Casuarina Coastal Reserve

At around eight this morning I went out to Buffalo Creek at the northern end of the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. It was overcast, and the tide was well out. A number of shore birds were foraging on the tidal flats. I wandered out a way, but the soft wet sand didn't encourage me to venture too far.

A short trip through the mangroves brought a gerygone, honeyeaters and a triller - and a million mosquitos.

On the drive back towards Lee Point picnic area there were eighteen black cockatoos feeding amongst the new green shoots that had emerged after burning off. I was able to get a number of images of them on the ground before they withdrew to a nearby tree.

The picnic area provided a bird bonanza. As well as the birds I had previously found here - honeyeaters, swallows, kites, kingfishers - I heard and then saw a bowerbird while edging closer to a group of double-barred finches playing in a vine. A mannikin flew onto a nearby branch and was joined by several of the double-barred finches. (I think Owl Finch is a better description of them, but that name seems to have gone out of favour.)

Then as I had decided to head home, and was back at the car park, a red-winged parrot flew past to a low branch where he went through a series of acrobatic manouvres eating fruit from a vine.

Bird List:

Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus (pictured above)
Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Great Egret Ardea alba
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica
Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii
Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela
White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchus
Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Great Bowerbird Chlamydera nuchalis
Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena

Howard Springs Nature Park

Today's excursion was to Howard Springs. In the wet season this is a good spot for Magpie Geese, Whistling Ducks, Radjah Shelducks and Pygmy Geese, however today the dominant species was the Little Corella. Dozens of the birds were calling from the trees around the spring-fed pool at the picnic ground.

Our first sighting was a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher. This is becoming the iconic bird of the trip - popping up wherever I go and posing on well lit perches like an entrant in America's Next Top Model - yes, lovely ... put one wing on your hip please ... gorgeous!

The highlights included a pair of Shining Flycatchers foraging in the leaf litter and chasing one another away from the best bits, and the Large-billed Gerygone who perched in a perfect spot for a photograph.

Bird List:

Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris (pictured above)

Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolour

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii

Galah Cacatua roseicapilla

Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus

Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster

Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto

Varied Triller Lalage leucomela

White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Holmes Jungle

Today we walked through the Holmes Jungle Nature Park Driving up we saw around thirty black kite circling over a still smoking area of burned bush, and perching in the surrounding trees. As we parked I noticed a raptor at least twice the size of the kites, on the edge of the road. It flew past me into a tree revealing the distinctive tail of a wedge-tailed eagle. It watched us over its shoulder for a moment, before flying off through the thick vegetation with amazing ease.

The area is a monsoon forest, with a walking track that crosses and recrosses Palm Creek. There are a number of distinct habitats from the pandanus groves that revealved tantalising glimpses of red-backed fairywren, to stands of tall palms, dense buttressed fig trees, and open areas of grass and small shrubs.

We heard more birds than we saw, the tops of the trees seemed to be filled with birds including suprisingly a number of ibis and a night-heron. But the picnic area was buzzing with little birds; honeyeaters, and finches.

Headed back to the car, searching the treetops for the source of the birdsong, Fran noticed a Golden Tree Snake just in time to avoid stepping on it. It reared up to hip height, hissing and striking, it's neck flattened to reveal blue skin between its scales. With its golden body and striking chrome head it was a spectacular sight. Not sure Fran appreciated the beauty - she jumped everytime a palm frond brushed her for the rest of the walk. They are solid toothed with no venom at all, but that doesn't stop them being scary.

Bird List:

Black Kite Milvus migrans (pictured above)
Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax
Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus
White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata
Dusky Honeyeater Myzomela obscura
Mangrove Robin Eopsaltria pulverulenta
Torresian Crow Corvus orru
Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton

Coconut Grove

I had some end of semester admin to tidy up, so no walk today. I set myself up on the patio with the laptop and my camera beside me.

The little rufous-banded honeyeaters are here regularly, attracted to the blossoms on the palm trees. They come down to drink at the bird bath, perching first on a branch set up for the purpose and nervously looking from side to side. They will have a quick drink and fly back to the perch to look around, then return for another sip. They bath in a fly-through action, and seem to prefer the deeper bird bath for this.

The highlight of the day was a pair of Pied-Imperial Pigeons who came to eat the palm fruits. They swallow the quite large fruits whole and digest the pulp before excreting the seeds.

Bird List:

Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolour (pictured above)
White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis
Australian Figbird Sphecotheres veilotti

Lee Point

A quick visit to Lee Point as the wind-whipped sand made walking unpleasant and photography difficult. A return trip is in order though as there were good numbers of plovers on the rocks, a couple of species of tern and an egret on the shore-line.

Bird List

Eastern Reef-Egret Egretta sacra (pictured above)
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus
Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae

Jingili Water Gardens

Just near Rapid Creek the Water Gardens offered a rather different experience, with lush green plantings, ornamental ponds and fountains. A beautiful spot in the heat of the day. Sitting on a bench near one of the pools I amused myself trying to capture the little rufous-banded honeyeaters as they flew in and out of the water in a single movement. There were so many bee-eaters on the railings they looked like part of the ornamentation.

I only stayed long enough to eat my sandwich, but like everywhere else in darwin the park seemed to be full of birds.

Bird List:

White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis (pictured above)

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca

Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus

Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti

White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Rapid Creek

Casuarina Coastal Reserve runs for an 8km stretch between the estuaries of Rapid Creek and Buffalo Creek. Bike paths and walking tracks pass on one side sandy beaches, dramatic sandstone cliffs and shady casuarina trees, and on the other patches of woodlands, monsoon forests, mangroves and paperbarks.

Rapid Creek is the southernmost part of the reserve. On a cool (for Darwin) morning I walked from the Rapid Creek pedestrian bridge to Dripstone Cliffs, and easy 3k return trip. There are regular Ranger-guided walks through the reserve, which might help me identify some on the plants I'm photographing.

It was quite windy, which made locating birds a bit more of a challenge, but I came across a very obliging group of lemon-bellied flycatchers whose posed singly and in groups in a small tree, a nearby vine and the mangroves. I could have filled a card with their antics alone.

Brown honeyeaters were the most dominant honeyeater species. Raptors soared above the flying fox colony. Woodswallows perched wing to wing in groups of twenty or more. Tiny peaceful doves were camouflaged in the grass, The mistletoe was in full blossom - amazing flowers, matched by their associate mistletoe bird.

Bird List:

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum (pictured above)

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus

Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Galah Cacatua roseicapilla

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster

Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca

Varied Triller Lalage leucomela

Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis

Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus

White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchus

Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauda
Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton

Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena

East Point Reserve

I parked near the mangrove boardwalk and stepped out of the car to have a brown falcon fly out of the tree at my head, and a rainbow pitta rush past my feet. Promising start, though no photo opps. The walk to the boardwalk is quite short, but a birders paradise.

A clump of bamboo provided a hiding spot for several types of finches, including the scarlet. A dingo moved off the path to let me pass - just a bike ride from the city-centre. Fantails and flycatchers flittered in the shrubs. Flowering mangroves had attracted so many friarbirds that I could hardly hear myself think, and the smaller honeyeaters, including the beautiful red-headed, had retreated to an area near the shore. Kingfishers waited on strategic branches.

A walk around the lake brought more honeyeaters, this time on the blossoms of the palm trees, dozens of fig birds, and a pair of nesting long-tailed finches. Also lakeside were herons, egrets and ibis, and a beach stone-curlew.

Bird List:

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster (pictured above)

Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala

Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt

Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius

Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana

White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae

White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica

Eastern Reef-Egret Egretta sacra

Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca

Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Brown Falcon Falco berigora

Beach Stone-Curlew Esacus neglectus

Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles

Feral Pigeon Columba livia

Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii

Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus

Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris

Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus

Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis

Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides
Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis

White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis

Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus

Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti

White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchus

Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii

Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauda

Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton

Darwin Botanic Gardens

George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens was my first birding walk in the NT. It was a perfect day for it at 30C and not too humid. Just at the entrance to the gardens were some large fruiting figs that had attracted a noisy crowd of figbirds, while on the other side of the path a tree with both fruit and flowers was buzzing with honeyeaters, bee-eaters and cuckoo-shrikes. Scrub fowl were scratching in the leaf litter under the trees.

In the woodland area, flowering eucalypts had attracted good numbers of birds and the ever-present kites soared overhead. I followed the sound of red-tailed black cockatoos, but they flew into the distance before I was in photography range. Galahs were more obliging flying in to feed in the grass.

I wandered the shade garden and rainforest loop looking for the rufous owl, and had the good luck to find them roosting immediately over the path, their droppings an unmissable signpost to them. With them sitting high in a dense tree, still and silent, I would have had no chance of seeing them if they had been even a couple of meters off to the side. The cycad garden yielded more honeyeaters, including two duskies.

Bird List:

Rufous Owl Ninox rufa (pictured above)

Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt

Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus

Feral Pigeon Columba livia

Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla

Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis
Silver-crowned Friarbird Philemon argenticeps
White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis
Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis
Dusky Honeyeater Myzomela obscura
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela
Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus
Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti
Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Leanyer Primary School

We have had a relaxed weekend, arriving in Darwin at midnight takes a while to recover from. And catching up with family news and gossip takes a while too.

Today Fran had to tend to the class garden at school, so I went along to help plant, water and mulch. The school grounds supported a wealth of birdlife including a number of different honeyeaters and large groups of ibis and lapwings.

Bird List:

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus (pictured above)
Green Figbird Sphecotheres viridis
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis
White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis
Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis

HiFert, Kooragang

We finally have sunshine after three weeks of rain, but it has come with freezing gale-force winds. Even the birds are huddled up for warmth. There were large flocks of tiny birds at HiFert today; silvereyes, thornbills, fairywrens. The Swamp Harrier was cruising the mangroves and the brown honeyeaters were controlling the coral tree.

Bird List:

• Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana (pictured above)
• Swamp Harrier Circus approximans
• Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
• Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
• White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
• Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus
• Silver-eye Zosterops lateralis

Walsh Point Reserve

Caspian Tern

What a difference a day makes. Walsh point has been fenced off at either end leaving only a patch of grass from which all of the vegetation has been cleared. The Bituo Bush, Wild Fennel and Lantana have been bulldozed over the edge of the riverbank.

Cisticola Alley and the Osprey Roost are now well behind ten foot barbed wire fencing.

Walsh Point Reserve

Walsh Point is usually a good spot when it's windy. Gulls, terns, and raptors flying up the river at almost eye level are held up by the wind providing a better chance of a flight shot than is often available. It's a good spot for the dogs too with wide open spaces and a six km walk from one end to the other and back.

Today the weather was perfect for them - like kids they are hyped in cool windy conditions. However it was just too gusty for sharp photos, and once the clouds blew in it wasn't worth clicking the shutter.

A Brown Goshawk or Collared Sparrowhawk cruised past at a distance, gulls and terns battled the breeze, cormorants dived for fish and pelican tried their luck behind the fishing boats. Pipits bobbed in the freshly mown grass and an osprey passed by on its way upriver.

Bird List:

Osprey Pandion haliaetus (pictured above)
Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus

Stockton Sand Spit

I stopped in at the Stockton Sand Spit on the way home, the dogs had been running over the dunes for ninety minutes so were happy to doze in the car in the shade of the bridge.

The usual welcoming committe of Superb Fairywrens were there at the carpark. It was good to see males coming back into breeding plumage. Lots of non-breeding males posing in the sun, recognisable by their dark bills.

The usual ibis, herons, egrets and lapwings were foraging in the lagoon, while wattlebirds chased each other through the banksia. Two pied oystercatchers flew in from the beach, displaying their distinctive wing markings.

I was thinking about creeping out to see what was roosting on the beach for high tide, when the flock of curlews rose and flew straight towards me, providing a rare photo opportunity with these shy birds. Unfortunately the osprey that flushed them stayed out on the river. The curlew did not return to the beach, but flew off to Kooragang Dykes. I took this as a sign and went home for bacon and eggs.

Bird List:

Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis (pictured above)
Osprey Pandion haliaetus (pictured above)
Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Brush Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera
Great Egret Ardea alba
Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus

Worimi Regional Park

Worimi Regional Park is one of our favourite walks. In 2007, the New South Wales Government granted Crown lands at Stockton Bight to the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council and leased them back as three conservation reserves Worimi State Conservation Area, Worimi National Park, and Worimi Regional Park. The three areas allow for different uses while conserving Aboriginal heritage sites and the natural vegetation.

Dogs are allowed in the Regional park, and there are a network of tracks through the bushland to the Stockton Dunes near the Sygna wreck.

Bird List:

Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris (pictured above)
Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus
Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra
Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora
Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis
Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus

The World Series of Birding

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The World Series of Birding
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Jon Stewart & Steve Carell poke fun at the 2000 World Series of Birding.

Werakata National Park

On a return trip to Werakata to photograph the Regent Honeyeaters on a day with, if not more light, then at least no rain, I found this Satin Bowerbird's bower. The male builds two parallel walls of sticks and decorates the area with blue objects. He maintains it throughout the year, adjusting the position of the objects and keeping the walls neat with a mixture of chewed vegetable matter and saliva. When a female visits during breeding season the bower becomes a stage for his display.

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

With autumn flowering plants in full bloom, weeks of rain and mild temperatures have convinced many other plants that it's spring, so the Gardens were an inviting place for a walk on a day when the sun at least tried to appear.

A relatively small area of the gardens is planted and managed, organised into sections by habitat and species. The rest of the area has paths through the natural wetlands and bush.

The grevillea area was very busy with rosellas and spinebills. The flowering eucalypts above were filled with the screeches of lorikeets and noisy friarbirds. A whipbird scurried from shrub to shrub and could be heard scratching in the mulch from their protective depths.

Bird List:

Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius (pictured above)
Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna
Little Lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus
Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus

Kooragang Island

This evening I took Dusty and Thommo to Kooragang Island. There is a mown section in the industrial area where they can chase hares in safety. It safe for the hares too - there is no chance of them being caught.

With the river, mangroves, mown grass and native plantings it is often a productive area for birds. There are a number of weed species in this spot, including lantana, bitou bush, and coral trees.

Heavy clouds and the late afternoon encouraged me to use flash light, which I'm not fond of as a general rule - not just for ethical reasons, but because it alters the appearance of the plumage of many birds. It was interesting how reflective the white feathers of the White-plumed Honeyeaters were in the flash light.

Bird List:

• White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus (pictured above)
• Australian Raven Corvus coronoides
• Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
• Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
• Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
• Swamp Harrier Circus approximans
• Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
• Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
• Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
• Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
• White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
• Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus

Werakata National Park

I arrived at Werakata just on sunrise, meeting Mick and Lucas at the Pelton Road entrance. It was a mild morning at 15C, but grey, with a precipitation that was part drizzle, part fog. The track looked as though three weeks of rain on clay had been followed by a weekend off-road rally so we headed cross country.

The Lower Hunter Spotted Gum - Ironbark forest is dominated by spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) and broad-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa) with grey gum (E. punctata) and grey ironbark (E. crebra).

The spotted gums, in particular, were in flower and attracting a wide range of honeyeaters. This is the home turf of the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, and we saw many of them. High in the trees were large flocks of Little Lorikeet. Red Wattlebirds and Noisy Friarbirds did their best to keep other birds from the best flowers.

As we reached the creek we could hear Regent Honeyeaters and saw two fly out of an ironbark. We climbed the ridge following their calls and came across more than thirty birds, calling, flying and feeding in a large flowering spotted gum. At one point a dozen birds flew to nearby dead trees and perched for a moment before flying back. Nearby trees also had groups of three to five birds.

The weather showing no signs of improving, we walked back to a spot near where we'd parked where a separate small flock of Regent Honeyeaters where calling and feeding, despite being chased by Noisy Miners and Red Wattlebirds.

Not a great day for photography, but a wonderful experience to see so many honeyeaters, especially so many Regent Honeyeaters together.

Bird List:

• Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia (pictured above)
• Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii
• Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops
• Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops
• Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
• Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
• White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus
• Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus
• Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
• Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus
• Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa
• Australian Raven Corvus coronoides
• Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna
• Little Lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla
• Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus