G’day,
I snuck away from a very busy golf course for a few hours the other day and visited a little bit of bush nearby that DF and I have sometimes checked for odonata and wildflowers. It was nice to be out and about!
I’d just got going and spotted …
… a Blue-winged Parrot way up on top of an old dead spar. Never seen them in this location before and never seen them more than a few feet off the ground. My first surprise.
My next surprise came when I met this guy …
Two more steps and I would have been right on him but he didn’t budge. It was early in the day and I guess he was still warming up. I could tell he was aware of me, but didn’t seem to move a muscle. Even seemed to nod off for a few moments? I was able to get down to his level for some close ups.
How about those claws? I’m glad he didn’t decide to make a run for it over the top of me.
The birds were active in pockets. I’d walk for 5 minutes or more without seeing anything then there’d be a flurry of mixed species working the foliage or dashing from under the shrubbery. I watched one of my favourite aerialists for a time, a group of Dusky Woodswallows, and noticed a couple kept returning to the same tree for a bit. A nest was in attendance of course.
There were Yellow-faced Honeyeaters everywhere and every now and then I caught the 'shirp-shirp' call of the beautiful White-naped Honeyeater too. Eventually one came down low enough and stayed still long enough for an acceptable pic.
I kept getting glimpses or long distance views of a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren – we’d seen one near here before – but couldn’t manage a picture worth publishing. This shy and elusive bird is beginning to become a bit of an obsession for me. They might have been nesting too, for they spent quite a bit of time chasing off other birds from their own patch. Hmmm, wonder how busy the golf course will be tomorrow?
Regards and happy new year,
Gouldiae.
Hi Gouldiae
ReplyDeleteI think your Goanna must have had a very full belly, and was just too full to move.
Never seen such close shots of one on the ground. Usually 10 feet up a tree before they pose for photos.
I loved the Duskies too.
Have a good New Year.
Denis
Forgot to comment about the Blue-winged Parrot.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't it be in Tasmania at this time of year?
Confused.
Me or it, or both.
Denis
G'day Denis,
ReplyDeleteYep, I've never seen a Goanna stay so still on the ground for such a long time.
BWParrots can breed in s Vic apparently. Usually they come over in Mar/Apr and return Sept/Oct, so maybe this one is a Victorian or is late going back?
Regards.
Another top day down your way. If the goanna had decided to run over you, I trust you would have kept taking photos!
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you.
Show resolution: chase the heathwrens!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year and good luck with the Heathwrens.
ReplyDeleteThe goanna is a Lace Monitor (Varanus varius), I just finished my MSc on them. They're pretty cool, and those claws are used for climbing trees! Nice photos and happy new year!
ReplyDeleteI too am confused about the blue winged parrots and where they should be, I think I saw one here in the Dandenongs a week or so ago, high and fast so I was not sure but that's what it seemed like even if he's not meant to be here at this time of year.
ReplyDelete