Back with the birds!

The Chestnut Breasted Finches are coming in again - they must be nomadic because we do not see any for months at a time. They mostly come in a group - I have never tried to count them. Maybe you will manage to from this video!
Click on the title (top left) and see the video in Youtube - the blog cuts off both sides of the video, unfortunately.

They are rather fun, don't you think!
AJ

Remembering Morton Island

Although today has been taken up with the everyday activities of home life I have just been looking back through my photographs taken over the weekend and my fascination with wildlife shows through them. Among all the scenery and sunsets there are plenty of records of the birds that have become friendly - thanks to the regular feeding of the dolphins.
Morton Island - and in particular, Tangalooma, was the site of one of the largest whaling stations in Australia. The average number of whales killed in 12 months was 600 and most of these whales were taken from the waters just in front of the resort in which we were staying. An old newsreel video recording - the sort that used to be shown before the film when us "oldies" went to the cinemas "way back when", showed how the whales actually swam and showed off around the whaling boats  - just as they do for the tourist whale watch boats. The whalers would estimate the size of the whales and pick out one that was over the set limit and harpoon it with massive explosive harpoons until they killed it. The waters were red with the blood of these huge intelligent (but in those days quite stupid and unsuspecting) whales.

I took a photo of one of the harpoons - the explosive spear head has been put back on the end (less the explosive, of course!) and the plaque gives more of the gruesome story. The number of whales is climbing back up again - the wanton killing reduced their numbers almost to the point of extinction, I wonder if later, once the numbers are considered too great, that commercial hunting will recommence.
There are no larger marsupials on Morton Island and the possums and other small mammals are quite secretive and difficult to spot so I had to content myself with the local bird life!
Kookaburras hang around the resort because there is a regular feeding time for them. As long as feed is put out at the same time every day it is quite easy to coax our native birds to come close.

I never attended the Kookaburra feeding - but I enjoyed taking a few shots of these unique Ozzies in as natural a scene as possible.
Another bird that seems to love hanging around tropical resorts on island is the Curlew. These fairly large birds with long legs have a very strange call that sound a little like a baby crying. They sound very mournful at night - a little ghostly, in fact!

I tried really hard to get close to these birds but just as I thought I could take one step closer they would strut away a few more paces! They will permit you to come close - but not THAT close! At one stage I was sneaking up on seven birds at a time but once I crouched down to take my photo I would be left with just two! This one looks quite relaxed - but it was "growling" at me!
Thanks to the regular feeding of the dolphins every evening, there is a colony of cormorants that have taken residence on the small patch of beach next to the jetty (the viewing platform is along the side of the jetty). I suspect that there are fish scraps that are missed by the dolphins and these are harvested by the cormorants ("shags" is a common name given to these birds). feeding wild dolphins has become a tourist draw card in many parts of the world, Australia has some very strict regulations regarding the feeding of them (including "no touching") and yet, in spite of the restrictions, people just love the novelty of being able to hold out a titbit and have a dolphin swim right up to them and take it from their hands. In this photo, one of the resort staff is giving a snack to one of the dolphins - its a bit like saying, "here's one for now, the next you will have to earn".

The dolphin picture was taken at night with out the use of a flash, the jetty lights gave out a barely adequate illumination for taking photos - a slow shutter speed was mandatory - so the only shots that worked were the ones where the dolphin and the people were quite still.
Finally I am showing a shot of one of those black and white cormorants at work! This next picture was taken on Sunday morning. I walked onto the jetty (the same one that is used to view the dolphins) and watched the cormorants as they swam under the water and chased small fish. I didn't think that I would be able to capture this action but with digital you try anything!

The bird swims as efficiently as a fish! I was fascinated.
Now I will have to set too and put my photos together in a web album that can be shared with all my fellow travellers - and I will have to find something else to write in my blog!
AJ

Another day in the sunshine

Our last day on Morton Island at Tangalooma Resort was a very social day. When our Bombora tour group left the Gold Coast we were all strangers but over the three days we had cemented friendships that on this last day were further reinforced.
After a true "Sunday breakfast" of bacon and eggs I first took the camera out for some exercise and found some cormorants on the beach.

For a while I was able to get close to the birds but a young boy of about twelve years old, encouraged by his father, tried to catch one - which of course made them all fly away!

The sun was by now shining into the big concrete fish tank so I tried my luck at taking fishy shots - I used the circular polarising lens to cut down on the reflections from the nearby glass windows - but since the lion fish refused to come out to be seen I soon lost interest! I would never be any good as a scuba-diver! I fail to get excited at the sight of a fish!

As I said earlier, our Sunday was a very social day, Colin and I meandered back to our group and we all purchased coffees and sat chatting and finding out more and more about each other.
I spotted a group of quad bikes returning from their 25 minute "tour" - they run along the sands and play "follow my leader" up and down the sandy tracks near the beach and do figure of eights on the sand well away from the resort and generally "have fun". The quads could be heard returning so I timed my shot to get a couple of them in the clearings between the trees and get the yacht in my sights too.

Coffee time spilled over into lunch time and we were still seated and yapping! Since it was quite cool inside we all moved out into the sunshine and commandeered a couple of tables.
All too soon we had to collect our tickets for the boat ride back to Brisbane. Our cases had been left outside our rooms during the morning, to be transferred to the boat, so we didn't have to concern ourselves with them.
Outside the tour desk where the rubber waders that could be hired for the dolphin feeding - people who do not have wet-suits and still want to wade into the sea to feed the dolphins can hire them so that they can stay dry. I thought the sight of these waders looked rather comical!

It was time to leave. Our visit had been filled with lots of great memories of activities, food and friendships.
We had started the trip with smiles and we finished the trip with hugs and exchanges of addresses.

 However - I really enjoyed being in my own bed last night!
AJ

Another free loader!

I know, I often write about the birds that come visiting my place! Here I go again! Well, I get a lot of pleasure from these beautiful wild creatures getting to be so trustful of our proximity. I never try to turn them into pets, I do not encourage the birds to come and sit on the feed dish as I hold it or try to get them to perch on my hands. I feel it is necessary for them to have a natural fear of humans so they can survive long enough to have grey feathers. (They don't get grey feathers!) We do have one bird that has become VERY trustful, Twisty Beak, the lorikeet with the deformed lower bill will now fly over and sit on Colin's hand as soon as he comes outside with some treat for him/her (we don't know what sex Twisty is) and will even stay on his hand when Colin walks inside the house to show off his feathered friend to any visitor that might be in our home.
But I did not set out to write about Twisty. We had a new visitor to our lorikeet and finch feeding dishes this weekend. It was a surprise to see such a large bird on the inside of the cage.

 f/5.6  1/100    ISO 200   55mm

My first picture was taken as I stepped through the door onto the veranda. I did not want to frighten our new visitor, he might not be able to make a quick get away and might hurt himself.
I stood still in the doorway for a few minutes to be sure the bird had settled down and was not going to panic. then moved  around the table to get a little closer.

  f/5.6  1/100    ISO 200   55mm

Kookaburras do not eat seeds so there was nothing inside this cage that would interest him at all. I have no idea why it would have gone in there - unless it was after the little finches that were there earlier enjoying the budgie seed. Kookaburras are meat eaters, they love insects, lizards, grubs and worms but they also like small birds and mammals. Another explanation could be that I had the slow cooker making beautiful meaty smells out on the veranda (keeps that smell outside). Well, it's possible!
I edged a little closer and took another shot of our visitor.

 f/5.6  1/100    ISO 200   55mm

There is something very special about this famous Aussie - his laughing call through the bush always makes me look up to see if I can catch sight of the bird. I was puzzled as to how this large fellow managed to get inside the cage that we had placed over the feeding platform (to keep the cockatoos from throwing the dishes to the ground).
We called our house guest to come and take a photo, she attempted to get as close as I had been and before she could raise the camera to her eye the kookaburra dipped his head and just dropped through the bars at the bottom of the cage - the bars the dishes sit on - and flew off. Under all those feathers must be one skinny bird!
To see the pictures larger, click on them and then click on the "back" arrow to return to this page.
It is wonderful to go to new places to see new things - but sometimes new thing come to you at home!
AJ

Yet another bird

I was feeling rather sorry for myself after a visit to the dentist when a large bird flew into my front garden and successfully took my mind of my soreness. I straight away ran to get my camera and change the lens to the 70-300mm one and patiently waited inside the house for my visitor to come closer. Unfortunately the Blue Crane is rather timid and would take flight if I were to step outside. The noise created by the sliding door would be enough to make him startle so I remained indoors and took my pictures from behind glass.

f/5.6  1/320  300mm  800 ISO

This bird stands about knee height and eats insects and small fish and frogs - it paddles on the edge of ponds. It looks absolutely magnificent in flight and one day I will succeed in capturing a photo of one with wings outstretched! One day!

f/6.3  1/640 200mm  800 ISO

The Blue Crane is also called the White Faced Heron. a very similar bird can be found in South Africa too. I saw one when on holiday there a few years ago but the South African blue crane/heron looked to be slightly larger.

F/6.3  1/640  255mm  800 ISO

Here the bird is peering into a small pond that we have in our garden. Perhaps he was hoping to find a small frog or lizard. The lizard you may be able to see near the top of this photo is a pottery sculpture! Not edible!
Do click on the photos to see them a bit larger then click on the "back" button to return to the blog.
A shower of rain this evening will freshen things up in my garden. I will take my camera out again tomorrow.
AJ

More birds come visiting

I have often shown our lorikeet breakfast companions. When we eat out on our veranda it is like we are in among the branches of the trees, we are at the same level. So the birds have all become used to us being out among them and while they are timid of coming too close I have a 200mm lens which allows me to get close to them!
This morning it was a bit cloudy for a while and for some unexplainable reason the birds were out in force - and they were in full voice too! The honey eaters, Indian miners (they are an introduced bird and a pest) and the currawongs were all singing out and trying to be heard over the racket that the lorikeets always make when they come in for their breakfast. The Sulphur Crested Cockatoos were screeching loudly and there might have been up to a dozen of them - they have discovered our lemon tree and although the lemons are still green, they are biting into them and eating the seeds. No lemons for us this year! Even the little finches were chirruping at the tops of their voices too! I did get my video camera out to record some of the sound - but it will be all mixed with the sound of vehicles on their way to work on the nearby road, unfortunately.
We do not get to see Rosellas very often so when they come I always make a grab for the camera.
(Click on these pictures to see them more clearly.)

I managed to get both Rosellas in the one shot - they are two different species, the red headed bird is an Eastern Rosella and the other is a Pale Headed Rosella.

It was difficult to stop taking photos once I had started! Here is the Eastern Rosella out in the open.

And the beautiful Pale Headed Rosella.
These two birds must have formed a bond because they occasionally call in and always the two of them are together. Many times we hear the distinctive call of Rosellas but we don't always get to see them.
Further up the mountain (we are on the lowest slope of Mount Springbrook) there is an even brighter Rosella which is mainly red and rich deep blue but I have never seen it down here. (Less than 30 Km away but it is a bit more humid down here to on the higher slopes.)
AJ

Waiting for sunshine

Since arriving home from our trip into Central Australia the sun has been hiding behind rain clouds. The temperatures are lower than usual but still warm enough for the reptiles to be out and about. We have not had a water dragon so close to the house before so when our dogs showed great interest in what was over the fence in the swimming pool area I looked.

When I saw a water dragon on the bricks at the edge of the pool I grabbed the camera and put the 300mm lens on. These lizards are rather timid and will not let us get close - mind you they will not take any notice of Colin when he sails past on his ride-on lawn mower! The machine does not faze them! Its just people walking that sends them into hiding!
The first shot was taken from the first floor veranda looking down, I guess the lizard would be 30 metres away.
This second shot was taken from half way down the outside steps.

The dog had rushed down ahead of me and thanks to the disturbance the lizard had disappeared into the shrubs. I waited and he (or she!) reappeared but again was a fair distance away, this time further round the pool.
(Click on the pictures to see them larger and then hit the "back" button to return to the blog.)
Its fun when the wildlife comes calling!
AJ

Sunless Sunday

The week end has been Abysmal - the rain so heavy that we found it impossible to pack up our camper trailer and the thought of putting up a tent in this weather has made us re-think our travel plans. Now we shall leave a couple of  days later - and even the weather in the interior will be better.
So this morning we were able to have our customary bacon and eggs breakfast (our once a week special breakfast!) accompanied by some of our home grown mini tomatoes stewed with a sprinkling of veggie stock powder.
When washing up our friend Twisty Beak came to the window and tapped on the window. Unable to resist him Colin went out with a small dish of diluted raw sugar. Rather than put it down on the table as we normally do, Colin held it and Twisty hopped onto his hand.
Always ready with one camera or other I dropped the tea towel and took a shot of the happy couple!

I wont add any shooting details for this picture because it was taken with the point and shoot, Samsung. This is purely automatic so the shutter and aperture are not really applicable to SLR use. You can see that the sky is pure white - the famous blue skies of the Gold Coast have left us for a while.
I have isolated part of the photo to show the strange beak that this little bird has had to cope with.

It looks as if a second beak has grown inside the loose first lower bill. This will be why Twisty has been able to eat - and survive. If you look back at the top photo (this second shot is a cropped selection of the first) you may see Twisty Beak's mate in the little tree behind Colin.
Referring back to the story and pictures of the kookaburra and the baby. I can understand the concern over the little one's hand being so close to the bird - it has such a nasty looking beak. To be honest I don't think I would have put the child quite that close! However, the kookaburra had been offered bits of biscuit earlier and we had see how placid it was - no snapping of the beak or lunging out at the proffered tit bit. Steven was confident that the bird would not snap but would have been more likely to take flight.
AJ

Laughter in the rain

The birds are looking for company, I think! We are having so much rain for this time of the year and I think that the birds are as tired of it as we are. Where is our beautiful sunshine?
Today a kookaburra flew in and perched on the railing of the veranda. We do not encourage these meat eating birds - they are more than capable of snatching a finch for a snack - so to have one visit is a rarety. We were all out enjoying a cuppa on the veranda while Steven (known to many as "Firie") held a friend's baby. I had been babysitting while bub's Mum was at a job interview but hot tea and wriggly tots is not a good combination so I handed my job to my son - and Steven is great with kids.
The kookaburra sat quietly on the rail so Steven stood up with Samarrah and took her over closer. He - and we - expected the bird to fly as he got closer but even when Samarrah reached out it didn't bat an eyelid!

f/6.3  1/60sec  ISO 400  30mm

Then Steven held his hand under the bird's chest to see if it would stand on his fingers.

f/6.3  1/60sec ISO400 75mm

The bird climbed on his fingers briefly and flew off - but returned to the veranda. The second time Steven held his fingers out the bird climbed on and stayed there.

f/6.3  1/60sec ISO 400  39mm

After taking a good look at his admirers our kookaburra friend flew off.
It is amazing that a wild bird should be so approachable. Not all kookaburras are this quiet. If it returns again we will probably shoo it away. I don't want to encourage it to hang around.
AJ

Welcome back!

We had a very pleasant surprise yesterday. While having breakfast out on the veranda - the weather is warmer now so the temperature is very pleasant outside at eight when we have breakfast - a familiar piercing whistle made us look up to the railing.

We haven't seen Twisty Beak in quite a few months and had assumed that she had either died or else some well meaning person had captured her and put her in a cage. So it was exciting (more like exhilarating) to see our feathered friend again.

"Come on down" I coaxed and dug out a spoonful of marmalade. That was what she wanted! Quick as a flash she was on the table by my hand and happily licking the soft jelly off the orange peel. She doesn't like the lumps! All the while she was calling out and a few minutes later her mate flew in. Much more timid but still encouraged to get closer by Twisty Beak.
Because I was looking across the glare of sunlight on the glass table I handed the camera to my son who kindly obliged me by taking lots of photos of the birds as they came in close.
The two birds returned again this morning but only for a very short time. Its good to know Twisty Beak is still healthy - that handicap of a deformed beak has been no handicap at all.
AJ