Saturday morning was shrouded in fog for most of Canberra until well after the best light for photography had gone. I felt somewhat cheated by losing a morning when I could have been out practicing my photography while enjoying the birdlife around the area. Later in the day I went out well before sunset to see what I could find to photograph. Even when I went out the sun was already low over the ridge of Red Hill meaning there was not much good light left. It is also that time of the year when there does not seem to be much diversity in the birdlife, just those birds who stay all year round. I also wondered if the short winter days made it harder for birds to feed in the afternoon and still have enough light to return to their night time locations. Despite what I have just written, I still enjoyed going for the walk as well as having a chance to see another part of Red Hill.
The highlight of the walk was to finally get some shots of the Satin Bowerbirds that inhabit a thicket on the western side of the golf course. These photos are still not great because the light was going by this stage and the Bowerbirds appear to be very wary around humans. I consider myself lucky to see three of them feeding at the western edge of the Federal Golf course just away form the thick undergrowth and shubbery betweent the course and the houses. Only one of the birds let me approach within any distance, with that bird eventually being chased off by Noisy Miners (see below). The disagreement between the birds continued into the undergrowth where I could both hear and occasionally see the ongoing commotion.
Little Corellas are always around the golf course in the late afternoon. The light was striking this group at just the right angle. The base of the tree was basically already in twilight while the denuded upper branches were still in the golden hour.
Little Corellas looking out over the golf course
There was a group of five Australian Wood Ducks feeding on the greens at the Federtal Golf Course. Eastern Rosellas pushed two Crested Pigeons around but did not touch the Wood Ducks. Two pairs were feeding together, male and female with a lone male feeding by himself. All were grouped togeher in a small area. The image below on the right shows Australian Wood Ducks, male on the right, with the darker head, and female on the left.
There were two of Eastern Rosellas feeding together on the greens at the Federal Golf Course. One in particular would occasionally chase a Crested Pigeon away on the ground, then the other Rosella would join in to chase the other Crested Pigeon away. They never attempted to push the Austalian Wood Ducks around.
Two Eastern Rosellas force two Crested Pigeons away from the food the Rosellas want
There is no escaping Noisy Miners in Canberra, they are present everywhere, apparently forcing out many smaller birds. There are still smaller birds around Red Hill but they are hard to see. Of course it may not just be the fault of the Noisy Miner, there may be other birds attacking them plus other predation, with the Noisy Miners being more successful because of their communal approach to activities.
A slightly bedraggled looking Sulphur-crested Cockatoo