Archive for category Mooroobool

The Local Clown

Nov 26

Well, with poor weather presiding over Cairns the last few days, I thought it a good idea to show some photos I got of one of our resident Laughing Kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae). On what I believe was the first day I got the Panasonic Lumix FZ35, this lovely adult bird presented itself about two metres in front of us on the path we were walking.

Also, if anyone remember my earlier post explaining how to identify different Australian egret species, I have now added a photo of the Ardea intermedia to the post for reference.

Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica) Nesting Colony

Nov 13

Posted by Sebastian | 2 Comments

About a week ago (7/11), I dragged myself out of bed and went to investigate a Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica) nesting colony near the Raintrees Shopping Centre in Cairns. To grasp the concept of colonial breeding you need only step within 200m of a nesting colony of this species. They are noisy, boisterous and always busy. From my time following these red-eyed starlings around Cairns I can say with confidence, that except in the case of a juvenile, it is rare to catch one of these birds standing still. Following is the video I caught of them. If you look closely on the second cut, you can actually see two birds weaving a nest on the end of the limb. It appears that the initial weaving is actually done with bark stripped from the limb itself. Clever way to make sure the nests stay firmly fixed!
Apologies for the delay in posting this video, uploading it in HD while keeping it smooth has proved a nightmare. In the end I uploaded it to Vimeo instead of YouTube and it worked. Here it is!

http://www.vimeo.com/7588105

Tags: birding, birds, Cairns, fz35, fz38, metallic starling, nesting

Another dreary day

Nov 11

Posted by Sebastian | No Comments

Well, you know the wet season is fast approaching when the good days are overcast days. Rain was the name of the game today, so I decided my role must surely be in front of the TV watching a good movie. Of course, things didn’t work out that way. Our bedroom window balcony happens to be in the canopy of a couple of Freshwater Mangrove (Barringtonia acutangula) trees that the local birds are quite fond of. I found myself creeping out of the balcony doors with the camera nearly every 10 minutes! This viewing of Three Kings has left me feeling that Iraq has a healthy population of Figbirds (Sphecotheres viridis), Dusky Honeyeaters (Myzomela obscura), Helmeted Friarbirds (Philemon buceroides) and Yellow-bellied Sunbirds (Nectarinia jugularis). Luck being what it is however, the only good photos I managed to snap were of a Helmeted Friarbird which was preening itself nearby and a female Figbird which came with its partner to feed on the fruit of a Solitaire Palm (Ptychosperma elegans) in the back courtyard.