Low-flying great blue heron at Malibu Creek State Park. These large, elegant birds are a familiar sight at the Park, hunting for fish, gophers and ground squirrels. Ardea herodias is the largest heron native to North America.
Ardea herodias
Tag: birds
Catherpes mexicanus
Before I’d opened any doors or windows, I heard some rather loud, scratchy, dzeee dzeee alarm calls in the living room. This little beauty had clearly spent the night in the house, and wanted out!
Salpinctes obsoletus
The rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) is a small songbird native to western North America, Mexico and Central America. They are apparently common and widespread, but this was the first time I’d ever noticed one.
I’ve learned that rock wrens usually build their nests in crevices among boulders or beneath large rock ledges, typically on the ground or just a few inches above it, resting on a foundation of small rocks. Uniquely, they create a “paving” or “front porch” at the entrance of the nesting site, often lined with small stones, bones, and various debris. The purpose of this “paving” remains a mystery, but it is evidently significant, as rock wrens construct it before building the nest itself.
The other fun sighting on this hike was a bobcat, calmly crossing the trail quite close to humans. I’ve seen these gorgeous cats in the same area of the Park on several other occasions; they are clearly habituated to hikers.
Pardalotus punctatus
I‘m a sucker for a bird with spots, so I was delighted to spy a group of spotted pardalotes at my sister’s bird bath. So pretty!
Callocephalon fimbriatum
My sister and I spotted a small flock of these stunning birds in the bush behind her house. The gang-gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum), native to the coastal regions of southeastern Australia, is easily recognised by its unique call, often likened to a creaky gate. It is the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory.
The loss of older, hollow trees and feeding habitats has caused a significant decline in the birds’ population in recent years. As a result, the gang-gang cockatoo is now classified as vulnerable in New South Wales and is slated for listing as endangered. So we were especially pleased to spot these beauties.
Cracticus nigrogularis
Bummed to realise that my “heavy cold” is actually Covid. It’s going to put a damper on the next few days, but I hope for a speedy recovery! 🤞🏻
Entomyzon cyanotis
“What is the name of that honeyeater with a blue face?” I wondered. Oh right, of course …
mrbbg
My sister Cass and I spent a lovely morning at the Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Gardens, birding and nature journaling, while Uncy Dan took the kids off on their own adventure.
Manorina melanocephala
Family time! Yay! I scooped up two of the young ’uns and took them for a fun weekend with Uncy Dan & Cass.
Sydney wildlife
There’s an active brush turkey nest in my friends’ front yard, right below the verandah. It’s a huge mound of mulch and leaf litter, several metres wide, which the male tends daily with much scratching and shifting of the plant material as the eggs incubate deep inside.
Brush turkeys are not exactly beloved in suburban gardens, as they steal every bit of mulch they can find. Once one starts building a mound, it’s pretty much impossible to get it to stop.
If the chosen location is really inconvenient, you can try to redirect the bird’s attention to a different part of your garden by creating a compost mound. The brush turkey might be drawn to this spot and eventually adopt the compost mound as its nesting site. Good luck!
hashiworks 