Pardalote Central I -- Eagle Point

For many years I have failed to take even a half decent photograph of either of the Victorian species of Pardalote, Striated or Spotted. In Gippsland, I hear them all the time just about everywhere I go. I even hear them at home [waking up, having breakfast, gardening] in the surrounding trees or across the road in the Sale Botanic Gardens. They are hard to spot despite their loud and distinct call. One factor is their size, Spotted 8 - 9 cm and Striated 9 - 11 cm. A second factor is their speed. A third is their habit of feeding in the outer canopy high up in eucs thus they are on the topside of the canopy when I am on the bottom side thus they are always on the other side of the leaves and always in a direct line between me and the sun. They are true bird dots.

Here is one effort from January 2014 in FNT [far Northern Territory] at a drying ephemeral creek puddle where son Heath and I had a flurry of life ticks including the Black-headed Pardalote.

Striated Pardalote
Pardalotus striatus uropygialis
"Black-headed Pardalote"

So .... at Eagle Point, on the BLEG weekly outing, I was able to observe, at relatively close quarters Striated Pardalotes feeding their nestlings in a tree hollow only six/seven metres up a tree AND, at the Bluff, see the comings and goings of Striateds from their nest holes at the top of the Bluff overlooking the Mitchell River to the bushes about two metres from where all the boys with their long lenses were standing. A 100mm macro would have done just as well! Enjoy. I certainly did. An auspicious day for this bird watcher.

"I need a bit of help here"

"Come on. You can see my beak is stuffed"

Incoming ... Undercarriage lowering.
[How often do you see a bird stumble?]

Striated Pardalote
Pardalotus striatus ornatus

Magic. f8 and be there.