Fun Facts: A fun fact about Australia’s favourite bird.
The male Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) has been described as the least faithful bird in the world. Females may be courted by up to thirteen males in half an hour.
These photos are of a male Common Bronzewing or Phaps chalcoptera, just one of a flock of nine or so resident in my backyard.
The male is identified by the rich cream coloured forehead. The female has a grey forehead, and the white line under the eye is wider. Her breast is grey-buff.
Footnote:
Please Note: I am the copyright holder of all photographs that appear on this blog. Please respect my copyright.
There is a New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) which frequents my backyard. I have tried many times to photograph it without success. This weekend I have managed to get a couple of quick snaps that I am happy to post. (I have plenty of bad or blurred shots.)
These birdsare active eaters and will dart from flower to flower in search of nectar, a high energy food. They also will eat fruit, insects and spiders.
TheNew Holland Honeyeater will breed any time of the year but mainly in summer and winter. An adult pair may raise two or three broods in a year. Clutch size is 2 to 3 eggs which will take about 18 days to incubate. The fledgling birds will spend 16 days in the nest.
All photos posted here, were taken by me and are copyright.
Crimson Rosellas are found in south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and much of Victoria. They belong to the subspecies elegans (Platycercus elegans elegans). I have good numbers of them visiting my backyard, especially when I put seed out. It’s mid-winter here where I live and the cold conditions we are experiencing seems to have sharpened their appetites.
The photos above are immature Crimson Rosellas. They were perched near one of the feeding stations, all fluffed up to ward off the winter cold.
This photo is of an adult bird. It takes about fifteen months for the immature birds to get to this stage.
All photos posted here, were taken by me and are copyrighted.
Crimson Rosellas are found in south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and much of Victoria. They belong to the subspecies elegans (Platycercus elegans elegans).
A mature adult Crimson Rosella or Platycercus elegans in South West, Victoria, Australia
Crimson Rosellas gather in small flocks and feed together. During the breeding season (September to January), they will feed in pairs, when they have selected a mate. A nest will be selected in a hollow high in a tree, and it will be lined with wood shavings and dust. The female incubates the eggs; a clutch can consist of 3 to 5 eggs, but normally is 4 eggs. Both sexes care for the chics. The young will stay dependent on the adults for up to 35 days after leaving the nest.
Immature Crimson Rosellas, Platycercus elegans in South West, Victoria, AustraliaAn immature Crimson Rosella, also called Green Parrots in South West, Victoria, Australia
Footnote:
Please Note: I am the copyright holder of all photographs that appear on this blog. Please respect my copyright.
Acknowledgement: I respect and acknowledge the Gulidjan people as the First Peoples and Traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which I live.
It’s every photographer’s (and artist’s) dream to have someone look at their work and go “wow!”. But, how often does a photographer see one of his own photos, loves it, but others shrug their shoulders and say: “Yeah, it’s ok”.
The reaction to the photo I am about to post has astounded me. I posted it on Twitter and to my amazement it is the best reaction I have ever had to one of my tweets in the ten years I have used that platform.
A Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera) being watched by a Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), in Victoria, Australia.
As I focused on the Common Bronzewing I could see the bright red in the background, and by simply changing the angle of the camera and lens, I composed the photo so that the whole bird was in the background.
As all bird photographers know, when snapping birds, everything changes quickly and you have to click fast or lose the moment. My only regret about this photo is, if I had time to change the settings on my camera I might have been able to get both birds in focus.
Please Note: I am the copyright holder of all photographs that appear on this blog. Please respect my copyright.
The Bendigo Town Hall is considered one of the finest Victorian-era Second Empire buildings in Australia. It was originally designed by the town clerk, George Avery Fletcher in 1859.
Bendigo Town Hall, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
1866: Council chamber was added.
1871-1872: The Corn Exchange (a hall for the trading of grain) was added, also.
1878: Architect William (Wilheim) Vahland was engaged to convert the town hall into something worthy of Bendigo’s leading position of being the “City of Gold”.
Vahland engaged Otto Waschatz to design the town hall’s interior which featured decorative plaster adorned with 22-carat gold leaf, reflecting the opulence of the “city built on gold”.
1885: The end result, was considered one of Vahland’s most significant works and has been considered the finest “boom style” building of its kind in Victoria.
2003: Extensive works undertaken returned the Bendigo Town Hall to its 19th century splendour.
Bendigo Town Hall, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Please Note: I am the copyright holder of all photographs that appear on this blog. Please respect my copyright.
I respect and acknowledge the Gulidjan people as the First Peoples and Traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which I live.
Banksia spinulosa, also known as the Hairpin Banksia, is a species of woody shrub native to eastern Australia. The following photos are of the Hairpin Banksia I have growing in my back yard.
The following photographs were taken yesterday on a short visit to the Williamstown Botanical Gardens. The official start to Spring is still a few days away, however, if one kept out of the chilly breeze, one would think it had started a little early.
Flowers, Botanic Gardens, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia
By chance, the entry I used had me walking towards the sun. A lot of what I saw was backlit; not a bad thing.
While not as colourful as other birds that visit my backyard, the Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica) is still a handsome bird, in my opinion.
A collection of photographs describing the natural beauty and wildlife of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh and beyond.**** All pictures are taken by yours truly with Canon Powershot SX50HS****
fredodonnellphotography 