat the seed but they remove the husk before consumption so do not disperse viable seed.'

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/weeds/other-declared-weeds/slender-thistles

Goldfinches eat only exotic seeds to my knowledge -whilst destroying the seeds in the process- and as such will not (generally?) consume the native seed sources much favoured by native seed eaters, accordingly it much favours weedy areas under exotic vegetation (So it's the usual deal of if you want natives; plant natives). Goldfinches usually nest in exotic trees too. The similar greenfinch is of similar predilection and so '...has little opportunity to interact with native species' (source: Reader's digest). Except as food for raptors, perhaps...

The goldfinch decline may indeed be attributed to changing land management practices and revegetation, they were all but wiped out locally seemingly by council weed spraying eliminating their food source, though I suspect the drought may have played a role. 

zosterops
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The Blackbird is mentioned as penetrating into SEQ in Pizzey & Knight (2012) field guide so you may have them soon,  
though I suspect that being native to temperate Europe the local climate may be not ideal for them. 

Woko
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Hi zosterops. That's very interesting information. However, I can't quite see how removing the husks before consumption necessarily prevents the spread of viable seeds of the thistle species mentioned in the Vic Agriculture article. I'd be interested in more detail.

I don't recall seeing European Goldfinches eating native grass seeds here (s.e. slopes of Mt Lofty Ranges, SA) but I have seen them eating the seeds of Fennel &, I think, Scabious. You've prompted me to observe more closely their preferred foods.

The principle "if you want natives plant natives" is sound, particularly if the plants are indigenous to the area in which they're planted. And I suspect that the reduction in Goldfinch numbers here is largely due to revegetation but might also have something to do with predation by native raptors. Predation by cats is not a factor - I hope.

I've observed European Goldfinches nesting in a plum tree at my place but also in non-local native shrub (planted by the precious owners!) which, as I recall, was Granite Honey Myrtle Melaleuca elliptica.

Anyway, you've prompted me to focus on European Goldfinches & their ecology. Thanks.

zosterops
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No worries,

Finches are generally speaking seed predators and not dispersal agents. This means they crack the seed husks open and then digest the embryo contents inside, rendering the seeds unviable.   

Needless to say thistles and other similar Asteraceae are primarily wind-dispersed so they certainly capable of spreading considerable distances via the air anyway. 

A bird should not be disparaged simply for 'being exotic' in my opinion, I believe there is something to be learnt from any species. 

Woko
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Ah, hah! I thought it might be along those lines, zosterops.

gwils15
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zosterops wrote:

 

A bird should not be disparaged simply for 'being exotic' in my opinion, I believe there is something to be learnt from any species. 

Given the migratory nature of many birds, I have to agree.  They are certainly bright and beautiful to me given it was my first ever view of one..I have never sen so many finches as in Tassie, except in cages where I would rather never see a bird.

Woko
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For simply being exotic? Probably not, in my view.

For being a threat to Australia's increasingly threatened biodiversity by taking up ecological space that belongs to native species? Probably so, in my view.

The matter becomes  a little grey when we consider vagrants that might become established. This could be regarded as a natural process of bird dispersal.

zosterops
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Sure, a couple of introduced bird species have thus far proven as far as we know benign indeed, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the remaining species and I'd err on the side of caution personally.  

I'm all for the natural dispersal of bird species however in some cases one must take into consideration human-induced land management changes which have allowed species to colonise and establish in the first place, such as Cattle Egrets in Australia. Even in native terms the Crested Pigeon never previously naturally existed in my area (SE of Melbourne) pre-1990s and has benefited from the creation of open habitats and ironically the introduction of exotic weeds which it has adapted to, and so is now very common locally. Silvereyes colonised NZ on their own accord and have apparently been accepted into the bird fauna and have no known negative impacts on native birds (even being regarded as a native species by local govt). Conversely, stragglers from NZ populations of introduced invasive Mallards and Canada Geese have made it across the Tasman and were extirpated by local authorities on the basis of threat potential, justifiably so in my opinion. 

Woko
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Yes, indeed, zosterops. To Crested Pigeons we can add Little Corellas &, I think, Galahs, all of which have benefitted from human-induced environmental change. But introducing Kookaburras to WA is a bird of a different feather, should never have been allowed to happen & should be vigorously countered if WA's native birds, especially the smaller species, are to be conserved.

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