Yes, those Bell Miners are such pests - you can just about give up on seeing anything else when they take over an area :-(
Nice photos though! And congrats on the Satin Bowerbirds - lovely, aren't they? The adult males are really spectacular in the sun, hope you get to see them soon too.
Interesting about the bell miners - like the noisy miners, do they all bully other species off their turf?
Yes, a lot of the honeyeaters are very territorial - you see them chasing each other / others all the time. Noisy miners are incredibly tough / agressive and chase off others in groups - and are adapted perfectly to edge growth (tall trees, no undergrowth) so have adapted very well to the cities, whcih is why we see them all the time. Bell miners are perhaps even more aggressive (but not as well adapted to cities) and are often an indicator of sick / ailing forests - they move in, take over completely, chase off ALL the other birds, and then farm their Psyllid bugs in such numbers that the forests get sick / sometimes die.
Interestingly though I read historical accounts of the Regent Honeyeaters, saying they were the most common honeyeater in Sydney region, also very aggressive and territorial, and would drive off the other birds. But to do so they need large numbers - and have now declined past the point that they will ever be able to defend a territory like that. They have very specific flower/tree needs, unlike the more adaptable honeyeaters, and that habitat is mostly gone too.
Wow, Tom you are really racking up the bird count!! Some really great shots coming in! I loved your replacement Welcome Swallow, what a terrific photo.
Well done on your Hobby, that's a great bird to capture!! And the Satin Bowerbird, I haven't ever seen them around Melbourne so that's awesome! The flight shot of the Straw-necked Ibis is really good, and I enjoyed the Little Corella and Spotted Dove shots.
You're bringing in a lot of shots, well done, glad you can take the little man along with you :) Can totally understand why he loved the koala, how cute!
Good lord, I knuckle down to work for a week and this place explodes! So many wonderful birds and stories, it's going to take me ages to get across them all and comment. A nice problem to have :)
Thought I'd clear out a few photos from my working folder ahead of the WTP convention this weekend.
81. White-Necked Heron (aka Pacific Heron). Lifer :) I was leaving River Gum Creek Reserve and saw this one flying high overhead. EBC!
I snuck in half an hour at Jumping Creek Reserve in Warrandyte. Very hot day and terrible photos, but I'll definitely go back.
82. Crimson Rosella.
83. White-Throated Treecreeper. I always take terrible photos of these guys!
84. Golden Whistler (juvenile). I was so unsure about this one... ABID (FB) identified it for me. Looks about right.
Some good new birds :-) Love the NH Honeyeater too - spectacular birds, and you've got a cracking shot there! Yeah, I had so much difficulty with whistlers in the beginning that any bird I was struggling with I'd look at female whistlers, and usually it was one of them lol. (or a grey shrikethrush!) At least the male whistlers are distinctive - and they all have calls that help with ID if they bother to speak up.
Nice ones, Tom and juveniles are always difficult. I love the White-browed Scrubwren.
I was asked to ID some birds from photos this morning which was fine until the last one. I knew it was either a young Whistler or a young Grey-shrike-thrush... fine streaks and a bit of a rufous eyebrow settled it as the latter. Alex, I so wish I was better with callls but just don't have that talent.
The tree creeper, New Holland and the Scrubwren would be my favourites, but is was to not say they were all favourites. Some more great photos.
Surprising how fast the species are creeping up, hope it can continue. The next 10 months might be a bit slower, as it gets harder to find new species.
Have to agree on the treecreepers. About time they stopped creeping, and hung around at eye level for a photo. Always bouncing away up the trunk until I fall over backwards trying to get a shot.
So I've been paying the price for taking too many photos at the WTP when I met up with Danika, Abby, Alex and Sue. It was such a great day :) and having too many photos is a nice problem to have!
I've put the waders and shore birds mostly to one side for the moment; I've been struggling with IDs in a lot of cases so I decided to sort out the rest and then come back to the hard ones. It really helps seeing the photos everyone else has posted here since the day out, I'm still learning so much about what to look for.
So here we go. These are some of my birds from the WTP.
87. Red Rumped Parrot. Terrible photos at the very start of the day, but enough to show the colours.
88. Swamp Harrier. Lifer! Seems we bumped into these all day.
89. Brolga. Lifer! So cool to actually see these birds, and a few of them at that.
90. White Fronted Chat. Lifer! Gorgeous little birds... amazing watching one of them running around on top of the pond scum :)
91. Little Egret. Lifer! I was surprised at how fast and agile they were on foot.
92. Yellow-Billed Spoonbill. Lifer! All my photos were terrible so I went for the one with the photo-bombing Ibis.
93. Musk Duck. Still haven't seen a male yet! But was lucky enough to spot this one as we were driving along.
94. Singing Honeyeater. Lifer! The joy of birding with friends :) I would have missed this one otherwise.
95. Striated Fieldwren (no fact sheet). Lifer! And missed this one too. I love this shot, and the Fieldwren just held the pose for ages.
96. Australian Shelduck. They were absolutely everywhere.
97. Horsfield's Bushlark. Lifer! A total EBC, I just couldn't get a good shot. I think the heat was getting to me :)
98. Cape Barren Goose. Lifer! Again, quite a few of these wandering around the place.
99. Fairy Martin. Lifer! I've seen Fairy Martins time and time again, but never got a photo. Now I think I finally have, although it's not exactly the best. Happy to be corrected :)
100. Whistling Kite. Lifer! This beauty came along right at the end of the day.
Wow, Tommy, so many lifers! I love the Brolga and the White-fronted Chat. I believe that your Black Kite is actually a young Whistling Kite... spotted plumage and the underwing pattern look better for that species. Hope that is still a lifer.
Shorebirds are a challenge for most people but it does start to make sense. Start with what we all saw and find an example that you like and worry about the odd ones after that is done. Differentiating a Common Greenshank from a Marsh Sandpiper would have been the most difficult from that day unless you got a good shot of the bill as Abby did. Looking forward to more.
Good stuff Tommy - isn't it fun filling in all those blanks? Great having you with us, and seeing all your photos. And ya, it all gets so much easier with time - it wasn't long ago that I despaired of ever being able to tell honeyeaters apart, let alone sandpipers - but every year it gets easier. And it never ends lol - I'm currently despairing of shearwaters!
Tommy, I'm so happy that you got so many LIFERS!!!! That's amazing!!
I remember my first trip to the WTP in 2016 when I'd just started birdwatching, I just came home exhausted with my head expoding!! I was just madly writing down the names that people in the Birdlife group were saying and hoping I could match them to the photos I had later...mixed results! Especially with the full zoom far away wader shots. I still find birds to this day that I think are lifers but I actually recorded them back then, only I had no idea what I was really looking at!!
You've produced a really great selection of photos, nice work getting your flight shots! I can definitely see that we were standing in the same spot at times :)
We'll have to do another trip sometime, once you've gotten through all the waders... :) they are very challenging when you haven't seen them a lot before - but bonus, you have several more birds still to add to the tally!
Thanks all :) it was indeed a great day. Michael, I am really happy with the fieldwren... so many of my photos from that day are decidedly average, I think from a combination of the heat, the wind, the light and me trying to do way too much with my little bridge camera! So it was nice to get some sharp ones.
Been flat out with work over the past month, which is a nice problem to have. So the photos have been piling up for culling and processing, especially as I've been more inclined to spend my occasional free time TAKING photos rather than working with them :)
I'm slowly getting there; in the meantime, here's another lifer.
101. Black-Faced Cormorant.
We spent Labor Day weekend at Phillip Island, and on the Sunday morning we went for a walk at Pyramid Rock, which is lovely.
While we were there, I noticed a white patch on the rocks off in the distance, and decided to take a closer look. There was a small colony of cormorants hanging about, and as I couldn't get near enough, I was having trouble ID-ing them... until I realised that was because I hadn't seen them before. Please excuse the grainy EBC photos, hopefully they're clear enough to confirm the ID.
Nice work Michael. Sorting and processing is really my most unliked part of the photography thing. Funny how you have a lifer in the Black-faced Coromorant, which is a bird I see almost every trip to the coast. In fact there is one sits on a buoy most days at Constitution Dock, 5 minute walk from the centre of Hobart!
FINALLY finished working through the rest of my WTP photos.
102. Common Greenshank. I really struggled with IDs here, I had a heap of shots but (Arnie voice) "they were all bad". I'm pretty sure these are both correct but please tell me if I got it wrong!
103. Marsh Sandpiper. A little easier here, especially with the benefit of all the much better photos here to check against! Again, feel free to shout at me if I got it wrong.
104. Pectoral Sandpiper. Off to the right of the Sharpies.
105. Black-Winged Stilt. Four shots because they're so delightfully gawky.
106. Australasian Shoveler. Probably my most EBC to date, I didn't notice these on the day. ABID confirmed :) the ducks on the left and right of the shot. This will do until I can find better!
Replacements (or just because)
4. Sharp Tailed Sandpiper.
14. Curlew Sandpiper. Not a great shot but the molting colours were wonderful.
Lovely set of birds, and some nice photos. Waders and shorebirds are not my strong point, so unless anyone else knows better, happy to roll with your IDs.
Well done, Tom, you recognised a different Cormorant... a major first step... I think you have caught that birding bug.
I also think that you have nailed the IDs of the shorebirds... the Greenshank has a slightly upturned bill. Lovely set of birds and I agree that those breeding colours are beautiful.
Love the Black-faced Cormorant shots! Nice to see them at Phillip Island - that's actually the first place I ever saw them too! Great pick up.
Enjoyed seeing your WTP photos, all perfect IDs. I got picked up for adding a Greenshank photo to my Marsh Sandpiper entry on ebird...oops!!! They're easy to mix up, especially when my photos where a bit blurry from the wind. It really shook our cameras around that day at certain angles!
I had another fun encounter at Phillip Island. Driving out to Pyramid Rock, I noticed a bird sitting atop a telegraph pole and had my own "slamming on the brakes" moment :) She posed ever so nicely... but eventually was scared off by another bird that flew in and roosted in the same spot, also holding the pose like a champion!
107. Brown Falcon (light morph, followed by dark morph). Lifer! Kind of... I did get some photos of a brown falcon at the WTP (the one perched on the post) but they were distinctly average, so I held them back... then these beauties came along.
***note: I originally posted these as a Nankeen Kestrel and a dark Brown Falcon, but later realised I'd misidentified the light morph thanks to a post in the ABID group for a similar bird. ***
Wow! Nice timing with the kestrel/falcon, Tommy. Lucky you could pull over too. Thanks also for adding names to all your sandpiper picks; I am still struggling with the ID of all those guys.
I originally thought I was looking at a Black Falcon, but the bare legs gave it away :)
Some more birds from around the traps, plus some upgrades and a couple of ring-ins.
108. Grey Teal (River Gum Creek Reserve). Nice pose to show that it really is a Grey and not a Chestnut.
109. Sooty Oystercatcher (Phillip Island). Quite a few of these wandering around the rocks near where we stayed.
110. Striated Thornbill (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Lifer! These little fellas were so quick, I wasn't sure what I was seeing until later.
111. Black-Faced Cuckooshrike (Churchill National Park). Quite a few of these on the day, including young ones in varying stages of plumage. I find these quite striking.
Upgrades.
Dusky Moorhen (Casey Fields). Just sitting there waiting for a photo :)
Eastern Spinebill (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Again, quite a few flitting about. I always forget how tiny they are!
Grey Shrikethrush (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Heavily backlit, but still pretty good.
Ring-Ins.
Common Brown Butterfly (Churchill National Park). Looks more orange than brown to me!
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Churchill National Park). What are you looking at?
Wow Tommy, some superb photos there! What an awesome experience with those 2 birds of prey!!! So cool to get such great close shots, must have been incredible to see them! Definitely worth slamming on the brakes lol. I would have called that a Black Falcon, but you're right, the book shows that Black Falcon has long fluffy trousers. Interesting.
So many great shots, but especially the Striated Thornbill and Eastern Spinebill, they are hard to get! River Gum is a great spot, so many different birds.
Like everyone else, WOW Tommy, the Kestrel and Falcon or superb. I have never seen Falcon that dark, and have not yet had the pleasure of seeing a Nakeen Kestrel.
So I was reading through the posts in the Facebook ABID group, and I came across a beautiful photo of a raptor. Nice, I thought, that's a Nankeen Kestrel. Looks similar to the one I posted here recently. Except it WASN'T a Nankeen Kestrel, it was a Brown Falcon (light morph).
What the heck? I thought, and went back to my photos to see if I'd made a mistake... and sure enough, plain as day, there were the double teardrops, the brown trousers and the grey legs. Instead of a Nankeen Kestrel being chased away by a dark Brown Falcon, I had in fact seen two Brown Falcons, light and dark, one after the other!
My apologies. I am updating the original post and all the subsequent posts to modify my numbering. Still, pretty cool to see two different morphs of the same bird like that :)
Love the Brown Falcons, Tom. As you picked up your mistake, it just confirms that you are a birder now. Brown Falcons come in such an array of colouring... I had one so dark that I thought it was Black Falcon till I looked more closely. Gorgeous captures!
Thanks :) I do need to apply one more bit of housekeeping before I post my next lot of photos:
Right at the start of the year, I posted a couple of photos of what I thought were Gull-Billed Terns that I saw at Stockyard Point. So far so good.
I recently joined a Victorian birding group on FB, and posted one of those photos there... only to discover that it as actually an Australian Tern! That sparked a discussion about the differences and the relatively recent re-classification of Gull-Billed and Australian Terns, and I remembered Abby had also posted Gull-Billed and Australian Tern photos here (in March, also from Stockyard Point). Took a look, yep it made sense.
Finally, I went back to my Stockyard Point photos and found that I did in fact have a few photos of actual Gull-Billed Terns. ID confirmed. :) Phew!
So here they are. I've edited my original post as well to correct the name.
7. Australian Tern (aka Australian Gull-billed Tern), re-posted to make comparisons easier. No fact sheet.
112. Gull-Billed Tern (aka Common Gull-billed Tern).
As far as the differences between the two - the main differences seem to be bill shape and plumage.
Australian Terns have a noticably down-curved bill, and their grey plumage is considerably lighter than most other terns.
Whereas Gull-Billed Terns have darker grey plumage and a relatively evenly curved bill.
Both species have the black cap for breeding plumage.
Yes, they are confusing. Your comparison photos help. FYI: as we are using the current Working List of Australian Birds, your original post is listed as Australian Gull-billed Tern and the other as Common Gull-billed Tern. Eventually, it will be updated to reflect the name change.
I found some info that I would like to share with the group sometime but probably best to email directly. A few different files to help distinguish various similar birds.
113. Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet. I walk around River Gum Reserve quite regularly, but even though Abby had let me know these were in residence, I kept missing them... until finally I showed up at just the right time. They were accompanied by Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Red-Rumped Parrots and Rainbow Lorikeets... the noise was deafening!
114. Pacific Gull. Plenty of these at The Nobbies at Phillip Island. In fact, I've taken heaps of Pacific Gull photos this year but I must have assumed I'd already posted one. I hadn't. Now I have.
115. Little Penguin. Lifer :) Again at The Nobbies. There is a section of the boardwalk where up to half a dozen penguins regularly hang out during the day. I kept my distance, lay on the path and zoomed in.
116. Black-Fronted Dotterel. Swan Lake, Phillip Island. Swan Lake was a fabulous place for birds, with two excellent bird hides and great vantage points.
117. Grey Currawong. Also at Swan Lake. I do like this photo, the evening light works nicely IMHO.
118. Peregrine Falcon. Lifer :) terrible, terrible photos, but EBC. I've posted before & after enhancement pics but they're still all terrible.
119. Australian Raven. Also at Swan Lake. Speaking of EBC :) I knew this was an Australian from the call, but could *not* get a clear shot. Still, you can see the throat hackles and the slight gape.
120. Brown Goshawk. Lifer :) These were taken at a playground near where we were staying at Phillip Island. ABID gave me the ID, I've posted a few shots as they each show something different about the plumage.
121. Striated Pardalote. Woodlot Lane Reserve. I headed out in the rain last week, and was rewarded by a lot of small birds fluffing up and splashing around. It was a lot of fun! Amongst them was this little beauty, best photo I've got of them so far.
122. Cattle Egret. Cranbourne North. I finally have a photo of Cattle Egrets with cattle!
123. Australian King Parrot. Cardinia Creek Reserve. Didn't expect to see these here but there were plenty of them, high up in the trees.
Yes, those Bell Miners are such pests - you can just about give up on seeing anything else when they take over an area :-(
Nice photos though! And congrats on the Satin Bowerbirds - lovely, aren't they? The adult males are really spectacular in the sun, hope you get to see them soon too.
Some more nice photos, good your getting some new species, thanks for posting.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Lovely set of birds, Tom. Great variety in your area.
Interesting about the bell miners - like the noisy miners, do they all bully other species off their turf?
Nice photos Tommy! Love the Bowerbird ones!
Yes, a lot of the honeyeaters are very territorial - you see them chasing each other / others all the time. Noisy miners are incredibly tough / agressive and chase off others in groups - and are adapted perfectly to edge growth (tall trees, no undergrowth) so have adapted very well to the cities, whcih is why we see them all the time. Bell miners are perhaps even more aggressive (but not as well adapted to cities) and are often an indicator of sick / ailing forests - they move in, take over completely, chase off ALL the other birds, and then farm their Psyllid bugs in such numbers that the forests get sick / sometimes die.
Interestingly though I read historical accounts of the Regent Honeyeaters, saying they were the most common honeyeater in Sydney region, also very aggressive and territorial, and would drive off the other birds. But to do so they need large numbers - and have now declined past the point that they will ever be able to defend a territory like that. They have very specific flower/tree needs, unlike the more adaptable honeyeaters, and that habitat is mostly gone too.
Wow, Tom you are really racking up the bird count!! Some really great shots coming in! I loved your replacement Welcome Swallow, what a terrific photo.
Well done on your Hobby, that's a great bird to capture!! And the Satin Bowerbird, I haven't ever seen them around Melbourne so that's awesome! The flight shot of the Straw-necked Ibis is really good, and I enjoyed the Little Corella and Spotted Dove shots.
You're bringing in a lot of shots, well done, glad you can take the little man along with you :) Can totally understand why he loved the koala, how cute!
Good lord, I knuckle down to work for a week and this place explodes! So many wonderful birds and stories, it's going to take me ages to get across them all and comment. A nice problem to have :)
Thought I'd clear out a few photos from my working folder ahead of the WTP convention this weekend.
81. White-Necked Heron (aka Pacific Heron). Lifer :) I was leaving River Gum Creek Reserve and saw this one flying high overhead. EBC!
I snuck in half an hour at Jumping Creek Reserve in Warrandyte. Very hot day and terrible photos, but I'll definitely go back.
82. Crimson Rosella.
83. White-Throated Treecreeper. I always take terrible photos of these guys!
84. Golden Whistler (juvenile). I was so unsure about this one... ABID (FB) identified it for me. Looks about right.
And a few others from around the traps...
85. New Holland Honeyeater. I love this photo :)
86. Grey Shrike-Thrush.
And a replacement:
71. White-Browed Scrubwren.
Some good new birds :-) Love the NH Honeyeater too - spectacular birds, and you've got a cracking shot there! Yeah, I had so much difficulty with whistlers in the beginning that any bird I was struggling with I'd look at female whistlers, and usually it was one of them lol. (or a grey shrikethrush!) At least the male whistlers are distinctive - and they all have calls that help with ID if they bother to speak up.
Nice ones, Tom and juveniles are always difficult. I love the White-browed Scrubwren.
I was asked to ID some birds from photos this morning which was fine until the last one. I knew it was either a young Whistler or a young Grey-shrike-thrush... fine streaks and a bit of a rufous eyebrow settled it as the latter. Alex, I so wish I was better with callls but just don't have that talent.
I think this year is going to be awesome!
The tree creeper, New Holland and the Scrubwren would be my favourites, but is was to not say they were all favourites. Some more great photos.
Surprising how fast the species are creeping up, hope it can continue. The next 10 months might be a bit slower, as it gets harder to find new species.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Awesome shots Tommy! So much fun getting lifers! Love your scrub-wren shot.
We just have to keep travelling! Come up to NSW Dale and see some new birds :-)
Very nice Tommy, now I can't wait to see what you found at the WTP!!!
Have to agree on the treecreepers. About time they stopped creeping, and hung around at eye level for a photo. Always bouncing away up the trunk until I fall over backwards trying to get a shot.
So I've been paying the price for taking too many photos at the WTP when I met up with Danika, Abby, Alex and Sue. It was such a great day :) and having too many photos is a nice problem to have!
I've put the waders and shore birds mostly to one side for the moment; I've been struggling with IDs in a lot of cases so I decided to sort out the rest and then come back to the hard ones. It really helps seeing the photos everyone else has posted here since the day out, I'm still learning so much about what to look for.
So here we go. These are some of my birds from the WTP.
87. Red Rumped Parrot. Terrible photos at the very start of the day, but enough to show the colours.
88. Swamp Harrier. Lifer! Seems we bumped into these all day.
89. Brolga. Lifer! So cool to actually see these birds, and a few of them at that.
90. White Fronted Chat. Lifer! Gorgeous little birds... amazing watching one of them running around on top of the pond scum :)
91. Little Egret. Lifer! I was surprised at how fast and agile they were on foot.
92. Yellow-Billed Spoonbill. Lifer! All my photos were terrible so I went for the one with the photo-bombing Ibis.
93. Musk Duck. Still haven't seen a male yet! But was lucky enough to spot this one as we were driving along.
94. Singing Honeyeater. Lifer! The joy of birding with friends :) I would have missed this one otherwise.
95. Striated Fieldwren (no fact sheet). Lifer! And missed this one too. I love this shot, and the Fieldwren just held the pose for ages.
96. Australian Shelduck. They were absolutely everywhere.
97. Horsfield's Bushlark. Lifer! A total EBC, I just couldn't get a good shot. I think the heat was getting to me :)
98. Cape Barren Goose. Lifer! Again, quite a few of these wandering around the place.
99. Fairy Martin. Lifer! I've seen Fairy Martins time and time again, but never got a photo. Now I think I finally have, although it's not exactly the best. Happy to be corrected :)
100. Whistling Kite. Lifer! This beauty came along right at the end of the day.
Wow, Tommy, so many lifers! I love the Brolga and the White-fronted Chat. I believe that your Black Kite is actually a young Whistling Kite... spotted plumage and the underwing pattern look better for that species. Hope that is still a lifer.
Shorebirds are a challenge for most people but it does start to make sense. Start with what we all saw and find an example that you like and worry about the odd ones after that is done. Differentiating a Common Greenshank from a Marsh Sandpiper would have been the most difficult from that day unless you got a good shot of the bill as Abby did. Looking forward to more.
Thanks Sue :) I took another look and I agree, Whistling Kite is a much better fit. I think I had Black Kites on the brain! I've updated that now.
Good stuff Tommy - isn't it fun filling in all those blanks? Great having you with us, and seeing all your photos. And ya, it all gets so much easier with time - it wasn't long ago that I despaired of ever being able to tell honeyeaters apart, let alone sandpipers - but every year it gets easier. And it never ends lol - I'm currently despairing of shearwaters!
Glad I could help, Tommy. It was a wonderful day out together and so nice to meet you in person.
Tommy, I'm so happy that you got so many LIFERS!!!! That's amazing!!
I remember my first trip to the WTP in 2016 when I'd just started birdwatching, I just came home exhausted with my head expoding!! I was just madly writing down the names that people in the Birdlife group were saying and hoping I could match them to the photos I had later...mixed results! Especially with the full zoom far away wader shots. I still find birds to this day that I think are lifers but I actually recorded them back then, only I had no idea what I was really looking at!!
You've produced a really great selection of photos, nice work getting your flight shots! I can definitely see that we were standing in the same spot at times :)
We'll have to do another trip sometime, once you've gotten through all the waders... :) they are very challenging when you haven't seen them a lot before - but bonus, you have several more birds still to add to the tally!
Great work Tommy. I notice you Yellow-billed Spoonbill was also photobombed by a Royal Spoonbill, nice to get both in one photo.
Loving everyone's WTP photos, and looks like more to come.
And a Lifer to rack up your century, way to go!
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Nice shots Tommy! Glad you had a great day.
Great pose on the striated fieldwren. I am envious of the chat, too, sharp against that background. Congrats on the century!
Thanks all :) it was indeed a great day. Michael, I am really happy with the fieldwren... so many of my photos from that day are decidedly average, I think from a combination of the heat, the wind, the light and me trying to do way too much with my little bridge camera! So it was nice to get some sharp ones.
Been flat out with work over the past month, which is a nice problem to have. So the photos have been piling up for culling and processing, especially as I've been more inclined to spend my occasional free time TAKING photos rather than working with them :)
I'm slowly getting there; in the meantime, here's another lifer.
101. Black-Faced Cormorant.
We spent Labor Day weekend at Phillip Island, and on the Sunday morning we went for a walk at Pyramid Rock, which is lovely.
While we were there, I noticed a white patch on the rocks off in the distance, and decided to take a closer look. There was a small colony of cormorants hanging about, and as I couldn't get near enough, I was having trouble ID-ing them... until I realised that was because I hadn't seen them before. Please excuse the grainy EBC photos, hopefully they're clear enough to confirm the ID.
Nice work Michael. Sorting and processing is really my most unliked part of the photography thing. Funny how you have a lifer in the Black-faced Coromorant, which is a bird I see almost every trip to the coast. In fact there is one sits on a buoy most days at Constitution Dock, 5 minute walk from the centre of Hobart!
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thats a very exciting find Tommy. Awesome! Would be a lifer for me too!
FINALLY finished working through the rest of my WTP photos.
102. Common Greenshank. I really struggled with IDs here, I had a heap of shots but (Arnie voice) "they were all bad". I'm pretty sure these are both correct but please tell me if I got it wrong!
103. Marsh Sandpiper. A little easier here, especially with the benefit of all the much better photos here to check against! Again, feel free to shout at me if I got it wrong.
104. Pectoral Sandpiper. Off to the right of the Sharpies.
105. Black-Winged Stilt. Four shots because they're so delightfully gawky.
106. Australasian Shoveler. Probably my most EBC to date, I didn't notice these on the day. ABID confirmed :) the ducks on the left and right of the shot. This will do until I can find better!
Replacements (or just because)
4. Sharp Tailed Sandpiper.
14. Curlew Sandpiper. Not a great shot but the molting colours were wonderful.
Lovely set of birds, and some nice photos. Waders and shorebirds are not my strong point, so unless anyone else knows better, happy to roll with your IDs.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Well done, Tom, you recognised a different Cormorant... a major first step... I think you have caught that birding bug.
I also think that you have nailed the IDs of the shorebirds... the Greenshank has a slightly upturned bill. Lovely set of birds and I agree that those breeding colours are beautiful.
Well done spotting the Cormorants, not a species I have seen before. And so much success from that WTP trip!
Love the Black-faced Cormorant shots! Nice to see them at Phillip Island - that's actually the first place I ever saw them too! Great pick up.
Enjoyed seeing your WTP photos, all perfect IDs. I got picked up for adding a Greenshank photo to my Marsh Sandpiper entry on ebird...oops!!! They're easy to mix up, especially when my photos where a bit blurry from the wind. It really shook our cameras around that day at certain angles!
I had another fun encounter at Phillip Island. Driving out to Pyramid Rock, I noticed a bird sitting atop a telegraph pole and had my own "slamming on the brakes" moment :) She posed ever so nicely... but eventually was scared off by another bird that flew in and roosted in the same spot, also holding the pose like a champion!
107. Brown Falcon (light morph, followed by dark morph). Lifer! Kind of... I did get some photos of a brown falcon at the WTP (the one perched on the post) but they were distinctly average, so I held them back... then these beauties came along.
***note: I originally posted these as a Nankeen Kestrel and a dark Brown Falcon, but later realised I'd misidentified the light morph thanks to a post in the ABID group for a similar bird. ***
Wow! Nice timing with the kestrel/falcon, Tommy. Lucky you could pull over too. Thanks also for adding names to all your sandpiper picks; I am still struggling with the ID of all those guys.
Oh wow, well done, they are both so beautiful. I love their big eyes. How nice of them to take turns posing for you too!
Great photos Tommy! Love that Falcon, don't think I have seen a Dark Morph one before.
I originally thought I was looking at a Black Falcon, but the bare legs gave it away :)
Some more birds from around the traps, plus some upgrades and a couple of ring-ins.
108. Grey Teal (River Gum Creek Reserve). Nice pose to show that it really is a Grey and not a Chestnut.
109. Sooty Oystercatcher (Phillip Island). Quite a few of these wandering around the rocks near where we stayed.
110. Striated Thornbill (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Lifer! These little fellas were so quick, I wasn't sure what I was seeing until later.
111. Black-Faced Cuckooshrike (Churchill National Park). Quite a few of these on the day, including young ones in varying stages of plumage. I find these quite striking.
Upgrades.
Dusky Moorhen (Casey Fields). Just sitting there waiting for a photo :)
Eastern Spinebill (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Again, quite a few flitting about. I always forget how tiny they are!
Grey Shrikethrush (Cardinia Reservoir Park). Heavily backlit, but still pretty good.
Ring-Ins.
Common Brown Butterfly (Churchill National Park). Looks more orange than brown to me!
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Churchill National Park). What are you looking at?
Nice photos Tommy, especially like your Eastern Spinebill and your added extras.
Love the Eastern Spinebill pic, and the bonus kangaroo :-).
I have Grey Shrike-thrush at #86 for you though, so I think a double up?
Karen, you're spot on. I'll update that to an upgrade :)
Wow Tommy, some superb photos there! What an awesome experience with those 2 birds of prey!!! So cool to get such great close shots, must have been incredible to see them! Definitely worth slamming on the brakes lol. I would have called that a Black Falcon, but you're right, the book shows that Black Falcon has long fluffy trousers. Interesting.
So many great shots, but especially the Striated Thornbill and Eastern Spinebill, they are hard to get! River Gum is a great spot, so many different birds.
Like everyone else, WOW Tommy, the Kestrel and Falcon or superb. I have never seen Falcon that dark, and have not yet had the pleasure of seeing a Nakeen Kestrel.
Also love the extras.
Some great photos of some nice subjects.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
So I was reading through the posts in the Facebook ABID group, and I came across a beautiful photo of a raptor. Nice, I thought, that's a Nankeen Kestrel. Looks similar to the one I posted here recently. Except it WASN'T a Nankeen Kestrel, it was a Brown Falcon (light morph).
What the heck? I thought, and went back to my photos to see if I'd made a mistake... and sure enough, plain as day, there were the double teardrops, the brown trousers and the grey legs. Instead of a Nankeen Kestrel being chased away by a dark Brown Falcon, I had in fact seen two Brown Falcons, light and dark, one after the other!
My apologies. I am updating the original post and all the subsequent posts to modify my numbering. Still, pretty cool to see two different morphs of the same bird like that :)
Nice pick up! That had me fooled, guess I didn't look very closely eaither! Well done on the ID
Love the Brown Falcons, Tom. As you picked up your mistake, it just confirms that you are a birder now. Brown Falcons come in such an array of colouring... I had one so dark that I thought it was Black Falcon till I looked more closely. Gorgeous captures!
Thanks :) I do need to apply one more bit of housekeeping before I post my next lot of photos:
Right at the start of the year, I posted a couple of photos of what I thought were Gull-Billed Terns that I saw at Stockyard Point. So far so good.
I recently joined a Victorian birding group on FB, and posted one of those photos there... only to discover that it as actually an Australian Tern! That sparked a discussion about the differences and the relatively recent re-classification of Gull-Billed and Australian Terns, and I remembered Abby had also posted Gull-Billed and Australian Tern photos here (in March, also from Stockyard Point). Took a look, yep it made sense.
Finally, I went back to my Stockyard Point photos and found that I did in fact have a few photos of actual Gull-Billed Terns. ID confirmed. :) Phew!
So here they are. I've edited my original post as well to correct the name.
7. Australian Tern (aka Australian Gull-billed Tern), re-posted to make comparisons easier. No fact sheet.
112. Gull-Billed Tern (aka Common Gull-billed Tern).
As far as the differences between the two - the main differences seem to be bill shape and plumage.
Australian Terns have a noticably down-curved bill, and their grey plumage is considerably lighter than most other terns.
Whereas Gull-Billed Terns have darker grey plumage and a relatively evenly curved bill.
Both species have the black cap for breeding plumage.
Yes, they are confusing. Your comparison photos help. FYI: as we are using the current Working List of Australian Birds, your original post is listed as Australian Gull-billed Tern and the other as Common Gull-billed Tern. Eventually, it will be updated to reflect the name change.
I found some info that I would like to share with the group sometime but probably best to email directly. A few different files to help distinguish various similar birds.
Time for another photo dump!
113. Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet. I walk around River Gum Reserve quite regularly, but even though Abby had let me know these were in residence, I kept missing them... until finally I showed up at just the right time. They were accompanied by Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Red-Rumped Parrots and Rainbow Lorikeets... the noise was deafening!
114. Pacific Gull. Plenty of these at The Nobbies at Phillip Island. In fact, I've taken heaps of Pacific Gull photos this year but I must have assumed I'd already posted one. I hadn't. Now I have.
115. Little Penguin. Lifer :) Again at The Nobbies. There is a section of the boardwalk where up to half a dozen penguins regularly hang out during the day. I kept my distance, lay on the path and zoomed in.
116. Black-Fronted Dotterel. Swan Lake, Phillip Island. Swan Lake was a fabulous place for birds, with two excellent bird hides and great vantage points.
117. Grey Currawong. Also at Swan Lake. I do like this photo, the evening light works nicely IMHO.
118. Peregrine Falcon. Lifer :) terrible, terrible photos, but EBC. I've posted before & after enhancement pics but they're still all terrible.
119. Australian Raven. Also at Swan Lake. Speaking of EBC :) I knew this was an Australian from the call, but could *not* get a clear shot. Still, you can see the throat hackles and the slight gape.
120. Brown Goshawk. Lifer :) These were taken at a playground near where we were staying at Phillip Island. ABID gave me the ID, I've posted a few shots as they each show something different about the plumage.
121. Striated Pardalote. Woodlot Lane Reserve. I headed out in the rain last week, and was rewarded by a lot of small birds fluffing up and splashing around. It was a lot of fun! Amongst them was this little beauty, best photo I've got of them so far.
122. Cattle Egret. Cranbourne North. I finally have a photo of Cattle Egrets with cattle!
123. Australian King Parrot. Cardinia Creek Reserve. Didn't expect to see these here but there were plenty of them, high up in the trees.
Thanks Sue :) I'll go back and add the info in for clarification.
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