Chilly But Colourful

G'day Bloggers,
This morning's walk on the golf course was quite brisk for the first half. We woke this morning to a heavy and widespread frost. After I'd warmed up a bit and wiped the tears from my eyes, I started looking for some birds.

A pair of Scarlet Robins began the show with their perch and pounce strategy in full swing along the back boundary fence line.

                     

     
The next subject was one of my first recordings of a Silvereye on the golf course. A small group were working in the canopy of some Box Eucalypts that were in flower.

The Musk Lorikeets were working a nearby tree too.

While I waited near a small clearing in the scrub, a pair of Spotted Pardalotes slowly worked their way in my direction. The male decided to come in a bit closer for a look.

I moved out of the scrub and began the walk home along the edges of a couple of fairways. Suddenly I was swooped by a male King Parrot. Many people around here feed the Kings at this time of year and they can get pretty friendly. This one seemed to say, "If I perch here will I get some seed?"

"What about here? You can take a portrait".

I pressed on and detoured past the workshop. I'd made a note to check some old carpet squares I was going to salvage for a project I had in mind. I peeled back a few layers and came across a small colony of ...

 Being so out of season and a particularly cold morning, I think I'd disturbed their hibernation. Thankfully they were very sluggish and allowed me to get some pictures before I covered them up again. They were quite small, steely grey on top and white underneath. Bit of research needed. 

Regards, 

Gouldiae.

Spotted Pardalote

G'day,
I took another quiet stroll into the bush beside the seventeenth fairway this morning and came across the Pardalotes again.

This time it was the male that provided some of the best views.

At one point I found him checking a small hollow in a trunk. Yet another site to monitor for a bit - never know your luck.

Regards,

Gouldiae.

A Day for the Girls

G'day All,
Yesterday was the first day I've felt like hunting down some camera subjects for some little while. I still have the dreaded lurgi, but my appetite and energy levels have returned a bit. There is a whole team of pathologists trying to determine what it is. When we find that out, we might be able to start some proper recuperation and repair - roll on.

After the frost melted away, I explored  my small favourite bit of bush up the back of the golf course. My first delight was a first sighting for the golf course of White-naped Honeyeaters.

 There was a nice little group of a half dozen birds working the Box blossoms. I couldn't hear their characteristic 'shirrrp-shirrrp-shirrrp' call. Probably not the time of year yet, but then my hearing is poor at present.

One of my favourite winter visitors flew in next for a short sunbake on top of a dry spar.

I hung around for a bit and eventually the delightfully understated female Scarlet Robin popped down to my level and gave me some brief views in little patches of sunlight.

 

My next surprise was to have a small party of Spotted Pardalotes work through the foliage only just above head high. I usually struggle to pin these lovely littlies as they spend so much time high in the canopy. Again, it was one of the females that gave me the best opportunity for a picture.

 Golden Whistlers, Striated Pardalotes, Red Wattlebirds, Common Bronzewings and one or two others completed my little bush sojourn. I then threaded my way between golfers on my way home. Most of the front 9 fairways have a range of  'flowering gum' plantations between them and many of these are loaded with Musk and Rainbow Lorikeets at present. In between golfers, this Musk let me get a picture or two.

Didn't have any trouble at all hearing these beauties through my blocked ears. Sun's up, might go over for another look this morning.

Regards, 

Gouldiae.

It Has Been Some Time ...

... since I've got around to find something to blog about.

Weather's been cold, I haven't really been busy, just lacking enthusiasm I guess. Now I'm crook. Glen's had a nasty bug for some time and I thought I was going to avoid getting it. For the last few days, just to get outside has been an effort. I haven't lacked energy like this for a long time.

To top things off, the main computer refuses to boot. We think we can solve the problem, but my technician over at Ben Cruachan, won't show his face until I've got over the dreaded disease. I don't blame him. In the meantime, I'm trying to enter this short entry on a little emachines Netbook.

I managed a small excursion into the bakyard the other day and discovered that the birds seem able to find activities to keep warm....

I'll just have to get better quickly and get stuck into this year's netbox program pretty smartly.

Regards,

Gouldiae.

Gluepot Report #8

G'day Readers,
I was of course supposedly at Gluepot to attend a couple of nature photography courses conducted on behalf of Birds Australia by Craig Ingram. Craig's material and presentation was excellent, but at the end of each day's session I could hardly wait to get back into the bush and look for birds. As my camp site was nearly 15km from the visitor centre/lecture room, the drive back and forth provided some opportunity to do some birding.

Home

Craig at work - cop that lens

I was returning to camp one afternoon and spotted a couple of largish birds dashing low across the track. After pursuing them for some time, and constantly bumping into Golden Orb Weaver webs ...

... I eventually managed to catch some views of my first Gilbert's Whistler. The Gilbert's Whistler is a fairly uncommon, thinly spread bird of the dry inland. 

Female Gilbert's Whistler

The elusive male Gilbert's Whistler

Always nice to become acquainted with a threatened species. Now I'll just have to return for the Red-lored!

Regards,

Gouldiae.