It was windy and drizzly today which is unusual lately for the coast, but it was a great day to see birds. I was lucky enough to be in the company of a pair of Brahminy Kites at the same time as a pair of Osprey.... it was worth getting wet in the rain . Also saw a Spangle Drongo on the cliffs and heaps of lovely and very noisy little Brown Honey-eaters and a pair of Lorikeets which is rare up at the place where I was in the windy Banksias today. Altogether a satisfying bird watching experience :')
Never mind the weather, lucky girl, to have had a good birding morning! I have never seen a "Spangle Drongo", (I just love the name, has a certain ring to it. The romantic in me coming out againn) Have a good bird day today! M-L
M-L
Didn't take the camera today Marie Louise but I was at the beach again and was totally mesmerised by watching the Australasian Gannets circling and diving in close to the crashing shore.... so much fun watching their aerodynamic controls as they were buffeted by the wind and then to watch them retract the wings and dive and come up with a glistening fish in their bills was totally cool! They are fast becoming my favourite bird I think and I particularly love the absolute difference between the juveniles and the adults.... both are very beautiful yet they are totally unlike in anything but shape. They had the beach to themselves today except for when the large BOP ( Whistling kite I think)came cruising, but it always keeps to its end of the beach near the tidal creek. Will be down there again tomorrow afternoon for an appointment so I guess I 'll have to pack the camera then :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Each day down by the coast can be very different, depending on tides and winds etc. I went to the same beach as the one where I saw the gannets diving. This time it was later in the afternoon and with a full on crashing tide sweeping in over the rocks. The gannets were too far out to have much fun with so I looked around for anything else interesting. The great thing is Araminta, there is always something at a beach isn't there? In this case I found a lone Egret poking around in the rock pools.... that kept me busy for quite some time! At least till I realised I was going to get very wet feet from the way the tide was rushing in over the rocks . For some reason it always fascinates me to see a bird that looks like a heron ( or at times is a Heron), playing at the sea's edge. In the case of this fellow...he was not playing though ...he was definitely fishing !
Here is a shot of the surroundings to put it in context
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Sorry the computer did some weird stuff there..this was the rest of the post!
And you can clearly see here the shellfish that he was after in his bill. It amazes me to watch them and I still haven't worked out how they "process" the shell.....do they eat the whole thing or extract the inside first and ditch the hard bits? i couldn't tell from where I was.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Nice outing Adrienne. :-)
Yes AKos, I am learning that winter at the beach is actually the season I enjoy more than Summer.... no crowds, no heat , nice softer light and it is all about tides and winds....they bring different visitors to watch . I just read a comment that GeorgeP made about staying for a tide cycle in Vict on Reckless's post, and I guess experienced birders ( more experienced than me that is!) already know that stuff...so we live and learn every day.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Loved the shot of the area in which you do some of your birding, Birdie. For me, it means so much more to have views of the habitat in which birds are seen & photographed. It's apparent that the richer & more diverse the habitat the richer & more diverse the birdlife. A good reason for ecological restoration in this great country of ours.
Thanks Woko, I think it is important for us to let others see the lay of the land so to speak. We forget maybe that someone may be down in the cold South on a Melbourne rainy day ( LOL) and unable to imagine what it may look like up here in Winter , or they may live inland and not get to the coast very often.
This rocky beach is so different to the ones where the sand just stretches forever. I love rock pools especially.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Just magnificent for meandering among & poking around in, Birdie.
Thanks birdie, you had to rub it in, didn't you? I hate winter!!! I want a nice beach and some sun!!!!
M-L
I love winter! The bad thing is that some species migrate north for winter like the channel billed cuckoo. It's a good point that you make woko about putting the surroundings in context. I don't live close to any beach but there is a reservoir nearby and I sometimes see water birds like pelicans and egrets flying over. Hope you see more birds birdie!
That is a good thing for us then Cooee.... some of them pass through here on the way and some may stay!!!
I love to add a habitat shot to the mix to show people where it was at.... that is why I started a habitat thread in the Best Photos section, to encourage people to delve a little deeper and show where they found their birds :')
Unfortunately it is the way the forum pages work that it is now probably lost on the previous pages !
Maybe this end of the forum is a better place for it?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I'm so jealous of you Birdie :)
That's a good idea though - making a section for posting photographs/birdlists/recounts for specific sites and habitats. Maybe Holly can dedicate a whole new section to the forum for it ;D
Taz
That's a good idea taz. We'll see what happens with it...
Yes we are going to have to wait and see what the anew software allows I guess. Best Photos is definitely too narrow the way it is now. There are heaps of other reasons for taking a photo for many of us, including many who are not the best photographers or have the best gear. As it stands I think there are probably a few who don't post as it may seem a bit daunting lately and competitive.... just a thought anyway
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hey! I live in melbourne too and I hate winter too.
I haven't replied to this thread yet. I think it's great that you are taking lots of behavioural and habitat shots of this Egret. It really gives us all a cleat idea of what type of places this bird lives in and what it eats and does.
Cheers, Owen.
Maybe we there could be like a sub-forum or something in the best photo forum. Maybe like when you click on "Best photos" instead of just bringing you to the all the threads there could be categories i.e. "amateur photos" and "habitat photos" or something along those lines. Just a thought.
Great ideas. I notice that in the Best Photos forum there's a facility for attaching photos. Would it be feasible to have one in the Surveys and interesting sightings forum for habitat or other relevant photos?
Lots of great ideas guys - I think subforums are a way to go - you all love the best photos section too much!
Not going to worry with the attachment option for the rest of the forum becuase the new one should only be a month or so away and so photo attachement should be easier then.
Thanks Holly that is great news.
Woko, the other thing about the attachment method I feel, is that it makes for a less interesting forum to scroll through visually. It is so nice to open a page and have the images there for you to see, though granted, it is quite a process currently to put them up there!
I guess the other thing to consider is ( and this would be something only Holly and her colleagues could answer) is it the brief of this forum to enter into the competitive sphere of photos who can produce the sharpest image? And would that split the area up too much so that someone with a great shot of behaviour or something similar , or even just a wonderful catch, would then only post in a certain area ? I am very uncomfortable with that idea for one (and this is as a forum member not anything to do with the opinions and beliefs of Birds in backyards) but I have no idea what the answer is for it. I love the spirit of this forum and the way that each and every person gets so excited about the new sightings or just observing a particular piece of behaviour. It has always been a very relaxed place to drop into .
I sure hope it will always be that way :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Yeah, I agree birdie. A relaxed motion seems the best way to view this forum.
Thanks for a great discussion! I think , to me, this is an issue of the attidude towards photography, and producing the perfect photo is obviously more important to some, than to others. To me this can turn into some competitive behaviour, I would not enjoy! I don't think it should be the aim of this forum either? Having two photo sections will promote a "battle of egos". I'm with birdie and cooee, a relaxed attidude would be much better to enjoy everybody's contributions. It would also encourage more discussions, so we can all learn from other people's knowledge.
M-L
Thanks Marie-Louise.... and I appreciate and welcome any body else's opinions . Feel free to drop in and say what you think. ( in a nice way of course LOL). M-L you know me and I am a photography nut, so I always appreciate good photos but I feel strongly about this and am keen to know how others feel.
At the very least it has livened up this end of the Forum LOL
:')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
A competitive notion seems to take away the attribute of the bird itself, enforcing rather a electronic view on the creature. After all, what is the photo about? The skill of the photographer or the bird in the photograph.
I am the sort of person who appreciates seeing the bird and tries for a photo but doesn't mind if it isn't very good. I value seeing the birds and watching them go about their stuff than taking perfect shots of them all.
Cheers, Owen.
Like you ,Owen, I have a "photographic memory" , once I saw something, it stays in my memory for a very long time. Some years back I went to France, and came back with 4 photos, I didn't mind, in my head there was a whole album of photos!!Sometimes it is better to see birds in your mind,you can't loose or delete them. LOL
M-L
Well, I am the sort of person who loves to be in the moment and feel everything there is to be felt in that moment...but I am also the sort of person who has an extension of myself through a camera lens....
soooo I love to photograph everything in my life that means anything. I love to capture that moment in time for posterity just for myself and I love the artistic part of creating the photo.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I reckon I'll wait until the new format arrives in a month or so. The alternative would be for me to consult with my computer highly-literate wife & find the best method of incorporating photos in my postings. She's a genius!!
LOL Woko...if she is a genius then eat humble pie and let her go for it!!!! Or are you using reverse psychology and thinking she will run to your rescue if she sees the compliment :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Woko > Make a website to display your pictures, then post the link in your forum blogs.
IS that what you are doing Bellbird Aviaries? linking to your site to sell birds?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Birdie > No its not! I have not advertised any birds for sale on here and I do not intend to. Birds are my interest and I took it further than some people on here. Like people that find injured or unwell birds on here and they do not have the slightest part of commonsense to follow a course of action:
1. If you can remedy the injury or illness through your knowledge of birds, all well and good. 2. If you love birds, like you imply, but have no knowledge with regard to treating the injury, illness or the birds diet, you can make things worse for the bird, so take it to someone that has knowledge and can help or a vet.
You should never put a wild bird in a cage, injured or not, if you can not care for it, you can cause the bird to stress if you do not know what you are doing.
Last comment, so far as I can see on here, looking at the posts, not many people on here have a high knowledge of birds, so my advice is, do not ever get a pet bird. If you find an unwell one, take it to a vet.
Regards
Pete
Registered Licenced Bird keeper, NSW
IF ANY OF YOU ON HERE LIVE NEAR ME, YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT AND INTERACT WITH SOME TAME BIRDS.
I will tell you about their diets and needs and answer any questions that may help you understand the relation of birds to human contact and how by feeding wild birds the wrong food, you are actually causing them harm. Birds when hungry will eat most things, even when the food is unhealthy.
Did you know? An apple seed is poisonous to birds, feed apple, but remove the seed.
Hi Pete
I think what you will find is that most people on here are focussed on wild birds that they find in their gardens and in birdwatching, rather than keeping birds. Everyone has different passions :)
You are right, sick and injured wild birds need to be treated, and Birds in Backyards suggests that, rather than treat the bird yourself, that it is taken to a vet or wildlife carer (as you have said) - it is also illegal to take in wildlife without an appropriate licence.
I think it is a bit harsh to suggest that noone here gets a pet bird - many may not want one and I would think that others who do would do research before committing to a pet Again, that isn't really the focus of this forum though.
You obviously have a great deal of knowledge about keeping birds and I am sure can provide some advice to anyone who comes across an injured bird.
Oh - and BIBY also doesn't advocate the feeding of wild birds :)
Cheers
Holly
Hi Pete, it's very sad, how quickly this turned nasty and aggressive. Both Birdie and Holly were making a point in a very polite manner. As for me, I don't have to be as polite! So, I'm only making one point. I find one comment you made quite offensive. Quoting you: so far as I can see on here, looking at the posts, not many people on here have a high knowledge of birds....etc. Because I'm not as polite as Holly and Birdie, may I suggest, that it might be better for you, to promote your Aviarie Birds on a more approprate forum. (I want to add, I am only expressing my own opinion, and do not speak for anyone else)
M-L
I started this thread as a positive way to encourage this end of the forum and to express my delight in going to the beach and finding such an exquisite bird to watch and study. The resulting discussion was great up to a point.....can we get back to that please?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
So sorry Birdie, you are sooooo right, I apologize to you!!! M-L
M-L
Maybe my post came over a little strong, I am not trying to promote my aviary birds, just pointing out that I have a vast knowledge of Australian birds. If you are going to keep a bird, you should research the bird that you want, so that you know what type of food to give, how much space it needs etc. I have taken captive birds from people who have bought them on a whim because they see them around their locality, then discover that the bird requires a lot of attention and a special diet, its now more than they can cope with.
I like seeing the birds that come into my property, like the Corella's, Galah.s and Rainbow Lorikeets. I actually have these species in my aviaries, they are tame and fly on me when I enter, they like a cuddle etc. and they all have their own personality, it also amazed me how clever they are at problem solving and some of them talk. I love being amongst them, they are part of my family. By having the bird, they attract birds on to the aviaries and in to the garden.
I'm interested in the matter of feeding wild birds. Could I suggest that the most helpful thing to do is grow their natural plants & replicate, as far as possible, their natural habitats.
A ranger in the Grampians once informed me that they were discouraging tourists in a particular section of the park because bread was being fed to kangaroos which was causing them constipation & death. I imagine a similar principle would apply to birds.
And, my! How this topic has expanded!
There are plenty of people who frequent this forum who have vast knowledge of birds and how to handle and care for native birds when they encounter them. On this forum we promote the advice of wildlife carers for sick and injured birds just in case someone doesn't know.
Maybe you could start your own post so it doesn't distract from the interesting discussion that a few of us were having here ? Maybe the general forum would be more suitable for discussion s about captive birds?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
It has changed hasn't it Woko! :)
Great to hear you do rescue work Pete (there are a few animal rescuers of different types on here) and I would love to continue the various discussions that are popping up here but lets start threads in appropriate sections as birdie has suggested.
Woko...we posted at the same time ....this was not a follow on to your post
Sunshine Coast Queensland
No worries, birdie.
So Birdie...
It will be lovely to see some shots of the aerodynamic flight displays by the Gannets the next time you visit the beach to show what we are missing out on here :) Hopefully they won't be too far out. Maybe they'll be closer in different times of the day because of the tide or weather conditions? Well I don't really remember seeing many Gannet shots here recently :)
Taz
NO worries Taz..... coming up in a separate thread
Sunshine Coast Queensland