I thought I would try a different design approach with this post. Rather than upload multiple photographs of the same subject, I thought I would instead use one picture only to portray the subject. The ‘less-is-more’ approach. I think it helps de-clutter the post if nothing else. I will see how it goes but I thought my walk around Callum Brae Nature Reserve on Sunday, 18 November would be a good post to start with. Callum Brae was looking so dry. The vegetation was still that light Australian green colour so much flora seems to be in Canberra but the dams were looking very empty. In approaching one small dam I was unable to photograph a Little Pied Cormorant that I had scared off. I was amazed to see it at that remnant of water, I am not sure what it had been hunting. There was also this old, stone-lined run-off channel that seemed to taunt modern visitors with how much rain once must have fallen on that land to justify constructing that diversion. Now, it is grass-covered with saplings well established, as if saying no water will flow along its course again. There was still birdlife at Callum Brae but it was the first time I saw several species of birds come down for water. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
The remnants of one dam where the Crimson Rosella was drinking
The struggle - a dead eucalyptus with an introduced plant growing inside it
The first birds I saw were this pair of Little Corellas. These are very common birds but I had not seen any for a while so I thought it would be nice to photograph them. They were perched high up in a tree surveying their surrounds. They initially perched shoulder-to-shoulder but the right hand bird slowly moved further down the perch.
Common Starlings are plentiful at Callum Brae but more where the reserve meets the open lands of a farm in the north-east. They were moving between two trees with an apparent disagreement between individuals or groups. The photo below is one of a series I took of these birds struggling with each other on the wing.
Striated Pardalotes were calling throughout my walk at Callum Brae but it can be hard to see these little birds. I looked for them in several trees but it almost seemed that when I was close to where I believe their song emanated from, the call would then be made from a different tree. Yet, I had not seen any birds fly to that tree. I was finally able to find these birds. There was a group of five or six birds which moved rapidly between trees. They were the only birds I saw and they were in the same tree as the last pardalote I photographed on the previous visit. They landed in that tree, moved around it, then all departed at basically the same time but individually.
There are always Crimson Rosellas around Canberra. They are beautiful birds. I know I said I was only going to use one photo per bird but I can break my own rules. The top photo was of a bird that landed on a branch directly to the south from where I was with sun behind me. It posed perfectly for this photograph. It brings out the colours of the bird perfectly. The second photograph was of one of a pair of rosellas that arrived to drink at the small dam in the photograph at the top of this post. The branch is at the back left of the dam. One arrived to drink first. It landed at the highest point of the branch before sidling down the branch to the water. It gulped some water into its mouth before lifting its head to let the water run down its throat. It looked around before repeating the process. A second rosella joined it but they both flew off soon afterwards, before I could snap a photograph.
The beautifully posed Crimson Rosella
The first of the drinking Crimson Rosellas
I was up on the high ground in the south of the reserve when I saw this beautiful v-formation of Australian White Ibis fly from the west across the sky heading east.
There were a number of Yellow-rumped Thornbills around Callum Brae but they were hard to photograph. This bird was one of a small group on the high ground in the south. It was flying between small shrubs and a small tree.
This Noisy Friarbird was by itself when it landed on the branch. It was not calling out. I was able to pass directly underneath it without disturbing the bird. It did some preening but otherwise remained quietly, just moving its head, on the branch.
Four Sulphur-crested Cockatoos landed beside another small dam, the one with the superfluous overflow channel. They were thirsty, heading to water to have a drink. They went to the water at different times. This one had a drink then appeared to wander around the banks of the dam feeding off things on the ground. Another flock of cockatoos came close to the dam, screeching their approach. These four birds responded with their calls before taking off to head in the same direction as the flock.
The drying of the water sources may be having other impacts. This dried shell of, what I assume was, an Eastern Snake-necked Turtle also included its limbs as well as most of its neck. A bird or another animal may have attacked it first, but why did it take only the head? Why not some of the other parts of the reptile, like the legs. The alternative is the turtle was overwhelmed by the heat as this was not a fully grown turtle, it was barely half the size of the one I had seen on 15 November
Arriving back home there was a Galah feeding at my bird table I had made following the ceramic one breaking.