Today I saw the first dollarbird of the spring, fresh back from New Guinea. I don't know for sure if it is one of our resident dollarbirds but I hope it is. I always worry if they will make the long migration successfully, and they arrive quite late, so it is a great relief when they arrive.
Good news, GregL. What would be the risks to them in migrating from New Guinea?
Just the usual dangers that any bird faces, along with the stress of travelling such long distances and crossing bodies of water. It works for them, avoiding the cold Bathurst winters.
Yay! I heard the first one here at my place yesterday moring
I love them, they have such a funny big head
I like their call, it sounds like someone playing a washboard.
They are a very noisy bird and are usally heard before seen when they arrive.
We had our first dollar birds arrive at least 4 weeks ago and I think you are north of me Greg. I always wounder why the Sydney basin reports their migrating birds before us, I thought it would be the other way around. The Spangled Drongo was still here a few days ago and I have not heard it today, maybe that big southerly we had made the trip north a little easier. We had our first cloud of termites yesterday and just watching the birds with beaks full of wings returning to the nest and hearing young ones chasing adults is always good viewing and the Sacred kingfishers are just starting to punch holes in the termite balls up in the bloodwoods. Still waiting for a few birds to be heard or seen....it's is a good time of the year!
See it! Hear it!
Mid-North Coast NSW
I am west of Sydney on the far side of the ranges, so you are well north of me.
I have just recently discovered a nesting pair of Dollarbirds in a local park... I live in Bundaberg, QLD so I guess they have had more time to establish a nest here having arrived here first.
Brandon (aka ihewman)
I saw and heard my first dollarbird for the season today, very late for them to arrive. There was drought and frost in New Guinea this year so I was worried they might not arrive. perhaps it just made them late to arrive. In recent years they have taken to swooping us if we walk near their nest (which is about a kilometer away). It will be interesting to see if they nest in the usual place, being swooped by a dollarbird is quite scary.
Don't forget you saw one on 11/10/13, Greg.