Showing posts with label Grey-crowned Babbler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grey-crowned Babbler. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 August 2016

Go South 10 -- Bowra Station, Cunnamulla

Bowra has all four Australian babbler species. I saw three in one day.

Chestnut-crowned Babblers Pomatostomus ruficeps [in fact all babblers] have extra nests which serve as communal "nests" for nighttime. An example is below. CCBs look "dapper".


Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Chestnut-crowned Babbler.
Halls Babbler Pomatostomus hall are common in suitable habitat of dry eucalypt woodlands although the Bowra folk seemed to think they were the hardest to find of the three common babbler species.
Halls Babbler
Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporals were about in their "band of thieves" outfits with the dark eye-stripe.
Grey-crowned Babbler
Crested Bellbird
Oreoica gutturalis
Spotted Bowerbird
Chlamydera maculata

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Wandering Dutchman eats Regent Honey

Or does he?

After our Culburra Beach experience we went searching for Rockwarbler in nearby Bomaderry Creek Reserve with a three kilometre walk through a gorge of beautiful environment but no Rockwarbler. A big dip. But did manage to spot a Brown Cuckoo-Dove on the way out.

Brown Cuckoo-Dove
An overnight stop with my cousin Edwina meant we were refreshed for the next couple of days in Capertee Valley looking for ... Regents Honeyeater. There were some Birdline NSW reports with an exact location where they had been seen in the last two days. We camped for two nights at Glen Davis; in the "village" itself with showers and shelters. Nice spot. Capertee Valley is very well set up for birding with info sheets available from the internet [click here] and locally. They have established 18 birding sites within the valley with advice on what birds are likely to be seen and visible roadside markers at these points. An excellent job indeed. Here are some of the birds we saw on our way in to the valley.
Brown Thornbill
Sacred Kingfisher with a BIG meal
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
The Regents had been seen 1.1 km beyond a locked gate going into the Capertee National Park. So we parked and walked. Lots of bird activity. Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters everywhere, Brown-headed, Yellow-faced, Striped, White-naped, White-plumed, Spinebills, Noisy Miner, Bell Miner but no Regent's. However, in the big tree at the nominated spot we saw Little Lorikeets. Boy, do they move fast. We were able to observe them for many minutes but it was a hard job. Taking photos was even harder.

Little Lorikeet



The next day we went back for another look. No luck again finding Regent's but here is what else was about.

Australian Hobby
Collared Sparrowhawk

Diamond Firetail
Grey-crowned Babbler
Red-rumped Parrot, male