Category: birds

I have mislead you

Published on by bushboy40 Comments

Bird of the Week: CLXXII

Yes, I didn’t look at the Wrens as I thought I had already posted the Wrens. Therefore, first Wren will be the smallest of the fairy wrens the
Red-backed Fairy Wren Malurus melanocephalus

Red-backed Fairy Wrens are endemic (found only there) to north and east Australia.

They are found in dense understorey dominated by tall grasses in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

This is their call. The call is a weak high-pitched reeling song, soft and unobtrusive, often only heard from quite close so listening ears needed..

REF: Marc Anderson, XC816320. Accessible at http://www.xeno-canto.org/816320.

Red-backed Fairy Wrens feed on small insects and arthropods, feeding in small groups among tall grasses and shrubs, sometimes in trees.

Little is known about their breeding habits. The small dome-shaped nest is well-hidden and placed close to the ground, often in grass tussocks. The nest is made of grasses, bark strips and spiders web, lined with fine grasses and feathers. The eggs are white, splotched and spotted with red-brown marks. The female mainly incubates and broods the young. Both parents feed the nestlings, sometimes helped by others in the group, and remove the faecal sacs.

REF: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Malurus-melanocephalus

Random yellow stuff (from sunrise to sunset)

Published on by bushboy43 Comments

CFFC: Crayola Box of 8 – Yellow

Another slideshow of wonders with a great song under to listen to while you flick through the photos

  • Sculpture of a yellow scraper in Sculpture By The Sea exhibition

Here’s Yellow Light

How much wood can a woodswallow swallow

Published on by bushboy37 Comments

Bird of the Week: CLXXI

This weeks bird is the White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus

The White-breasted Woodswallow is found in eucalypt forests and woodlands, usually close to water, and in mangroves.

They are found from northern coastal Western Australia, across the Kimberley region into the Northern Territory, and through most of Queensland, New South Wales (but not on the south coast), western Victoria and north-eastern South Australia. It is also found from New Guinea to Fiji and the Philippines.

The White-breasted Woodswallow feeds on insects, catching them on the wing. Will also forage on the ground or in canopy. Like other woodswallows, this species has a divided, brush-tipped tongue that can be used to feed on nectar from flowers.

This is their call

REF: Marc Anderson, XC611269. Accessible at http://www.xeno-canto.org/611269.

This species can be seen in flocks of 10 to 50, even up to 100, birds. These flocks may cluster together day or night in roosts.

The White-breasted Woodswallow builds a shallow, bowl-shaped nest from grasses, roots and twigs, lined with fine grass. The nest is placed in a tree fork, hollow stump or inside the abandoned nest of a Magpie-lark, 4 m – 30 m off the ground. Both sexes build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the young.

REF: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/white-breasted-woodswallow/

This is my last Bird of the Week post. I have finally run out of photos of birds. No bird names that start with a “Y” or a “Z”. Thanks for your kind words and enjoying my birds of Australia.

Last on the Card – 31 May 2026

Published on by bushboy77 Comments

Last Photo for 31st May 2026

Your last photo doesn’t have to be on the very last day of the month if you didn’t take any photos on that day. Maybe it was earlier in the month when the last photo was taken.

So let’s see what you have for May.

The rules are simple:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 31st or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard

Here’s mine. My May photos were a good mix. No that is a different loaf to the last photo in April. This one was yummy

From my Samsung Galaxy S23FE

From my Canon PowerShot SX70HS

From my Canon EOS 1300D

Random things of three

Published on by bushboy34 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #400: The Rule of Three

At first I thought Rule of Thirds….ho hum. Then I saw Tina’s post and the penny dropped 🙄
I think I have a few to contribute

A cracking good sound

Published on by bushboy41 Comments

Bird of the Week: CLXX

This weeks bird is the Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus

Here is an underside view

Whipbirds live in wet habitats, including rainforest, eucalypt forest and dense scrub near watercourses, in dense vegetation near the ground on Eastern Australia.

A pair of Whipbirds in the garden

This is their call

REF: Eliot Miller, XC104805. Accessible at http://www.xeno-canto.org/104805.

Feeding takes place alone, in pairs or in small family groups. It feeds on insects and other small invertebrates, which are caught on the ground.

A breeding pair occupies a territory, which is defended year round, with the mates staying together for many years. The female makes a cup nest of sticks and bark, which is lined with finer grasses, and placed in dense vegetation near the ground. The female also incubates the eggs but the young birds are fed by both parents. The birds are secretive, but can be curious, and will be seen if the observer remains patient.

REF: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/eastern-whipbird/

My numbers up #122

Published on by bushboy17 Comments

Judy’s Numbers Game # 126

This weeks number is 743

The 743’s

There was quite the selection from this weeks number. It’s all in a slide show not all 90 photos but a few of my favourites as well some old ones I had forgotten about.

This following slideshow is a cupboard I restored for a friend. Each time I use one photo, it usually generates a question or two.

They come in all shape and size

Published on by bushboy50 Comments

Terri’s Sunday Stills: Always Be My Baby

A bit of cute to start, with lots more to come

Masked Lapwing chicks running free

C’mon dad, I know you have a worm for me”

Hey guys, incoming, get ready

She said, I’m just nipping out for some worms and that was ages ago

Sometimes only a mother could love, is all that is needed for Noisy Friarbird chicks.

Not like this little independent Australasian Grebe paddling the pond

Another independent one. Ready to go almost straight away, after a few wobbles.

A lot of calves are quite shy at first

But all of them are so sweet

One wet night I gave in and gave a baby possum a bit of fruit

Sometimes young Gecko are almost translucent

Some babies have snug warm places to hang out

Every now and then it’s fun to hop around the garden.
This joey was named Speedy. Bot he could move through the garden navigating all the pathways with ease at a very fast pace.

Time to snuggle up and get ready for the night ahead

Singing (in the reeds)

Published on by bushboy26 Comments

Bird of the Week: CLXIX

This weeks bird is the Australian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus australis

The Australian Reed-Warbler is found throughout Australia where there is suitable habitat and is also found from New Guinea to south-eastern Africa.
It prefers dense vegetation alongside water, especially thick reed beds, as well as tall crops, bamboo thickets and lantana.

This is their call

REF: Marc Anderson, XC284376. Accessible at http://www.xeno-canto.org/284376.

The Australian Reed-Warbler eats insects.

The Australian Reed-Warbler builds a deep cup nest with a narrow top opening in among dense reeds. It is made from dry reeds and other water plants woven together and lined with fine dry grass and feathers. The female incubates the eggs.

REF: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Acrocephalus-australis