Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides

I went outside last night around 11:45PM and all I heard was this strange noise coming from a low branch in one of my neighbour, Carol's, gum trees. At first I thought it was some sort of owl, as it was around the same time of night that one would normally hear an owl here. But I couldn't figure out what was making the sound. I knew it wasn't a Masked Owl nor a Powerful Owl. I ended up by walking over to the gum tree and was about 10 feet underneath the bird that was calling out. The bird called out for about 20 minutes before it disappeared. It was not anywhere to be seen this morning in any of the trees.

After taking a few videos from a distance I finally got a clear recording of the bird's call which I'm adding below. If you can't hear anything then turn your speakers up to 100%. The bird call can be heard about half way through the recording.


This is not the normal sound one would hear from a Tawny Frogmouth. Whether the bird was a male or female I do not know. I know nothing about Tawny Frogmouths except what they look like and the fact they are nocturnal. Tawny Frogmouths disappeared from Tenterfield a few years back and the fact that this bird flew away 20 minutes later indicates that it appears to be doing the exact same thing as the Masked Owl that travels through Tenterfield about 2-3 times a year. It is nice to see that Tawny Frogmouths are still in the area albeit scattered. What caused them to disappear from the area is a mystery.

This morning I done a bit of research on Tawny Frogmouths, and their voice is similiar to what I recorded on my digital camera. But the sound/call I recorded and heard is not the same as what I found for Tawny Frogmouths on the Internet. I know all birds make different sounds especially during the breeding season, so I'm taking a stab in the dark here and calling this bird a Tawny Frogmouth until proven otherwise.

Rufous Songlark information

I am not entirely convinced that the birds I have observed in the immediate area are indeed Rufous Songlarks. THEY MIGHT BE THOUGH AND STARTING TO THINK THEY ARE RUFOUS SONGLARKS. I have identified these birds entirely by their song alone. See here for the original recording which I identified these birds from. From behind and in flight these birds look like a female House Sparrow. But a side on and front on view, the ones I have seen up close anyway, look different to the image on the birdsinbackyards website. They have a more rusty orange-brown chest or side colouring but have the typical House Sparrow coloured wings.

Currently they are about the size of a White-naped Honeyeater. They all appear to be the same size right now, which tells me they are juveniles and are still growing, and more than likely they recently fledged and left their parents' company. Yesterday I saw 4 of them chasing each other around the bushes.

These little birds can easily be mistaken for House Sparrows until they open their mouths and sing. They eat insects from just about every bush and tree in the area, and wherever insects may be hiding elsewhere. I have seen an individual come underneath Carol's back verandah and do a sweep of the underside of the roof for spiders and other insects. It's funny to watch as it looks like the bird is trapped and trying to escape through an impenetrable roof.

There are 2 plants in which these birds frequent the most, Carol's Hydrangeas and her butterfly bush. The butterfly bush is entered from an open space at the bottom and then the bird/s move their way up the stems to the outermost leaves in search of insects. Once the bird/s reach the outermost leaves they fly out of the bush into a taller bush or tree. The butterfly bush is the most visited plant in Carol's garden by these birds. The Rufous Songlarks, if undisturbed, will spend up to 15 minutes each visit feeding on insects in the butterfly bush. The Hydrangeas, which are currently in flower, are visited by these birds by them landing close to a clump of flowers, and then the insects are just picked off the flowers or bush itself. There are obviously not many insects on the Hydrangeas as the Rufous Songlarks fly away after a few moments.

In the last week to week and a half their songs have changed - or should I say become very varied. They occasionally make the typical call of the Rufous Songlark but now that call mostly occurs in the mornings and mid to late afternoon. During the rest of the day they make a whole host of different sounds which I am attempting to record and convert to mp3 files. These other calls are not the same as their typical call, and if you listen carefully to one of the calls, they actually sound like a Superb Fairy Wren calling out.

I'm still trying to get photos of these birds but in time these birds are becoming less scared of humans and I am finding they are coming to me. They are very curious little birds.

Red-rumped Parrots observed information

These gorgeous birds are a regular visitor to my neighbour, Carol's, garden. They spend at least 2 hours each morning eating grass seed on her back lawn from about 9 o'clock onwards. They fly into her garden over the west side gum trees as a flock and then separate into pairs or individuals and begin eating. If disturbed they will generally fly away as a flock into the nearest trees but scatter as a flock rather than all going to the same tree. Some will go this way, the others will fly another way.

When on the ground eating grass seed they avoid areas on the ground that are infested with ants, or even just have a few ants. Ants, even the small ones here, tend to bite anything that touches the ground. Their bites hurt as I've been bitten by ants numerous times just walking barefoot on the grass.

The Red-rumped Parrots generally do not eat from Carol's bird feeder as it usually has a few ants over the feeder. Those ants bite harder than the ants on the ground. However, I have noticed the Red-rumped Parrots spend time in the Silk Tree's top canopy branches (the bird feeder is attached to one of it's branches) especially before they change their feeding location. The Silk Tree is currently in flower which I believe may be attracting the birds in the first place. The Silk Tree is not in the immediate area of their grass seed feeding ground, and is about 10-15 metres away. The birds seem to flutter about in the Silk Tree, hopping from one branch to another before they all fly away.

The Red-rumped Parrots have not been observed eating anything else. However, I did count 15 of these birds when I first spotted them about a week ago and their numbers were about the same today. Their numbers have reduced over the course of a week due to some of the birds not coming into Carol's garden every day. Also, for the passed 3-4 days the outside temperature has been exceptionally high and very humid. This species travels in a flock with at least 2 adult males, an unknown number of adult females and juveniles of between newly fledged/6 months old to about 2 years of age (valid for only this flock). Most of this flock are juveniles of various ages which might actually explain why the parrots are gorging themselves on grass seed, to help the juveniles grow and be strong and healthy.

Generally, Red-rumped Parrots are rarely seen in a flock here in Tenterfield. You'd normally only seen them flying around in pairs, if at all. So it is safe to say that they only flock together when their offspring are old enough to fly around the place in a group - when the juveniles are strong enough to do so - and the chances of being eaten by a predator are reduced when in a flock but also it helps reduce the numbers of individuals being eaten by their "scattering" behaviour.

Click here for the recent Red-rumped Parrot photos of the flock.

2 White-faced Heron chicks sighted yesterday

I had a job to do yesterday and that was to water the newly planted trees along the edge of the Tenterfield Creek adjacent to my neighbour Carol's property. I also placed handmade tree guards around the seedlings. I found a cheap way of making tree guards by cutting up all variety of boxes that normally get thrown in the bin. The type of boxes I'm using are from cereal; frozen dinners; icy poles; biscuits - including the "Shapes biscuits" boxes; and basically any food stuffs that comes in a box. I cut the ends off the boxes and then fold the box in half by placing the 2 sides together and create a new fold along either side, creating a six-sided shaped box with holes at either end. For holding the things around the trees I use bamboo sticks - actually I broke them in half to make 2 out of one stick. But as I don't have any bamboo sticks left I'll be using just normal tree branch sticks in the future. Use whatever you can find already laying around, that's what I reckon!

So, as Carol, Eleesha and I were down by the creek, and I was collecting the water from the creek itself to water the young tree seedlings, I noticed in the area of one of the tree seedlings there was high grass covered in bird poop. I'm talking about a 6-8 foot square area of poop covering the long grass. So I looked up and right above that area was the Heron's nest. The mother Heron never poops that much nor in that area of the outer branches beside the nest. Upon closer inspection of the branches surrounding the nest, and by looking at the nest I saw 2 herons. At first I was excited thinking the mum and a chick were up there. Next thing one of the Herons moved from an outer branch to the nest. The other Heron was already in the nest. Both Herons then began squarking a bit in the low voice that they have and after realizing that I wasn't their mother they went quiet but nudged each other. The young Herons were a light brown to tan colour and were about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of their mum.

Yesterday, around sunset, the Heron mother was sighted flying low over my neighbour Carol's back yard and then around her shed down toward the creek where her babies are in the nest. It actually looked like she was finding food and being sneaky about it in Carol's back yard for her chicks. More specifically it looked like the Heron mum had come from somewhere close to Carol's back door as she took off. When fist sighted she was very low to the ground, below the roof line, and flew from the back door area of Carol's backyard. She was sighted flying away from Carol's house as Carol, my daughter and I were walking back up to Carol's house through the back gate.

What do the White-faced Herons eat around here is a really interesting question and is open for a lot of guess work really. It says on just about every bird website that I've come across that these birds eat fish, insects and amphibians. The variety of non-bird and non-mammal/marsupial/monotreme wildlife in the immediate area are your normal ground insect species; your aquatic insect species such as dragonflies; water beetles; etc; frogs; water dragon; and skinks and the odd snake (Red-bellied Black and a type of Brown Snake (King Brown or Eastern Brown). Before the 2011 flood there were fish in the immediate are but now there are none. There were also a type of yabby in the creek as well but there numbers declined because of the 2011 flood. The yabbies and fish declined for two reasons - the actual flood killed 99% of the population; and 2 the aftermath of the flood changed the flow of the creek, and in sections of the creek where the water flowed freely there is now sand and sand rubble built up creating sand banks and islands in the creek itself.

Here is a list of critter that appear to have gone missing from the immediate area, that are more than likely have been gobbled up by the mother Heron:

1. The birds that croak like a frog - these may actually be skinks.
2. All the frogs in the Tenterfield Creek adjacent to the edge of Carol's property.
3. All the baby skinks that I have sighted around Carol's garden in the passed few months.
4. No baby Eastern Water Dragons have been sighted at all even though there are 3 adults in the immediate area.
5. There has been a massive decline of large beetles in the immediate area - the ones that are all brown in colour, and the ones known as Christmas Beetles. I've only seen one Christmas Beetle all Summer.

The White-faced Heron is also supposed to eat fish, but as far as I can tell there are no fish in the immediate area of Carol's property and/or within 200 metres of the Heron's nest. So, the question is what other foods are the Herons eating that is enough to feed two growing chicks and the mum? Dog food is not being ruled out here, as strange as it seems, and nor is large skinks either. You see, these birds are quite large and obviously need more food to sustain themselves than Australian Magpies.

In the past before the mother Heron mated she was sighted eating insects from just below the ground's surface. This is the same sort of food that Australian Magpies eat which is in abundance here at the moment due to the rainfall increasing since the beginning of October.

There are no more species in Tenterfield

I've finally come to the end of the line here and, as far as I can recall, there are no more bird species that inhabit Tenterfield. I may have forgotten one or two species mostly because they are unidentifable and are lone individuals of their species that inhabit Tenterfield.

With most of the species already gone due to the drought there is nothing more to write about. This blog may become inactive for a while until I can find something to write about. I will try to add mp3 audio files to the bird calls pages in the meantime.

I am still waiting for the swifts/wood/swallows to come back to Tenterfield. I don't know their exact species. They come in large numbers well, probably 100 individuals, and they make nests at the back of Bi-Lo supermarket. It is 1st December and still no sign of them. They fly around the Bi-Lo complex catching insects that are attracted to the lights, and I've only seen them feed as a flock on sunset. It's an awesome experience trying to walk through a flock of these birds as they collect insects for their young. They often fly at 3 feet above the ground to higher than the roof top as a flock. They stay until their young ones are old enough to fly long distances then together they all fly away as a flock never to be seen again until the next summer. They've been coming here for years to breed.

But anyway, birds really don't do much of anything that is interesting. They wake up, eat, rest, eat some more, poop, socialize, breed, play, and sleep. That's it really.The brreding season for all the birds that breed in Spring is over. All the young birds have left the nest and are elsewhere with their parents. Once the birds have left the nest the family flies off and searches all of Tenterfield for food. Where they go to I do not know. What they eat, I don't have a clue unless I stumbled across them when I am in town. Breeding occurs for just a short period of time and most of it is done in secrecy by the birds themselves. Some species, like the Eastern Rosella and Torresian Crow, you can only guess when the young birds have fledged. There is no warning signs at all. One day they're feeding their young in the nest, next day the nest is empty and it has been abandoned. And they do not return to the nest or even the same tree to roost afterward either. Their roosting sites is anyone's guess as well.

I'll post something as soon as I have something new to post.

MP3 audio files to be added soon

It is exceptionally hard for me to figure out how to create mp3s from video files and then add them to my blog. For me it is like trying to solve a puzzle. As long as the puzzle isn't too hard I can solve it eventually. The other day I came across a website that converts videos to mp3s. I tried it and it works. The website is vidtomp3.com.

So, with the few newly create mp3 files I have (from videos I have of bird sounds) I'm now going to see if I can add them to an mp3 player I have found on another site. Of course, my next step is to add the mp3 files to my Mediafire account so I can get a direct link url for them. Then I add that url to the mp3 player code and it should then play the mp3 file. In theory it should work. If I can get it all up and running, and the mp3 player works then I'll be upgrading the bird calls studies pages with actual mp3 files.

You see, whilst adding information about birds is one thing and videos another thing, the Yahoo Media Player is having trouble loading videos, and my blog is starting to take too long to load now. I need to simplify things so my blog loads quicker and every video works properly.

With, if all goes to plan, mp3 files to listen to I believe this site would be of greater benefit to people everywhere, as well as for myself. At times I am totally unorganized and knowing that I have a tonne of bird calls videos to add to this site, I procrastinate because the whole job is overwhelming me to complete it. Its not a simple matter of adding a few videos, mp3 files, photos or posts about birds every now and then. It all needs to be added on a daily basis. I just can't keep up with all the information I collect on a daily basis about birds. There's just too much information!

The biggest collection I have is of bird calls that I recorded myself here in Tenterfield. Photos not so much. Video recordings of bird sightings I have a lot of which is usually accompanied by their sounds. Putting everything I have onto this blog is going to be time consuming, time, in which I need to find how to make a 24 hour day longer.

If all goes well, please check out the bird calls pages in the next few days to see the relevant changes, and to listen to the new mp3 files. I think I'm having a bad year for writing 'cause all my words are coming out poorly written.

Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi

Rufous Songlarks are one of those species that left Tenterfield years ago because of a lack of consistent rainfall. I cannot even remember when I last heard one of these birds in town, it was that long ago.

About 3 days ago 3 of these birds suddenly showed up in Tenterfield late in the afternoon singing their heads off, around the same time some event began at the Tenterfield Showground that involves horses and cows. The strange thing about this is these birds are way too young to have travelled to Tenterfield by themselves, as they are about the size of a Red-browed Finch. In one of the videos (see the links below) that I taped a Blackbird or Common Starling (probably it's a Blackbird) was having a bath then flew onto the power line, the same power line and distance (roughly) from me for me to make a comparison with the two species' sizes. The Blackbird is much larger in size and in fact dwarfs these Rufous Songlarks in size.

As Rufous Songlarks, when fully grown are about 16cm long (females) and 19cm long (males), these have to be juveniles barely out of the nest. The theory on how they got here, is, well a guess but a bloody good guess at that. So here it is...

The parents made a nest in one of the horse trailers or cattle trucks wherever their home was. The truck or trailer was obviously not being constantly used by humans so the parents found it to be a perfect nesting site. They bred and raised 3 chicks (males), maybe more as I don't know if there are any females here. Suddenly, the truck or trailer was loaded with animals (cows or horses) and it took off for Tenterfield leaving the parents with no nest and no chicks. The chicks, unable to fly, basically had to go without food for the entire journey, as that was the last time they ever saw their parents and home. The chicks were at the age where they could fly by the time they arrived in Tenterfield in the truck or trailer. However, when they arrived at Tenterfield they all flew away and started fending for themselves, finding a suitable location near the Tenterfield Creek - across the road from where I live.

These birds have not moved since they got here but unfortunately I have heard one of them today, possibly 2 of the males. I have no idea if these birds will survive or not, but it looks like most of them will survive. If they were not going to survive they would've died by now.

I had to identify these birds by their song alone which is not like other birds' songs. It has more of a rainforest voice, a high pitched voice like the Bell Miner. It was hard to identify them as these birds' sizes differed greatly to that of adult birds but the calls were identical to that of a Rufous Songlark.

During the first 3 days these birds spent most of their time going from the top of power poles to the power lines, or from the very top most point of large trees to other tree tops. They've been singing constantly from sunrise to sunset, in the exact same area. They have not moved more than 100 metres from outside this area since they first arrived. I believe they have been trying to call out to their parents since they got here but since their parents never answered back the youngsters have realized they are completely alone.

They are beginning to go quiet, having breaks in between their calls. I'm guessing that they have come to realize the reality of what happened and have begun to give up ever seeing their parents again. They may actually be spending more time eating and regaining their strength. They are still within close proximity of one another which is a good thing. One of the males has actually moved from the intersection power line at the corner of Douglas and Pelham Streets, to behind the Flats (where I live) somewhere. I hope these young birds all survive and grow up to be adults. I also hope they find themselves mates that are not their sisters - if any females survived the accidental relocation.

I know there are two of these birds and both are males. There actually were three males originally but I think the third one died a day and a half later from starvation. That one went quiet around a day and a half later of arriving in Tenterfield. They all appeared to have flown away from the nest at the exact same time, when they were all strong enough to do so. They all set up their own little territories within about 200 metres from each other.

Click on the links to view these videos I taped in the pop out media player.

Unidentified yellow and olive-green coloured small bird

On Wednesday, 21 November whilst walking home with my brother, I heard some small birds in the trees ahead of us. We were walking on the edge of the road on Douglas Street on the right hand side of the road between Francis and Pelham Streets before the Douglas Street bridge heading in a west direction. I could barely hear the birds, but they flew ahead of us as we approached the tree they were in. There were at least 2 of these birds. By the amount of calls that were coming from the closest tree I'm guessing it sounded like there were about 8 birds in the tree. We were about 10 - 14 feet from the trees as we walked passed them and the birds.

I took 3 videos as I approached the tree that the birds were in and as I was passing each of the 2 trees that the birds flew into but it availed to nothing. I did record their faint sound but no images of the birds at all. Just when I was about to give up on identifying the birds I saw one of them.

For a quick moment as the bird flew from a thick branch coming off the trunk of the tree to an inner branch with thick leaf cover, I saw a flash of colour and could roughly identify the birds. The one bird I saw was about the size of a Superb Fairy Wren, perhaps slightly smaller but was not a Wren of any kind. That much I could tell. The top of it's body was bright yellow and the underside of it's body was an olive-green colour. That's all I saw. It flew into the tree branch (from my left to a lower right position) too quickly for me to see what shape it was and what colour and shape it's head and beak was.

It seems really odd that most of the birds I have researched thus far that have yellow on them actually have yellow on their underside. Until now I had never seen a bird with yellow at the top of it's body.

The birds were quiet and seemed extremely shy, and obviously did not want to be spotted. I saw one of them as I was actually still looking at the tree, and was somewhat looking into the center of the tree as I was walking passed it. I had just looked down at the ground then looked back at the tree when I saw the bird.

Australian Magpie mimicry songs are their "Happy songs"

I am always amazed when I hear the variety of mimicry sounds made by female Australian Magpies. I've always wondered why they do it. What keeps me wondering about their mimicry sounds is why the local ones never mimic Torresian Crow calls or birds of prey or even Masked Lapwings. And then it struck me that they only mimic sounds of things that make them feel comfortable and relaxed. Things that do not harass them, basically. Magpies do not like Masked Lapwings, period, and will chase them out of their territory.

If you listen to any Magpie mimicking other sounds that they hear, it is always things they hear or listen to in their own territory. They never seem to mimic any noises from outside their own territory even if they can hear it. It is also the sort of things and animals that they get along with and don't feel threatened by.

I have only ever heard Magpies make mimicry sounds around my place and only ever out the front. I may only hear the same bird make mimicry sounds once or twice a year, so they are not singing to me to feed them. When mimicry sounds are heard the birds are always alone. How often they sing like this (meaning = Do they sing like this every day when they are alone?) I do not know but once they start doing so (they start mimicry sounds at 1 year of age by the way) they continue doing it throughout the rest of their life.

I actually have a theory as to why they sing using mimicry. My theory is they find a place (location) in their territory where they feel comfortable and will not be disturbed by the rest of the family. Then they begin singing in their Magpie voice then throw in mimicry sounds. When they mimicry sing their voices are quieter than normal, as if they don't want to be heard from a distance. If they are disturbed by anything they stop singing altogether and will not start it up again. Often they will get underneath a tree or next to something big (like a rubbish bin) which seems to further mask their song from travelling through the air to be heard by other Magpies.

I call this mimicry song their "happy song", as that is what it is almost like when listening to it. I honestly do not believe female Australian Magpies mimic sounds they hear for any kind of use in their courtship with their mate - if they have one. I think they mimic sing simply because they are happy and content. But also, I only hear them sing like this in Spring after their babies have fledged. Does their song have anything to do with breeding? I'm not really sure as I've heard a 1 year old Magpie do mimicry singing. A one year old is too young to breed so it can't be something to do with breeding, in my opinion.

Here's a wacky thought ... they are singing happy birthday to themselves because noone else will, or maybe they are singing "Old MacDonald had a farm" in Magpie language!

So, the next time you hear a female Australian Magpie make the sounds of a duck, horse or something else listen carefully to the sounds she imitates. Listen to the sounds that make her feel comfortable the most that exists within her territory.

My apologies for a terribly written post. I've a lot on my mind lately and I can't think at a deeper level to make more coherent sentences.

Even less species in Tenterfield now

I was going to write a post about the Red Wattlebird chick had gone missing the other day but yesterday I saw it in my wattle tree with one of it's parents. I hadn't seen the chick for more than a week but apparently it is still here. The Magpies are still feeding their chicks but I still have not seen the second chick, which is a male. I believe it may have been hit by a car and it cannot fly.

This week has seen some species come and go. The species that I thought was a Grey Shrike-thrush has disappeared. The actual Grey Shrike-thrush male has disappeared - I'm guessing it took off with the last female he found.

There have been another species which I could not visually identify that I've heard around here, that has been here for about 2 months. Unless it is the Grey Shrike-thrush again making even different calls, I'm at a loss to what it could be. This species has also left. It left after the last lot of rain fell.

The Australian King Parrots finally left town as they ate their way through all the wattle seeds they could find. The King Parrots left only a few seeds pods on my wattle tree, and it looks like I might get one wattle seed this year. I plan on germinating that one seed as it is from a wattle tree that it mutating. The King Parrots did not hang around town waiting for the other species of wattle trees to develop seed. What the King Parrots left the Little Corellas are eating.

There are still Eastern Spinebills around, and I believe their chick is still doing well, but apart from the Red Wattlebirds I have not seen any other honeyeaters for about a month.

There was a visiting Eastern Koel (Pacific Koel) heard during about 2 weeks prior to yesterday but it too has left. The only type of parrot around is the Eastern Rosella only because a pair of them decided to breed in one of Carol's gum trees. All other parrots/rosellas/lorikeets have left town. The smaller black birds like the Starlings, blackbirds and mynas have also appeared to have left or are in such small numbers now that they had to observe and record their numbers. There have been a few sightings of some sort of swifts/swallows/woodswallows about town but it is normally only one or two birds sighted each time.

In this post I'm going to add a 29 minute video that I took, to give you an idea of what birds are still in Tenterfield, to the south-west area anyway. Other birds not heard in this video that are still here are the Australian Magpies and Eastern Spinebills and the White-faced Heron.

What was making these wolf whistle sounds if it wasn't Starlings?

Have you ever had one of those days when you think you've heard everything? Yesterday was one of those days for me. Around 1:25pm the local birds were chirping away when suddenly I heard 2 birds making wolf whistle calls. As I got my camera ready I made sure it was not people making this wolf whistle, and unless people climbed trees to whistle from, it was not people.

I distinctively heard 2 birds, one by the creek to the north of the Douglas Street bridge, the other in one of the gum trees in my neighbour, Carol's, garden. The audio to the video is really bad quality, and was much louder in real life - actually it was twice as loud as the audio in this video. The 2 birds were calling out to each other using this wolf whistle sound. The sounds stopped after about 45 seconds, and I never heard it again.

I done a bit of research on birds that can mimic other sounds and the Common Starling is at the top of the list for this article. It is the only species I know of that actually exists in Tenterfield from this list of mimicking birds that do wolf whistle sounds. The other species on my list, so far, are the Upland Sandpiper; Superb Lyrebird; Black-capped Chicadees; Whip-poor-wills; White-faced Whistling Ducks; Greenfinch; and the Tragopans. All the birds except for the Superb Lyrebird, the Greenfinch, and Starlings do not exist in Australia, not even as an introduced species as far as I know.

So, here lies the problem... let's say the wolf whistle was made by 2 Starlings. Why would they only make this sound for less than 50 seconds, use it for communication, and never repeat the sound for years on end? I've read that Starlings mimic sounds because they hear it a lot, and are influenced by that sound. If that is true, then shouldn't the Starlings make these sounds at more regular intervals than just once every few years? It doesn't make sense to me.

I hear Starlings almost every day around here, and they make the typical Starling noises, despite the differences in their songs. But never have I heard a Starling make such a dramatically different sound as this wolf whistle before. It just does not match their behaviour nor their vocalisation really.

I am actually ruling out that these birds were Starlings simply because it was a once off sound, and it was used for communication. The 2 birds were about 200-300 metres apart when calling to each other. In the video below, you can hear a distinctive loud wolf whistle call being made at 0:20 seconds but you can hear both birds prior to that calling out, albeit faintly.

It is definately not a Greenfinch, an Upland Sandpiper nor a Blackbird as the wolf whistle sound is different between these species.



For reference, I found this video of a blackbird that mimics different sounds in order to attract a mate. I am ruling out the Blackbird as the likely suspect, as the birds I heard were obviously a pair and communicating to each other.



I honestly believe that the wolf whistle sounds were not used to attract a mate, as the other bird was doing it as well. In conclusion, going on the fact that different bird species often temporarily stay in Tenterfield for as little as just overnight, it is more than probable that the birds in this video were just passing through. That being the case then these wolf whistling birds are not from the local area at all.

AFTER THOUGHT: There is one possibility that it could be an unheard of call from the Grey Shrike-thrush. I'm not ruling the Grey Shrike-thrush out just yet as a possible culprit as it sings a lot of different songs, moreso than another other bird in the area, next to the Eastern Rosella of course.

Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea



Little Corella in broad daylight

Little Corella alpha leader of group in less light

My daughter and I were visiting our neighbour when, whilst outside for a while, a flock of large, screeching, white birds with yellow wings flew overhead and began landing in the back wattle tree. I honestly thought they were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos! They looked and sounded the same as they flew overhead and whilst in the tree and were about the same size too.

Now the thing I have yet to see is an actual Sulphur-crested Cockatoo eat Wattle seed so I got out my camera and started filming them eating Wattle seed. I ended up by taking some photos of the birds too but they were taken just about when it was getting dark. It wasn't until I uploaded the videos and photos to my computer that I noticed they didn't have the large crest like a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Some had crestless heads (their crests were laying flat against their heads) and from what I could see of the birds' faces they had red between their eyes and their beak. After a bit of Google image searching I realized these birds were Little Corellas. Yah, another species to add to my Tenterfield bird list, I thought to myself!

Now, I've seen this same small flock of birds for a month or so. There is probably around 50 to 70 birds to the flock roughly. I actually thought the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos had thinned out, and just a small number of them remained, eating whatever seed was left. But obviously I was wrong, terribly wrong apparently. This actually means the really large flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (over 200 individuals) have actually left Tenterfield not long after the Little Corellas moved in.

Here's the gist about Little Corellas, just on about 10 minutes of observation of them. They hang together in a flock. They absolutely love Wattle seeds. They allow you to get reasonably close to them, within about 20-30 feet of them, if you walk slowly. They spook easily. They panic and fly away if you or a large animal run passed or gets too close to them (walking slowly within 8-10 feet of them or running passed them at any distance within 20-50 feet of them). If eating from a tree, a few of the birds will fly back straight away into the wattle tree, the rest will fly into a nearby but distant tree (any tree species that has lots of branches so they can all land in the same tree) out of harms way. One of the birds in the wattle tree will call out to the others from the very top of the tree whilst keeping a close eye on what disturbed them. The rest of the flock then flies back into the wattle tree once there is nothing in their "comfort zone". About 90% of the birds squark/screech all the time during the time they are disturbed from when they are eating.

Little Corellas seem to be more accepting of humans and domesticated pets than Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. They seem to respond to humans in a social way if spoken to or approached in a gentle manner. They are curious birds but weary at the same time.

There appears to be one alpha bird of the flock. They feed together as a group and get spooked as a group. The alpha bird tells the others when its safe to come back and resume feeding. The alpha bird stands it's ground, almost as if it is claim the tree as it's own on behalf of the entire flock when they are nearby in another tree. There does not seem to be individuality (or each bird for itself) like with Torresian Crows when they are feeding.

All that I know for certain that they eat thus far is Wattle seeds. They are the only other bird species I have seen eat Wattle seeds here in Tenterfield. The other species to eat Wattle seed is the Australian King Parrot. I'll need to study the Little Corellas eating habits in the next few days to see what else they eat.

Could this be the Grey Shrike-thrush?

I wanted to add this video as a post rather than as a video itself simply because I am uncertain if these birds are Grey Shrike-thrushes. I have not heard the Grey Shrike-thrush for some time now, and in fact I stopped listening for the bird altogether. When I was at my neighbour Carol's place yesterday, I began hearing a bird calling that I've heard in the past but not this year. Then a second bird begins making the same calls a lot closer to me.

I managed to get a shot of the closest bird to me to sort of identify the bird species but I can't tell if it actually is a Grey Shrike-thrush or not. The setting sun turned the bird brown, and the shadows from the tree gave the bird a black head at times. But this does not look like the Grey Shrike-thrush that was visiting Carol's garden but the bird's behaviour is similiar to the bird. It is very confusing.

If this bird is a Grey Shrike-thrush, then I am happy to say that this call is another call that that species makes. I did not hear the typical Grey Shrike-thrush sounds that they make either before or after this video was recorded.

I can't see the honeyeaters for the plum tree

Spring is the time of year when two things happen: the majority of birds start breeding in Tenterfield, and decidious trees begin to regrow their leaves and new branches. Out the front of my bedroom window is a decidious plum tree that is really thick with leaves and branches and despite it being turned into a bush a few years ago it is thickening up so much now that I can barely see my Grevilleas anymore.

Today some honeyeaters visited my Grevillea and all I saw was a flash of feathers as the bird flew around. The honeyeater in question that I recorded in the video below is either the Eastern Spinebill, White-plumed Honeyeater or the Yellow-faced Honeyeater. I simply can't make out which species it is, not visually anyway. I haven't tried to audio identify this bird yet.

Getting a good video of any of the three honeyeater species that visits my Grevilleas is now going to be extremely difficult through this dense foliage. It was bad enough that I could only record these birds from inside my bedroom as they flew away every time I went outside. Either I do the best I can with what I can see or wait until the plum tree has grown larger branches so the Grevilleas are a lot more visible. But the problem is when this plum tree grows it gets thicker and there is not a lot of light that penetrates the ground underneath it.

I would not get rid of this tree for all the Tea in China. It is the best shade tree I have ever found in Tenterfield. In Summer, when the rest of my home is scorching hot my bedroom is nice and cool. When the tree is in full leaf the tree's shade is at least 10 degrees cooler than when you're in the sun. There are actually 2 of these plum trees out the front and both are trying to reestablish themselves to look like trees again.

UPDATE: Australian Magpies and their female chick

It's feathers are a lot darker than previous chicks that
have been born in the past. It's colouring is that of a 12
month old juvenile actually. ADD ONE HOUR TO THE
TIME ON THIS IMAGE - my camera's time setting is
behind by one hour.

Today I finally saw the Australian Magpie chick for the very first time. At first I was confused about the chick being a chick as it's feather colouring was too dark to be straight out of the nest. It also seems to be a little too big to be a chick just out of the nest. It is the same size as a one year old juvenile Australian Magpie. It wasn't until I took this photo (see left image) that I realised it was their new chick. The chick has been out of the nest for about a week, I'm guessing, two weeks at the most but today was my very first sighting of her.

All the Magpies' past offspring have fully grown tail feathers, whereas this chick has short tail feathers, like that of a Satin Bowerbird. When this chick grows and matures, it is going to be huge. It will easily be bigger than it's parents, in size. Whether it will grow a longer tail or not only time will answer that question. I'm not sure if this is normal or not for a Magpie chick to have short tail feathers at this stage of it's development but it seems to be able to fly okay not that I have seen her fly yet.

I was a little bit concerned when I saw this young bird, as the parents were not exactly feeding it like they have done with their previous offspring. I also believe it is a girl as the adult male was not aggressive toward the chick, even though the chick itself acted in a somewhat submissive manner (she didn't like what was happening to her older brother) on a few ocassions when it was on my front lawn when it's dad was very close by. The dad was being aggressive toward his 12 month old son that was eating food nearby.

Another indication that tells me this is a female is when the chick got frightened it ran straight toward it's mum rather than it's dad. Going on my past experiences in identifying the genders of juvenile Australian Magpies, this chick fascinates me. Not only does it act like a female but also maybe is already self-sufficient when it comes to finding food. It is very quick at adapting to my presence - on the second sighting of me it almost came straight up to me.

I now understand why I have not seen the male Magpie taking interest in feeding the chick. Male Magpies feed male chicks, and female Magpies feed female chicks - only if one chick survives and fledges. But both parents will feed the chick at some point, especially if it is a male and is quite demanding on the parents for food. This chick barely squarked at all for food when it was on my front lawn and it spent all of it's time feeding itself. That doesn't usually happen for months afterward, as it takes about 6 months before the chicks are independant enough to constantly feed themselves. If it is true that this chick is less than 2 months old, then it is very well developed for it's age. I would even say it is maturing at an advanced rate for it's age.

I've noticed, over the years that Magpie chicks, when by themselves, run to Pied Currawong females/males for comfort and protection when spooked and when on the ground. This only happens during the first year of an Australian Magpie's life. Australian Magpies and Pied Currawongs get on really well together here in Tenterfield. The only time a Magpie will attack a Currawong is when a male is experiencing increased hormone levels due to breeding and defending it's male chicks. This can occur for more than 12 months. Pied Currawongs never attack Australian Magpies.

One thing caught my attention with this female Australian Magpie chick.. she attacked a full grown Torresian Crow at one point, and the crow did not bother her or try to take her food after that. Normally the crows will attack the Magpie adults, juveniles and chicks and win but this female Magpie chick isn't putting up with the crows' behaviour at all. I have witnessed my very first aggressive female Magpie, and this girl will not only survive but become a top predator when she grows up. I will only have 2 years to study her before she begins to find a mate of her own and leaves home, assuming her sexual maturity will be the same as all other Australian Magpies ever born in Tenterfield and elsewhere in Australia. She will be one very interesting bird to study, just to see how she grows and what sort of things she does, if different to other Magpie chicks that are her same age.

UPDATE ON THIS POST (6 November 2012) - Turns out that this bird is the one year old female. She was obviously attacked by another bird and as a result had her tail feathers pulled out. At a guess, going on her reaction to a Torresian Crow that she attacked, I'd say her attacker was a Torresian Crow. Female Magpies don't attack other birds, especially crows. But crows attack Magpies.

UPDATE: Red Wattlebird parents and chick

The new fledgling at Carol's place. My camera's date
setting is actually an hour behind true time. I will change
the time setting once my camera is fully charged.

There is still no visual sighting of any of their chicks yet but both parents have been sighted at my place wanting food from me. This occurs about twice a day now, where food will be taken back to the chick/s. I believe there may be only one chick, going on the amount of food taken.

I really need to study any past notes I wrote down on this breeding pair. So far all is going well and the fledgling is still alive and seems to doing well. It is still being fed by it's parents anyway.

The parents prefer to take bread back to the chick as it is soft. No meat or insects, that I am aware of, has been taken back to the chick yet.

I wrote the above before I had a quick visit to Carol's place and indeed I was right all along about how many chicks they had. Not long after I got there I saw one of the parents with a chick. I managed to take a few photos of the chick before my camera died on me. I only have blurry photos of the chick at the moment.

Tomorrow I'll take some more photos. I'm hoping to get an audio recording of the chick's voice in the next few days, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope the camera will pick it's voice up. It's voice is a soft, low pitch sound and a very quiet noise. The chick is 3/4 the size of it's parents and is still learning how to fly. At one point when my neighbour's dog raced passed the parent and chick, the chick flew off straight into the upright pole of the clothes line. It didn't seem to hurt itself and was flying again straight away. It's first lesson - watch where you're flying!

In flight it's wings cutting through the air is making a heavier sound than that of the adult birds as it seems to be struggling to keep up with it's parent/s in flight. And the chick has this cute little chirp/squark to it. It has such a tiny little voice at the moment. The chick is so adorable.

UPDATE: What is the Grey Shrike-thrush thinking?

This male Grey Shrike-thrush, if it is a male, does not seem to know what it is doing. The new (number two) mate he found has also left, obviously did not like his territory/chosen nesting site. These birds are supposed to bond for life but as the male is still so young and has not mated yet, finding the right mate who likes his chosen nesting site is going to be extremely hard in this instance. Two potential mates have already turned his nesting site down. I really thought he was going to mate with his first mate as they seemed very close to each other.

It might be worthwhile to put up some artificial nesting boxes somewhere. This may actually help the Grey Shrike-thrush to secure a mate better. But where to put the nesting box is another story. There is obviously not enough tree spaces to nest in, in the area.

I might look into pricing nesting boxes from the local Pet Store in the next few days and go from there. Maybe I can even get some for the Eastern Rosellas as well as some of the other bird species in the area.

Grey Shrike-thrushes have moved on to greener pastures

Two days ago was the last time I heard the Grey Shrike-thrush and it found itself a new mate. The male brought his new mate into his territory but it did not last long. The 2 birds (there may have been 3 birds calling out but I could be mistaken) left the area a few hours later and have not been heard from since then.

The interesting thing about this is the original bird (most likely the male) appears to have abandoned his territory over his chances of successfully mating with this new female. The pair of birds have left an area where a plentiful supply of food is so they can breed in peace and quiet without any disturbances from dogs and humans and predator birds. The male is a quick learner and obviously does not want to go through that heartache again with the first mate he found. He is willing to sacrifice everything for this new female mate. Obviously the drive to breed is stronger than anything else in the animal kingdom.

With the male adapting and learning by his mistakes, and taking into consideration the needs and fears of the female, they will successfully breed wherever they choose to make their new home. I am really sad to see them go but as they have a really good chance at successfully breeding and raising a family I am happy to see them leave together, knowing he has finally found a mate and has learnt from his past mistakes.

But the question is where would this pair of birds move to that has a similiar supply of food? Out in the bush surrounding Tenterfield the insect life is not as abdundant as it is in town. The Eucalypt trees are still recovering from a long term drought and insects are not as prolific as it is in someone's garden. Maybe the insect population out in the bush is enough to sustain them and enough to raise future hungry chicks with.

Grey Shrike-thrushes are not noctural birds therefore they could not easily stay awake and hang around street lights to catch an endless supply of insects that are attracted to those lights if they remained in Tenterfield. I miss these birds already, as well as their songs, but birds have to do what birds have to do to survive and reproduce successfully. I wish them luck. I hope to one day see these birds hanging around the area again.

Crested Pigeons being affected by sterility

I was hoping to see little babies of the Crested Pigeons this month but the female who was sitting on eggs has abandoned the nest altogether. Not only did she abandon the nest she wrecked the nest too. This occurred about 3-4 days ago. Either the male or the female is sterile because no chicks hatched whatsoever. I don't know which gender of Crested Pigeon is sterile.

It's strange but no Crested Pigeons have successfully hatched eggs in Tenterfield, as far as I can tell, for at least 5 or more years now. As soon as the adult population dies out naturally Crested Pigeons will become extinct in the area. This may be the first ever recorded species to actually go extinct. There is only one solution to this problem  to prevent this species from going extinct, and that is the introduction of fresh blood with younger and fertile birds.

For the last few days I have not seen or heard Crested Pigeons anywhere nor have I seen any fledglings. Did they leave the area? Where did they go? I have no idea!

Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys

I forgot about adding this little bird to my list. There are not many of them in Tenterfield anymore. I'm not sure just how many there were in town before birds started disappearing around 2004 - 2006.

The Willy Wagtail is an insect eater. It catches insects either in flight or walks around and disturbs insects in the grass by flapping it's wings. This species is known for it's tail wagging movements. It is a black and white bird with a black throat and has white eyebrows and whisker markings. A breeding pair usually form a life long bond and will stay together with each other.

The Willy Wagtail is one of the very few birds that sings for most of the night. This occurs mostly in Winter but can continue into Spring. The males have been heard singing around midnight until just before dawn. Then it has a break whilst the sun rises and then starts singing again about 10 - 30 minutes later.

Their night time calls have been recorded by me but I had to delete most of them due to poor audio quality and an inaccurate sound recording recorded by my mobile phones. Their songs of a night time tend to change and can be slightly different each night. The male and female of this species is almost identical.

The main predator of the Willy Wagtail is the Torresian Crow which will steal and eat their eggs and their young nestlings. The Willy Wagtail numbers were I live have not increased due to predator attacks of their nest, year in and year out.

One of the first videos I took of a Willy Wagtail. It was preening itself on the
fence but did not make a noise. It's a Torresian Crow's call you hear in this video.

Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris

It has taken me a while to identify this bird species as they generally look slightly different to the normal Common Starlings. The ones in Tenterfield are mostly black in colour. It is really hard to see the other colours that is commonly seen on a Starling, on a cloudy day. These birds are mostly heard before they are seen, and you can easily mistake them for being a Common Blackbird. The birds in the first video I believe are juvenile birds mostly. If you look carefully and pause the video a lot, you can see a bird on the far left that has circle colourations on it's body and has a light brown wing. These are the markings of a Common Starling. Right at the end of this first video the birds were alerted to a Torresian Crow coming in to get the pasta, so the Starlings flew away.

The video above was recorded today - 29 October 2012 around 12:30PM   The video below is mostly of the alert sound created by Starlings. I originally mistook this bird I recorded for a Satin Bowerbird.
This video was taken on Miles Street looking over the horse stables and into the Tenterfield Showgrounds. I saw a big black bird fly into the area where the Starlings were, and then a sort of fight broke out.
Common Starlings are somewhat common throughout Tenterfield and flock together in large numbers. They can be seen on power lines, flying into large trees, or on the ground where there is wide open spaces. They eat grass seeds. What else they eat I have yet to research. Apparently Common Starlings build their nests under the rooves of humans' houses and apparently have lice and spread lice too. Maybe that's where human children get head lice from; as Starlings are commonly sighted hanging around schools? It's just a thought.

Peacock

For years now there has been a Peacock in Tenterfield somewhere. I am not exactly sure where it is or if it someone's pet, but it does sound like it is either in the Tenterfield Park area or on neighbouring property to that location. I have only ever heard one Peacock calling out, somewhere directly behind Seven Knights' Service Station - on the east side of Rouse Street, one (or two at the most) blocks back from the main road and slightly to the right. This puts it right in the vicinity of the Tenterfield Park area. Yet, I have been to the Tenterfield Park many times and have never seen or heard a Peacock there.

The peacock is not heard calling for most of the year. It is only heard during breeding season which is Spring here in Tenterfield. I have tried getting an audio recording of this bird's call from my place but my camera and mobile phones don't pick it up. I'm roughly 2kms away from the bird!

For the passed few days this Peacock has been consistently calling out to attract a mate. This has been happening from about lunch time onward until just after dark each day. One day I will track the location of this Peacock down when it is calling out and take photos and audio recordings of it. It's got to be here somewhere.

My neighbour's friend at Drake actually has Peacocks and having observed those ones I have learnt Peacocks can actually fly. They roost at the top or near the top of very tall trees each night. I've actually seen a male Peacock fly up into a tree with it's full tail feathers and all. It is a surprising sight to see. Peacocks cannot consistently fly like other birds can. They can only fly short distances before they begin to lose altitude and gravity sets in.

The exact species of this Peacock is unknown and won't be known until I photograph it.

How to do an Eastern Spinebill population count in your area from poor quality videos

Let's say you have an Eastern Spinebill visiting your garden and you never see any more than one bird at a time. The chances of it being the same individual is about 50%. I actually thought there was only one individual visiting my garden but apparently there is at least two including one female. Taking videos of these birds is very helpful to help identify any different birds by their markings, which I will explain in a minute. Not everyone is going to have a really expensive camera nor take photos of these birds that come out crystal clear. Chances are your photos and videos will be blurry, out of focus or you just can't see the whole bird as it hides behind branches whilst feeding. These birds rarely keep still and are always moving about. But even if you do manage to get a clear shot it will probably be out of focus or blurred because you're trying to keep up with the bird by moving the camera. This is normal, and to date, this is what all my videos of these birds have come out like.

Image 1 Notice the white triangle on it's chest

Image 2 A near frontal view



Image 3 A side on view

I actually recommend just taking videos of these birds because not only do you pick up the sounds they make, you can also take a screenshot of the bird if it is crystal clear at any point in the video. I also recommend that you ignore the eye colouring of each bird, as when the sun light is shining into their eyes, their eyes turn white in colour which can be seen with the naked eye and it is picked up in video footage and photos. In the shade their eyes turn their natural colour, which I think is red or reddish brown. I'm not really sure actually.

Having Grevilleas out the front of my place is an added advantage as Eastern Spinebills feed on the nectar of the Grevilleas at least 3 times a day but only for a few minutes each time. They move on as quickly as they arrive. Studying these birds has told me that only sometimes do they call out. During the breeding season they call out a lot. It appears that they are keeping in contact with each other, as to where each other are. However, I have found a way to actually do a population count on this species but it involves taking videos every time I see these birds.

The most reliable way to do a population count is to check the birds' dark band markings that go from the back of their head down toward the chest. The formation of this dark band appears to be uniquely different with each individual bird despite the bird's age and gender. This dark band marking is similiar to our fingerprints - no fingerprints of 2 humans are the same. The same can be said for these dark band markings of this species. When studying your own videos of this species try to take screenshots of a near frontal view (see image 2) and a side view (see image 3) of each bird in the video. By getting a near frontal shot of the bird you will be able to tell how wide the dark band is and if there are any other unusual markings on the bird around the side of the throat and upper chest area. (See image 2 again)

In the last two photos we are looking at the same bird (see the dark band marking indents that go inward from the outside into the white area of the throat? They look like coloured in arrow heads. However, the bird in the first photo does not have these markings, and actually has a white patch of feathers that are on the outside (left and lower) of the dark band marking. It makes a triangle patch of white feathers between the dark band and the buff coloured chest/upper abdomen feathers. The dark band is also narrower in places and at the bottom it heads into the white coloured feathers of it's shoulder area. The bird may also have a white feather markings on it's right wing but this could be a trick of light.

The circular marking on the throat is usually, I've found, not a good indication at first, in identifying individual birds. As each circular marking is different it is really hard to get these birds to keep still so you can take a photo of their throats. When a bird has just left the nest the juvenile will not have this circular marking yet. They just have a buff coloured throat. As the bird matures the circular marking is formed. However, it will be a good way to tell how old the bird might be by studying how well formed the circular mark is on the bird's throat.

The brown nape coloured feathers also changes with maturity, so this is not a good way to identify individuals of this species. The brown nape coloured feathers eventually spreads down the back of the bird.

Anyway, by studying your own video footage you can clearly identify how many individual birds are in the immediate area using this form of identification alone.

Eastern Spinebill juvenile sighted today

I woke up to the sound of either a Starling or Indian Myna in the tree next to my bedroom window. The bird woke me up. Upon getting up I opened up the front door and just stood there looking out into the neighbourhood, and lo and behold I saw a juvenile Eastern Spinebill sitting in one of my Dwarf Grevilleas. I was less than 6 feet from the bird. This was only less than 10 minutes ago (around 12:40PM) - yes I slept in. I stayed there watching the little bird as it kept perfectly still as it had it's back to me. I spoke to it then suddenly it moved, then scratched itself. Less than 5 seconds later it called out and a moment later it's parent called out and flew into the Dwarf Grevilleas as well. Then the juvenile stretched it's wings as if it was yawning whilst it's parent had some nectar from a Grevillea flower then the adult flew off across my front lawn to the right. The juvenile remained in the Grevillea.

I decided to get my camera so got up (I was squatting at this point) and walked into my bedroom. The moment I got back to the front door the juvenile flew away.

There is no doubt that this was a juvenile Eastern Spinebill. It was 3/4 the size of the parent bird. It had buff coloured throat feathers and dark coloured feathers on it's wings, similiar to the parent and a parent bird responded to it's call. What a delight it was to see a juvenile Eastern Spinebill upon waking up.

The juvenile may have already eaten nectar from the Grevilleas when I opened up the front door, but it looked like the parent bird was showing the juvenile where the nectar plants are, whilst the juvenile followed the parent around. As the juvenile remained in the Grevillea plant whilst the parent bird fed elsewhere, my Grevilleas appear to be a safe place for juveniles to hang around in. The adult seemed to trust me to leave it's chick in the plant, knowing I would not disturb it.

So, the 28th October is when you will definitely begin to see juvenile Eastern Spinebills here in Tenterfield. I have no idea where the adult birds nested, but they did nest and managed to raise one chick which will grow into an adult bird, hopefully.

UPDATE: Grey Shrike-thrush has left the area

A few days ago the remaining Grey Shrike-thrush was last heard calling from a gum tree in the Tenterfield Creek, and has not been heard from since. I guess birds can only take so much before they leave, and I believe this bird left to find a new mate. I guess it wanted to mate, lay eggs, etc but didn't successfully do that here. A lot of factors may have been taken into consideration, including a bird-chasing dog; the barking of a dog next to the nest; too close proximity of nest to humans; and a very nervous mate. An appropriate natural nesting site probably would've been preferred over an artificial one as well but obviously none were available.

With a lack of natural nesting sites available, and the other factors taken into consideration, the birds obviously had no choice but to move on. Well, that's what I originally thought. Today I heard the bird again from about 5PM onward. It obviously travels a bit around the place to locate another mate then comes back home to rest for a while.

Going on this one fact alone, I would say this Grey Shrike-thrush has made this area it's home, and as such has a territory. It is good to still hear it about the place but only time and experience will tell if it successfully raises a family here.

UPDATE: White-faced Heron still on nest and it's a female

I took some photos yesterday of the White-faced Heron's nest, and over the course of about 5-7 days it has grown in size. It is really strange as I have never seen the White-faced Heron feeding in the Tenterfield Creek, not even for 10 seconds, since it started nesting. I've yet to see it away from the nest. I've spent hours at a time at my neighbour, Carol's place, and not once have I heard this bird call out - except once - the last day it rained here in Tenterfield. In the immediate area of the Heron's nest are Australian Magpies, Laughing Kookaburras and Pied Currawongs as well as Torresian Crows (well one anyway) - all of which eat eggs and chicks (not sure about the Magpies though).

The picture above clearly shows that there is a bird still on the nest. It apparently is the rear end view of the bird. At first I thought another much larger bird had moved into the nest but after doing some research about White-faced Herons nesting, I learnt that the eggs hatch in about 25 days and it takes a further 40 days before the chicks are fledged. But how long it takes from mating to when the eggs are laid I do not have a clue.

Just looking at this photo means the adult bird does get off the nest to make the nest bigger and to eat. But as I am yet to see a second adult bird in the immediate area, anywhere, it makes me wonder if this bird actually feeds during the night time as well to help eliminate any predators from getting the eggs or chicks.

After mating happens the nest is built higher and bigger over time prior to the eggs hatching. The nest could double in size in a matter of just 2-3 weeks.

Rereading the posts I have written about this White-faced Heron, it started checking out the gum tree for a nesting site around the 1st of October. I have absolutely no idea when the eggs were laid, perhaps a week later? I'm only guessing here. However, on the 7th October the Heron was sitting on eggs constantly. Between the 1st and the 6th October I don't know what happened. However, on the 13th September two adult birds were seen together. I'm assuming this was the day they mated, as the second adult bird was never seen again after the 17th September.

In summary:

• Late August to 13 September 2012: lots of vocalization happened. Bird calling out esp. near sunset.
• 13 September: a second bird was sighted hanging around the first one
• 17 September: one of the adult birds left after mating had occurred during the previous 4 days
• 01 October: remaining adult checks out a gum tree to build nest in
• 07 October: only females lay eggs therefore it is a female
• 07 October: one adult had made a nest and is sitting in the nest
• 27 October: still sitting on nest and no sign of chicks on nest yet. Not that I can see inside the nest, going on angle and height the nest is from the ground.

It must be really rough on this bird to build the nest, lay the eggs, lay on the eggs as well as feed herself. And soon she will be feeding her chicks. In conclusion this remaining bird must is a female.

But why is she raising a family by herself? What would cause this to happen? It's a mystery that only she knows the answer to!

FOOTNOTE: When I observed the 2 herons together it is the male who fluffs up his or has fluffy plumage. The female who is nesting here now apparently didn't fluff up her plumage at all during the times I observed her with the male.

Torresian Crow numbers dropping dramatically

The genetic diversity for the Torresian Crows in Tenterfield is entirely limited to it's own family members within one family group or possibly two. I'm starting to think all the Torresian Crows of Tenterfield are related to each other. The Torresian Crow that visits my place does not have a mate as far as I know. Just this year it's only offspring had left the area, and the remaining parent is always seen by itself. After quite a few years it still has white eyes. The blue-eyed crows left a long time ago.

Currently Torresian Crows, at least 2 pairs, are breeding (at the bottom of ST Joseph's Primary School and Jubilee Park) but offspring being born and actually survive is not good. About every 3 or so years I see a new generation of Torresian Crows but only one of which survives until it is old enough to fend for itself. The food demand for the chick/juvenile offspring is incredibly high until it is old enough to fend for itself.

Tenterfield's current population of this species mostly consists of younger generation birds - either children or grandchildren of older Torresian Crows. But here lies the problem - there is no other Torresian Crows, that I am aware of, that come into Tenterfield to increase the general population of this species. If there are others nearby they do not come into Tenterfield at all.

All that exists of this species in Tenterfield is less than 10 birds now. They seem to mostly inhabit the south-west corner of Tenterfield. These birds have been known to travel all across town searching for food when they are not breeding. They spend most of their lives near the Tenterfield Creek. They are a resident species of Tenterfield but some of them have already left the area completely. Torresian Crows are not a well liked bird in town but soon even they will eventually leave the area or die out as there is simply not enough food around to feed many chicks with. The crows that are here do not look hungry even though they scavenge through the rubbish bins. Nature is taking it's course with this species and I believe no-one will miss this species in town when they are gone (except me).

Pied Currawongs disappearing quickly from Tenterfield

There used to be a fair few (about 15 or so) Pied Currawongs here in Tenterfield that left town for a while then came back I think earlier this year. However, for about the last month or so, I have only heard and seen just a few individuals which I believe to be young ones that have not bred yet.

It is a crying shame to lose this species as they are such a lovely species even though they eat birds' eggs and young nestlings. Large numbers of this species used to inhabit Tenterfield as little as just 7 years ago. Now only one or two individuals remain. In time, perhaps as little as 6 months from now, this species will have left Tenterfield as well. It only takes 6 months for an entire species to disappear from this area if the conditions and their food source do not improve.

Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus

I need to see if I have any pictures of this species on my computer. About 12 months ago there were Grey Butcherbirds here in Tenterfield, albeit very small in numbers. I remember seeing just one pair of them and they did breed and only had one offspring. As soon as the juvenile was old enough to fend for itself the adult birds disappeared and I never saw them again.

The juvenile bird became an infrequent weekly visitor until one day it never returned and I haven't seen it since. I have not seen any Grey Butcherbirds since about January/February of this year, and they were resident birds.

Restless Flycatcher update

July 2012 was the last time I heard a Restless Flycatcher in the area when I saw only 2 of them together. It, along with it's mate, has since disappeared. I have been to many different locations in Tenterfield since July and have not heard this species at all. It's call is very distinctive. As far as I can tell it is not at the Tenterfield Park either.

I am guessing this is yet another species that has left the Tenterfield area. I will be placing this species under the "species that have left Tenterfield" from now onward should I happen to come across any old or new videos I have of this species.

White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus

The White-plumed Honeyeater is a rare visitor to Tenterfield. I believe I have not seen this bird before or have not paid attention to it's calls before. I'm just not sure about this species as to whether it is a resident bird species or not. Either way I have yet to see any more than one individual of this species. below is a video I took of my first sighting of this species. The sighting occurred at my neighbour Carol's place on the 6th October 2012.

All I know about this bird species is it is shown eating something from the new growth of the tree it was seen in. I'm not even sure of the tree species it was in.

UPDATE: Grey Shrike-thrush nesting nearby

It's only bad news really. The pair of Grey Shrike-thrushes that were attempting to nest at my neighbour Carol's place, in the bottom half of the water fountain by her back door, have abandoned the nest and separated as a couple. The mate, more than likely a female, has not been heard from for probably 5 days now.

I was over visiting Carol yesterday and discovered the nest was empty. I took some photos but no eggs were even laid in the nest. The photos did not come out clear enough to add here. The nest was a crude attempt at building a nest, and was full of sticks and leaves, and some lichen and cobwebs by the look of it.

The male was spotted calling from trees when I was there, like he was trying to attract a mate. His song seemed desperate and urgent. The poor little fellow, I think he misses his mate.

As Grey Shrike-thrushes are not normally seen or heard in Tenterfield it may be some time before another bird comes along. His voice is loud, and for a very good reason. If you are the only one of your kind within a 10km square area you'd want to be heard too. Surrounding Tenterfield is lots of trees but generally Tenterfield is an open plains area mostly inhabited by willow trees and the odd gum trees. The entire area is not ideal for most bird species actually.

Why this bird simply didn't move away from the area with his new mate is beyond me. Why he didn't find a more appropriate nesting site is again another mystery. Having a large dog suddenly start barking and is known for chasing birds is not an ideal location for building a nest in that vicinity. It's stressful for birds especially if you are a newbie to the area.

Has it become so bad for birds that they are forced to inhabit areas in close proximity to human habitats? Where else are birds going to breed or sleep when there are barely any plant life outside of people's homes? Tenterfield is not designed for birdlife, and the areas in town outside of people's homes are mostly barren of plant life and generally are open spaces with lots of grass everywhere.

The Tenterfield Creek is also barrren, mostly devoid of trees and other plant life. I am surprised that the birdlife in Tenterfield is clinging to what little habitat there is here. The birds surely must be desperate to stay here, else they all would've left by now.

The Grey Shrike-thrush was the same, desperately clinging to life in what little plant life they could find. Obviously there was enough food in the area for them to stay but simply not enough plant life to breed in. Whether the male Grey Shrike-thrush finds another mate or moves elsewhere is anyone's guess right now. It will take time, if he chooses to stay here. However, locating more of it's own kind is almost next to impossible here in Tenterfield, as the male depends upon them passing through town before he can hopefully find a mate. His best choice is to leave town and try and find a population of his own species elsewhere and start again from there. As sad as it will be to see him go, there really is no other option for this species in Tenterfield.

Haven't heard this bird call in about 7-10 years

Oh, how time changes everything. Just before it got dark tonight I was out the front potting up some willow tree cuttings that had taken root when suddenly I heard this bird call that I haven't heard in Tenterfield for years. I have absolutely no idea what species makes this bird call. I also can't remember the last time I heard this exact same bird call either, but it must be at least 7 - 10 years ago. It is not the sort of call you forget either, considering I heard it all the time in the past. It is the sweetest, softest, and gentlest call you'll ever hear a bird make.

The bird call sounded like it was on the west side of town about a kilometre from me. It brought back memories of hearing this bird song all the time in Tenterfield. It soothed my soul hearing it again. This bird song is the one that made me fall in love with Tenterfield in the first place.

I can't help but hope this bird will stay in Tenterfield now. It's call was my only source of comfort for my soul which I miss hearing. As this bird was heard as it was roosting, hopefully it will hang around Tenterfield tomorrow long enough for me to get a recording of it's call. I hope it just isn't on it's way through to somewhere else, as a lot of birds have been doing lately.

Unfortunately I did not get a video recording of the bird call. My new digital camera doesn't pick up low pitch (soft) sounds about 1 km away, so it would've been pointless anyway trying to record it. Hopefully tomorrow I will hear the bird call again. If it is about a km away I will be going to try and record it's call up close.

I'm going to be checking the bird calls of the species I haven't added posts about. I'm hoping this species is on my list and can finally identify it after all these years.

Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus

The two Red-rumped Parrots I saw today I actually thought were the Turquoise Parrots that I saw recently. I first came across a female Red-rumped Parrot which flew out of my neighbour Carol's bird feeder and flew into a nearby tree. It looked similiar to the juvenile Turquoise Parrot in colouring. Then I spotted a bird which I first thought was a female Turquoise Parrot which I took video footage of. I thought, originally, the mother and juvenile Turquoise Parrots were in Carol's garden but did not know where the male was. Inspecting the video later on tonight I noticed that the second bird I saw had red colouring on or near it's rump. The video footage itself is very blurry and out of focus, and am only keeping it for the sounds the male bird made.

Ironically, both the female Turquoise Parrot and male Red-rumped parrot are identical in appearance, except for the red colouring on the rump/near the rump of the male Red-rumped Parrot. The female Red-rumped Parrot looks identical to the juvenile (fledgling) Turquoise Parrot. That is why I initially thought the Red-rumped parrots were Turquoise Parrots. Both species are so closely identical to each other it is really hard to tell them apart unless you take video footage of them or see them closer up than I did.

Even though I am guessing these birds are Red-rumped Parrots I am just guessing. As my digital camera refused to focus on anything today, and it has a lighting problem, I am still using it because it has a better zoom that my mobile phone. Also, my digital camera, a GE 14.1 megapixel PJ1 records bird sounds accurately more than my mobile phones do. It looks like I need to replace my digital camera already.

Below are 4 screenshots from the video I took of the male Red-rumped Parrot today. The video was taken after sunset but before it started getting dark.

Updates: species nesting and breeding

Over a period of about 1 & a 1/2 weeks I have observed some changes with some of the birds nesting in Tenterfield. The Red Wattlebird which I thought was the only one left in Tenterfield has started begging for food for it's young about 5-7 times a day. As soon as it has eaten a bit of the food I give it (sometimes), it flies away with a large mouthful of food. Not long afterward it is back again wanting more food. The adult bird, it is the one with the left-bent tail feathers, continues to fly down to the creek where the nest is to feed it's young. So, obviously, it has a mate who is also taking care of it's young, which appears to be constantly sitting or very near the nest. I saw it's mate out feeding herself/himself tonight just before it got dark just after sunset. Today and yesterday the food begging has slowed down a great deal to just 2-3 times a day.

Yesterday when I gave a bit of meat to the Australian Magpies, the adult male flew off with some of it in his beak. He only does this when chicks need to be fed. Going on passed experiences I would say the chicks have hatched less than 4 days ago. Very little food, that I can tell, is being given to the chicks at this time and it was only once yesterday that food was taken to the chicks, but they have hatched nonetheless. Also, the adult male Magpie has been seen more in it's old territory than it's new territory. I'm guessing that the 2 days of rain we had recently brought back the Magpies to their old territory (south side of Douglas Street).

Much earlier in the day (yesterday) my brother Daniel told me he saw 2 crows attacking an Eastern Brown Snake in the paddock opposite the nest of 2 Torresian Crows, on the other side of the road. Daniel did not know if the crows had killed the snake or not and he had no idea that the crows were even nesting. I had to go out yesterday, and before I turned the corner of Douglas and Francis Streets to go onto Francis Street, I saw a crow on the road feeding on a dead rabbit. On closer expection of the rabbit the eyeball was missing. The crow had eaten it. How disgusting!

Turning the corner I tried to see if the snake was dead or not but could not see any signs of a snake. However, on the way home I was actually swooped by these same two Torresian Crows. Well, if you can call it swooping. One of the birds flew from the Tenterfield Creek in the showgrounds area to a gum tree on the ST. Joseph's Catholic Primary School property, at the bottom left of the oval as I got within range of their tree. One of them was sitting on a nest prior to the attack. With 2 birds in the tree one flew over my head about 20-30 feet above me, then sort of lifted it's tail up, flapped it's wings then continued to fly normally. They made no noise when they swooped me. Just before the attack, or during it, I heard a sound that was quiet but weird. It sounded similiar to the noise you hear of dew on an electric fence, creating a slight clicking charge sound. It was a softer sound to that of an electric fence and it was more of a clicking sound than anything else. The second bird swooped me moments later. They both flew onto the Rural Fire Service boudary fence and just sat there doing nothing as I continued to walk passed the area. I was probably less than 150 -200 metres from the said gum tree.  This might actually explain why, several weeks beforehand, I saw a Laughing Kookaburra trying to ransack something in the same gum tree before it was chased out of the tree by one of the crows. Perhaps the kookaburra was trying to take over the crows nest to use it for itself to nest in? I doubt the crows would've had laid eggs back then but I could be wrong.

For probably a week now the Masked Lapwings have stopped swooping. I'm guessing that the juveniles have learnt how to fly and can now flee danger should any come the chicks' way. I am certain that at least 2 breeding pairs of Masked Lapwings have bred this October. The pair that was hanging around the paddock on the corner of Francis and Miles Streets (opposite the showgrounds) that would not move from that paddock have moved on as well. I believe they were nesting too but I avoided that paddock when going on foot into town as they were getting very aggressive in the end. The Lapwings spend most of their time hanging around the Tenterfield Creek or within several hundred metres from the creek.

For the passed 2 days the grey Shrike-thrushes have gone very quite. I have heard one of them calling out at dawn but generally they are quiet throughout the rest of the day. I barely hear a sound from them now. I believe they are sitting on eggs, as of this morning they were still in the area. Within the last 24 hours both birds were seen flying away from their new nest to the creek in a southerly direction. There have been no other sightings of either one of them around my neighbour Carol's back door and I have not seen them flying around my immediate area in the last 4 days.

The Crested Pigeon who was nesting has not been heard lately either. It is still quiet and it has been seen feeding so hopefully there will be chicks running around the place soon. I have checked today if her eggs have hatched or not but can't tell as the female, I think, is still sitting on the nest.

Lastly, to the White-faced Heron... It appears at first glance that the White-faced Heron's nest has been abandoned. As the nest is about 50 feet off the ground it is really hard to see what is on the nest. I also have to move away from the tree to get the right angle just to see any kind of activity on the nest. My hands shake if I hold a camera almost above my head. So, I need to take lots of photos of the nest hoping at least one of them will be crystal clear and not shaky.

Just before sunset tonight I took a few photos of the White-faced Heron's nest, and all are blurry. But the photos reveals that the adult bird is not sitting on eggs anymore and that the eggs have hatched, or at least that's what it looks like. The photo below, despite it being blurry, reveals an adult White-faced Heron doing something similiar to kneeling or standing up in the nest. The bird is to the side of the nest as well. This is a promising sign actually as I have never known White-faced Herons to actually nest in Tenterfield itself.