This morning the walk around Red Hill Nature Reserve was even more special than usual as JackyF had sighted Gang-gang Cockatoo nestlings during the week. This was great news because Gang-gangs are picky breeders who have had many of their nesting spots destroyed when the large eucalyptus trees were removed around Canberra. Red Hill is a location they have used in the past for nesting so this sighting of nestlings is confirmation of a successful breeding season. We now all have our eyes open for other nestling sitings around Red Hill. I was also fortunate to see a juvenile Dollarbird on Red Hill. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Early in the morning, as I crossed what I call the Hughes nature corridor, heading towards Red Hill
One of the western entrances to Red Hill Nature Reserve off Kent Street
Getting artistic with a fungus on a log but using a telephoto lens for macro shooting
These three Crested Pigeons (Ocyphaps lophotes) were perched on an overhead cable along the back of the houses fringing the southern side of the reserve. I just liked the way the sun was striking them.
Crested Pigeons perched on a cable
I was of one-mind this morning, I really wanted to photograph Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) nestling. Fortunately, as I was approaching the first site, I had already seen a male high up in another tree, I could see a little bump where the hollow entrance was. I was right in guessing that was a nestling looking out. The first photograph shows the nestling as I basically saw him. He looked a bit shy but he eventually came a fair way out with his shoulders showing. A little while later another bump showed, which developed into a second head, as can be seen in the second photograph. They both had a good look around, with the second one always remaining lower. The first one preened its feathers and when it was by itself, a little later on, it seemed to stretch its wings. The second one came out again, but only as far as its head. Both of them disappeared back into the hollow after a little while as if being called to come back in.
My first view of one of the nestlings
The two nestlings together
The first nestling stretching its wings
As much as I like photographing Gang-gangs, after seeing the nestlings at the first hollow I really did feel a sense of disappointment about not seeing more at the other locations. I found the the Gang-gang couple where the female has the bad eye at a different location to where I have seen them in the past, they were a 100 m further east from the tree they were normally in. I first heard the male, before seeing him calling into a hollow log. The female, with only one eye, was in a tree on the other side of me. I cannot help making a story up about this pair. I really feel he is the young rebellious male, with his single tuft of black, while she is the much older women, who has had a very tough life, losing an eye in some nefarious activity, but they have bonded as they are both outsiders. Australian wildlife is impressive enough without making up frivolous stories like this but it is great having an imagination and she does make for a character-filled photographic subject.
The male seemed to be calling into a log when I first saw him
The missing eye gives this female a wizened, old look that suggests so much has been hard in her life
Further along yet another male and female appeared to both be tending something inside their hollow. I thought there may have been very young nestlings still inside the hollow. Both adults entered the hollow at different times but I could still see their tail feathers while they were inside, and those were moving about.
The male exiting the hollow
The female preparing to fly from the hollow
The female in flight
There was also another pair of Gang-gangs perched outside a tree they were potentially using as a hollow.
A pair of Gang-gangs outside their tree
Just after going through the gate I have as a photograph above, I saw a group of, possibly four, Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) moving through some low trees and shrubs. Initially the only birds I could see were female but eventually I saw a male. As I have seen before, there were Silvereyes in the same trees, apparently moving in a similar direction as the fairy-wrens but with no indication of territorial issues.
A female Superb Fairy-wren
The male in the Superb Fairy-wren group
Near the Gang-gang couple with the one-eyed female I saw this Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata) making its morning call. When the male Gang-gang took off, this wattlebird followed him like he was chasing the cockatoo but as they turned in a tight circle it looked like the cockatoo was chasing the wattlebird. They both returned to seperate branches with no further interaction before the wattlebird departed.
A Red Wattlebird making its very distinctive call
For the first time I saw three Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis), including a juvenile, on the northern facing aspect of Red Hill. (The juvenile can be distinguished as its beak is much duller than an adult beak and they lack the iridescent blue on their throat.) One adult was in a tree by itself while the juvenile and the other adult were in the same tree. The adult in the same tree as the juvenile was making a near continuous call, while the other adult was only calling sporadically. The juvenile was calling, but almost inaudibly from where I was. It was a different call, higher pitched, and almost continuously rolling notes. There was no interaction between the three. I had a look for a hollow but I could not see anything with my binoculars. I do not think there is a hollow on this side of the hill, I think they have flown here from somewhere else, as I was around this area for a while and I only heard their calling later in my walk, leading me to believe they had only just arrived.
An adult Dollarbird
A juvenile Dollarbird, note the duller beak as well as the lack of throat coloration
In one of the trees where I saw Gang-gangs, this male Australian King-parrot (Alisterus scapularis) flew onto a branch, without attracting the ire of the Gang-gangs. It did not stay long, before it flew off to the north again.
Australian King-parrot