The birdlife around Red Hill Nature Reserve was even better than usual on this Saturday morning. I saw my first Dollarbird of the season and two species of Corellas were around. There was also a Laughing Kookaburra in a hollow. The wonderful birdlife combined with a warm, sunny morning made it a great start to the day. I hope you like the photographs below.
Cobwebs on a fence
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/250 SEC])
A group of four Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus) were in a tall eucalyptus tree. They were being hassled by some Noisy Miners. The miners chased away two lorikeets then two other other lorikeets chased away those miners. Then two more miners chased away one lorikeet while the other lorikeet just shifted branches but shortly afterwards also left, possibly as there were no more lorikeets in the tree.
Rainbow Lorikeet
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
A juvenile Australian King-parrot (Alisterus scapularis) was alone in a tree, occasionally calling. It was not concerned by my presence below it, seemingly more focussed on looking for something in the sky.
Juvenile Australian King-parrot
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 800, 400mm, f/6.3 and 1/400 SEC])
Laughing Kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) are plentiful on Red Hill. In approaching a hollow I had previously seen coming under the attention of birds, I thought I could see something white inside. I photographed the hollow from a distance and only when I was processing the shot did I see it was most likely the crown of a kookaburra. I basically confirmed the species when I saw a kookaburra fly onto a branch near the hollow before it quickly moved inside. Unfortunately, I was too slow to get the shot and the bird did not re-emerge while I waited with my camera ready.
Laughing Kookaburra
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The crown of a kookaburra barely visible inside a hollow
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) was calling from the top of a dead tree. Normally these birds are much higher in trees so I was lucky to see it at this height. I kept edging closer but it finally flew off to a nearby tree. I could hear what sounded like a disturbance between it and a cockatoo or corella although I could not see what was happening. Eventually, I was able to locate the Dollarbird in the tree but by that stage I could see a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and two Long-billed Corellas but there was no interaction with the Dollarbird, instead the Dollarbird was having a hard time with some Indian Mynahs. The Dollarbird eventually flew back to the original dead tree. There was a Noisy Miner slightly higher on the same branch as the Dollarbird and the Dollarbird forced it off the end of the branch, although the miner just flew to lower down that same branch and the Dollarbird did not pursue it, although it mush have been less than 50 cm away. After a little while the Dollarbird reversed its position by turning around before it flew off to the south. It is great seeing these birds, as they migrate from the humidty of New Guinea to the dry heat of an Australian summer to breed. I think it is amazing to have such birds probably breeding just minutes from my house.
Dollarbird
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
The next shot after the photograph at the top of the post
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) are starting to appear now.
Little Corella
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/640 SEC])
This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) stayed in this tree hollow the whole 20 minutes or so I was looking at the tree. I thought the red discolouration on its feathers may have indicated a possible hybrid with a corella but the knowledgeable moderators at Canberra Nature Map indicated it was more likely staining from looking for food.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo looking a little tired
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1600 SEC])
This Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) couple were conducting some mutual preening, before they moved to the trunk of the tree where there may have been a hollow, but I was on the wrong side to see. Neither bird went far into the hollow so I am not sure if it was deep or just a scraping.
Two Long-billed Corellas preening each other
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1600 SEC])
For some reason, this photo evokes Phantom of the Opera
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/1600 SEC])
This Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) pair was sitting quietly in a tree right beside the path. Both looked preened and well kept although these was a lot of bark chewing near where the female was. They flew to a tree on the other side of the path, where they started making more noise, possibly in response to the calls from other Gang-gangs further away. I moved on in case they were near a hollow but neither tree seemed to have any obvious hollows.
Gang-gang Cockatoo male
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
Gang-gang Cockatoo female
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
A head study of the female
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])
There were two Wedge-tailed Eagles (Aquila audax) soaring high above Red Hill in circles, gradually moving northwards. One of the birds seemed to have wing feathers that looked very worn and rough whereas the other had far smoother feathers. Although, I was photographing at the extent of my telephoto lens.
Wedge-tailed Eagle
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/800 SEC])