Travelogue 2015/2 The Birds of Butchers Track Eucalyptus Pool (part 2)
#8
G’day,
Oct 9th, 2015 and it is still day one at the tiny pool of fresh water on the side of Butchers Track. Evening was approaching but the birds continued to come for drinks until the sun went down at 1820. I took my last bird photo, at the pool, at 1736 not because it was getting dark but because the time had gone past beer o'clock so I put my camera aside and attended to the important thing in life. The first photo below, img-1805, was taken at 1637. I have to repeat that this was an amazing experience in that all the birds allowed us to share their time and space with them for the two days we spent close to their pool of precious water. An oft quoted phrase "A once in a life time" experience sums it up. Over the next 59 minutes I took hundreds of photos. Below are 29 that I thought worthy of reproducing here?
img-1805 Crimson Chat + Zebra Finch
img-1808 Crimson Chat + Zebra Finch
img-1809 Black-fronted Dotterel
img-1812 Pink and Grey Galah
In my Simpson & Day these birds are called "Galah - Grey and Pink Cockatoo". What the - Nobody ever calls them anything but Pink and Grey Galah !
img-1814 Pink and Grey Galah
img-1819 Magpie-lark
I have always known this bird as a Peewit so from here on in a Peewit it will be.
img-1820 Peewit
img-1825 Common Bronzewing
Or Bronzewing Pigeon as I would call it.
img-1831 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-1833 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-1836 White-winged Triller. female
img-1837 Black-fronted Dotterel + Bronzewing
img-1839 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-1842 Galah
img 1845 Galah female on the left
Galahs mate for life.
img-1848.1 Crimson Chat
This must have been an excellent year for Crimson Chats as we saw hundreds on this trip where prior to this year we would have seen maybe five (5) in total.
img-1852 Crimson Chat male
img-1853 Galah
img-1857 Galah
img-1859 Crested Pigeon
img-1862 Two pairs of Galahs
On the left the left bird is female and on the right the right bird is female. Can you tell how to identify the sex of a Galah from the photos?
img-1865 A bedraggled juvenile Duck + Black-fronted Dotterel
Most likely a Pacific Black Duck
Most likely a Pacific Black Duck
img-1867 Galah
img-1869 Galah
I may-well have included too many photos of Galahs but they are by far the easiest bird to photograph (they stand or sit still, the don't mind you getting close and the colour is easy to focus on) and, lets face it, they are photogenic and most photos are of different birds as is the case with all other photos. AND I get to pick the photos!
img-1870 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-1872 Diamond Dove
img-1875 Bronzewing Pigeon + Black-fronted Dotterel
img-1876 Bronzewing Pigeon + Black-fronted Dotterel
img-1877 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-1879
This sunset has been included to demonstrate an intermission between photos taken on the 9th and 10th.
img-1881 Big Red Kangaroo A Doe and her Joey
img-1883 Big Red Kangaroo
Taken after sunset and from a fair distance well after beer o'clock commenced. Not bad I thought?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day- Oct 10th- Same place- although the photos are taken from a slightly different angle, the water is mostly the same spot as yesterday, with some photos taken from the same spot but at a different angle towards a slightly bigger part of the pool a few yards behind me.
img-1886 Budgerigars
img-1887 Budgerigars + Woodswallow
img-1888 Budgerigars
img-1890 a pair of Wieros + Galah
The male Weiro is on the left
The male Weiro is on the left
img-1891 a pair of Wieros. Male on the left
img-1894 Budgerigars
img-1896 Budgerigars
img-1898 Budgerigars
The Budgies kept coming in in their thousands all day long with hardly a gap between an outgoing flock and the next incoming flock.
img-1900 Budgies + Galahs + Woodswallows + Dotterel
It's amazing how the different species all congregate together when quenching thirst is the overpowering need.
img-1904 Budgerigars + Woodswallows
Note the size of their pool.
Note the size of their pool.
img-1907 Crested Pigeon
img-1908 Juvenile Duck
img-1911 Black-tailed Native-hen juvenile
I was sitting on a lazy boy chair, slightly camouflaged behind the grass, when this little fella walked right up to me.
img-1919 Budgerigars + Woodswallows
img-1919 Budgerigars + Woodswallows
img-1925 Galahs
img-1937 Willy Wagtail
If Galahs are easy to photograph then Willy Wagtails are right up there amongst the hardest. Willy Wagtails, as their name suggests, have a definite case of the fidgets and don't sit still for hardly a second and give no thought to the poor old photographer trying to capture their image coupled with their mostly black colour makes for a difficult subject to focus on and photograph. This one was intent on a drink and gave up the fidgets while drinks were obtained.
img-1947 Honeyeater spc. ???
img-1952 Budgerigars + pair of Crimson Chats
img-1953 Crimson Chats. female on left
img-1958 Zebra Finch + pair of Crimson Chats
img-1960 Willy Wagtail
Their white eyebrow give them a sinister look.
Their white eyebrow give them a sinister look.
img-1966 Diamond Dove
img-1967 Zebra Finch
img-1973 pair of Bourke's parrot male on left
We have seen only a few of these birds over many years wandering about Australia but that is probably due to the restricted areas they live in.
img-1974 Bourke's Parrot male
img-1975 pair of Bourke's Parrot male on left
img-1976 pair of Bourke's Parrot + Zebra Finch+ Crimson Chat
img-1980 Diamond Dove + Bourke's Parrot pair
img-1983 Zebra Finch
Checking out their surroundings while waiting for their turn at the water.
img-1992 Budgerigars + Zebra Finch
img-1996 Pacific Black Duck juvenile
img-2000 Black-fronted Dotterel
img-2009 Bronzewing Pigeon
img-2010 Bronzewing Pigeon
The pool where most of the photos were taken is an extension of this pool and is behind the photographer. This brings to an end the birds of Eucalypt Pool Butchers Track. (my name)
If you are interested in reading a bit of history then click on the link below to learn who Mr William Butcher was and whose name adorns the track.
If you are interested in reading a bit of history then click on the link below to learn who Mr William Butcher was and whose name adorns the track.
Among many of his achievements he founded Avondale Estate, which is now an agricultural research farm. It is open to the public and well worth a visit. It has includes historical buildings and a fabulous farm machinery museum including a traction engine that used to belong to the neighbors when I was kid. The farm has many trees that Rosalie and I helped plant as volunteers with Landcare 20 years ago.
Next Travelogue will bring to you- Birds of Bilung Pool, including many different species to the 18 already shown.
Travelogue 2015/2 The Birds of Butchers Track Eucalyptus Pool (part 2) #8 Ends
Geoff
mmmmmmmmmmmmm
Beautiful photos of the birds and countryside.
ReplyDelete