Showing posts with label White-headed Pigeon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White-headed Pigeon. Show all posts

Saturday, June 27, 2015

POWER LINE PERCHERS







We moved back to Kureelpa, a rural location in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, late last year, just down the road from the house where I first started my blog nearly five years ago. http://qldbirder.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/backyard-pics.html

The views are similar and the birds are familiar, like old friends we just haven't seen for a while.



View from patio


There are some power lines that run along a road easement opposite our back patio, a favourite hangout for the locals. Pale-headed Rosellas often land with a chatter and flash of colours, but they are flighty and don't hang around for long. 



Pale-headed Rosella




P.H. Rosellas - immature on right




P.H. Rosella - immature



The biggest honeyeater in the neighbourhood the Blue-faced, uses its perch to check for rival species encroaching on favourite feeding trees.   



Blue-faced Honeyeater




Our biggest kingfisher is intent on finding prey in the paddock below and doesn't concern itself with chasing off competitors.




Laughing Kookaburra




And one of our largest pigeons drops in occasionally, often during showery weather for some reason.



White-headed Pigeon



A pigeon pair




A convenient place to munch on a mantis for this young cuckoo-shrike.



Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - immature




A butcherbird gamely balances on one leg, with the other out of action through injury. 



Pied Butcherbird




This male Magpie-lark was taking a breather, after earlier being involved in an antiphonal duet with his partner. She was on the verandah rail doing the same.
  


Magpie-lark - male




Magpie-lark - female





A couple of immature Australian Magpies preferred the fence posts, another favourite perch for many, while engaging in some warble and natter.



Australian Magpie




Another patio view




Pacific dawn 








Cheers & Happy Birding





Tuesday, December 20, 2011

PIPERS, PARROTS AND PIGEONS.



This robin is one of my favourite birds and we have one that inhabits the scrub in our backyard.
I call it the piper at the gates of dawn*, being the first one to start off the morning chorus.
It's also usually the last bird to call in the evening.     

Eastern Yellow Robin

Some fresh seed in the feeder brought in a couple of unusual visitors, a pair of King Parrots, which I've only seen fly over our place occasionally. These two weren't shy and I assume they may have utilized some other feeders in the neighbourhood. 

Australian King Parrots - males.



Another bird to drop in for the first time a few days later was this large pigeon. The news must be getting around that there's a free feed at the our place!

White-headed Pigeon

These are normally a shy, rain-forest dwelling, fruit eating species and it may be the case that these birds have also become more confiding around human habitation, especially with the destruction of their natural habitat and their reliance on the introduced Camphor Laurel tree.



This cousin of the above mentioned bird was spotted by Clare sitting on the roof of our van out front.
A beautiful, pure white racing (or feral) pigeon that on closer inspection was bleeding from wounds in it's breast and rump. Maybe a raptor attack? We have three species of Goshawks on our backyard list.A distinct possibility! But most probably a Peregrine Falcon, the bane of pigeon fanciers worldwide.   


This was one lucky bird and in an attempted rescue operation it flew off when I tried to throw a towel over it. It took off strongly and disappeared into the distance hopefully to survive another day. 



The culprit may have been one of these magnificent killers, a Brown Goshawk. This one I saw recently at the Cooroy wetlands scaring the wits out of the nearby feathered inhabitants.

Brown Goshawk - female.

This bird was also spotted at the wetlands, singing for all its worth and obviously not too worried about killer raptors!

Olive-backed Oriole