Details: The great tit is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of North Africa where it is generally resident in any sort of woodland; most great tits do not migrate except in extremely harsh winters. Until 2005 this species was lumped with numerous other subspecies.
Notes: Probably the coldest day of the whole Winter. I photographed blue tits and great tits feeding on a bird feeder on Skansen. I sacrificed my hands to the bitter cold to take these photographs. Afterwards rushing to get some feeling back into them they had gone so blue in the -18c temperature.
Details: The Eurasian coot, also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-black body, a glossy black head and a white bill with a white frontal shield.
Notes: I have seen a few of these around but haven't taken a decent photograph of one. As they are quite common i haven't put the time into photographing them as they are usually around whilst I'm looking for platypus.
Details: The Eurasian blue tit is easily recognisable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, are widespread and a common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and the western Palearctic in deciduous or mixed woodlands with a high proportion of oak.
Notes: One of the most common birds in the UK, unfortunately I didn't get a better photograph of it with my time in the UK, it was an incredibly busy few months and only managed to get my camera out on a couple of occassions. Hopefully I will have more luck in Sweden.
Details: The common blackbird is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird. It breeds in Europe, Asiatic Russia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand
Notes: A beautifully cold morning in Sweden, I was sure I had photographed many Eurasian Blackbirds before but this ended up being the only one the entire year. A good reason to always make sure you photograph all the birds you can.
Details: This bird is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia. It is mainly resident, but some northernmost populations migrate further south. The greenfinch has also been introduced into Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Argentina. In Malta, it is considered a prestigious songbird, and it has been trapped for many years. It has been domesticated, and many Maltese people breed them. In Hungary, it is threatened. It has just recently been recorded in Quetta, Pakistan.
Notes: After spending a night in a castle near Stockholm, we took a walk around the lake that was beginning to freeze for the Winter months. These greenfinches were being shy, darting in and out of of the bushes but I did manage to get one wintery shot.
Details: The Eurasian jay is a species of passerine bird in the family Corvidae. It occurs over a vast region from western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia. Across this vast range, several distinct racial forms have evolved which look very different from each other, especially when comparing forms at the extremes of its range.
Notes: Jays remind me of walking the dogs in the woods with my mum when I was younger. We would sometimes spot one and it would usually be the 'best' bird we saw that day. It's been many years since I last saw one until this one in late November.
Details: The Eurasian Jackdaw is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa; it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in the winter.
Notes: Although similar to crows, I found the jackdaws markings to be a lot more defining, making them nicer to photograph. They reminded me of the Apostlebirds that I photographed in Australia because of their mischevious looks.
Details: The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
Notes: After the incredible amount of birds in Australia, I was worried I would be limited in Sweden, and although this might be true, there's still room for some incredibly beautiful birds, you just need to look a bit harder, like for this nuthatch.
Details: The hooded crow is a Eurasian bird species. Found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, it is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet.
Notes: I'm not sure I had seen a Hooded Crow before coming to Sweden, they aren't a bird I remember seeing growing up in the UK where the standard crow is quite prevalant. With their light grey markings they are a lot more interesting.
Details: The Eurasian magpie or common magpie is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all non-human animals. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brain of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans. It is the only bird known to pass the mirror test, along with very few other non-avian species.
Notes: Growing up I never really appreciated the magpie very much but after their more savage siblings in Australia, I have come to appreciate the Eurasian Magpie in it's own right.
Details: The mallard is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa.
Notes: The classic duck. There were lots of these at the beginning of the year on the Yarra river in Melbourne but never actually photographed one. It was only later in the year in Stockholm that I decided to finally photograph one and get it on my list.
Details: The spotted flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range. This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name.
Notes: After my birthday picnic I decided to photograph some of the birds flying around which turned out to be spotted flycatchers (at least I think, English birds are so difficult to identify). Fortunately I managed to get a few shots off before my memory card in my camera decided to error and I couldn't take anymore.
Details: The common buzzard is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across much of the Palearctic as far as the northwestern China (Tian Shan), far western Siberia and northwestern Mongolia.
Notes: Whilst sitting in the grounds of Petworth House on birthday, I was watching the numerous birds enjoying the beautiful weather. Whilst eating a picnic this common buzzard came and landed in the tree. I waited just as it began to fly off to get this photograph of it in flight.
Details: The European robin, known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Great Britain, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. The male and female are similar in colouration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly.
Notes: I couldn't leave the UK without making sure I photographed the classic robin. After going for a walk and seeing very little birds, the robin was right in the tree just before we got back to the car, this seems to be a recurring theme.
Details: The Eurasian wren is a very small insectivorous bird, and the only member of the wren family Troglodytidae found in Eurasia and Africa. In Anglophone Europe, it is commonly known simply as the wren. It has a very short tail which is often held erect, a short neck and a relative long thin bill. It is russet brown above, paler buff-brown below and has a cream buff supercilium. The sexes are alike.
Notes: Spending the evening before my birthday in Haslemere, we took a walk across the common in the evening through a beautiful traditional English wood, on the way out this little eurasian wren was hopping about the lower branches of some bushes.
Details: The great spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across the Palearctic including parts of North Africa. Great spotted woodpeckers chisel into trees to find food or excavate nest holes, and also drum for contact and territorial advertisement; like other woodpeckers, they have anatomical adaptations to manage the physical stresses from the hammering action.
Notes: About an hour before I took this photograph, I said to my partner Bryony that I hadn't seen a woodpecker in years, of course I then see this one climbing the tree. This is becoming a regular occurance now, I said I hadn't seen an owl in Borneo and then saw one a matter of minutes later, and the same applies to a kingfisher in Australia. Perhaps I will start saying even rarer birds.
Details: The European rock pipit, or just rock pipit, is a species of small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe on rocky coasts. It has streaked greyish-brown upperparts and buff underparts, and is similar in appearance to other European pipits. There are three subspecies, of which only the Fennoscandian form is migratory, wintering in shoreline habitats further south in Europe. The European rock pipit is territorial at least in the breeding season, and year-round where it is resident. Males will sometimes enter an adjacent territory to assist the resident in repelling an intruder, behaviour only otherwise known from the African fiddler crab.
Notes: I found it incredibly hard to identify this bird, simply because there are so many birds similar to it in the area. I might have captured some other birds but after a lot of research I've come to the conclusion they are all rock pipits rather than medaow pipits. They were incredibly small and fast, darting around the valleys and ocassionaly landing on rocks or in the grass.
Details: The European herring gull is a large gull, up to 66cm long. One of the best-known of all gulls along the shores of Western Europe, it was once abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic states. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, e.g. in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, chips, and dead animals, as well as some plants.
Notes: The day before climbing Mount Snowdon we had a bimble around some of the other mountains in the area. There were many small birds flying around but the odd herring gull swooped down too. Another rainy drizzly day during the British summer.
Details: The common blackbird is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, mud-lined, cup-shaped nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.
Notes: After a cold and windy walk around Arne, we stopped for a hot chocolate, as I waited this blackbird sat upon this wire for around 10 minutes. As I had only photographed a juvenile before, i made sure I got the adult in all its glory.
Details: The grey heron is a long-legged predatory wading bird native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
Notes: This grey heron was so far away it was barely visible with the naked eye. It was only through my camera that I spotted it. The fact it was a rainy and cloudy day didn't help the conditions.
Details: The white wagtail breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and man-made structures.
Notes: The last bird I captured before leaving Arne, a few new birds but mostly they had decided it was a rainy day and they wern't too interested in being out. However, this was my favourite bird photograph of the day due to the way the wagtail clearly stands out from the blurred background.
Details: The carrion crow is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. The plumage of the carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. The bill, legs and feet are also black. It can be distinguished from the common raven by its size.
Notes: My opportunities to photograph in the UK were limited so I was left with a really small collection of birds to photograph, but one of the surprising joys of this project is to accept something less than satisfactory and move forward.
Details: The black-headed gull is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds reside in the milder westernmost areas of Europe. Small numbers also occur in northeastern North America, where it was formerly known as the common black-headed gull.
Notes: We woke up one day and took a trip to Arne with my mother, it was a traditional summers day in the UK and by that I mean windy, cloudy and a bit of drizzle. There wasn't too much bird life about, they had all hidden away from the weather like this black-headed gull.
Details: The Canada goose is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and its migration occasionally reaches across the Atlantic to northern Europe. It has been introduced to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands.
Notes: Sitting in a bird hide trying to spot some birds at the back of Poole Harbour wasn't particularly fruitful but it provided a break from the wind. In the distance these Canada Geese braved the English summer.
Details: The common shelduck is a waterfowl, widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions. The common shelduck resembles a small short-necked goose in size and shape. It is a striking bird, with a reddish-pink bill, pink feet, a white body with chestnut patches and a black belly, and a dark green head and neck.
Notes: Beautiful markings and colours make the shelduck easy to spot and identify. This one caught me photographing it from the bird hide in Arne, Dorset. A cloudy miserable day but that didn't stop the shelducks from carrying on with their usual business.
Details: The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65cm in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band. The body feathers are edged with yellow giving a scalloped appearance. The adult male has a black beak and pinkish-red eye-rings, and the female has a bone-coloured beak and grey eye-rings. In flight, yellow-tailed black cockatoos flap deeply and slowly, with a peculiar heavy fluid motion. Their loud, wailing calls carry for long distances.
Notes: Another species of black cockatoo but still shy to the camera. It was getting dark in the forest and the storm was coming in stronger, I could hear the black cockatoos in the distance and finally managed to get a chance to photograph them through the trees. This was the best i managed in the light and distance, a terrible photograph but I can just about add them to the list of birds photographed in Australia. The black cockatoos where camera shy until the end.
Details: The chicken, a subspecies of the red junglefowl, is a type of domesticated fowl, originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult male bird, and younger male may be called a cockerel. A male that has been castrated is a capon. An adult female bird is called a hen and a sexually immature female is called a pullet.
Notes: I wondered whether to include domesticated birds in this list and on the whole I haven't. There are a few exceptions, a peacock and now a chicken, but I can't see any other domesticated birds being included on this list. I also quite like this photograph of a chicken in the torrential rain on Kangaroo Island.
Details: The black-fronted dotterel is widespread throughout Australia including in Tasmania and self-introduced in New Zealand where it is now also common. It inhabits the edges of freshwater sources including wetlands, alakes, swamps, dams and billabongs, and in shallow, temporary claypan pools. Occasionally, it can also be found occupying saline mudflats and estuaries. Will avoid water more than a few mm deep and heavy vegetation.
Notes: The final few weeks of living in Australia, we were on Kangaroo Island. Staying at a campsite on the south west of the island, i sat watching birds in the lake as the sunset. This black-faced dotterel wouldn't let me get any closer than this before it would fly off.
Details: The restless flycatcher is also known as the razor grinder or scissors grinder because of its distinctive call. It is a native of eastern and southern Australia. Populations in New Guinea and northern Australia, which were at one time considered to be a subspecies, are now accepted as a separate species, the paperbark flycatcher. It is a small to medium-sized bird and has similar colouring to the willie wagtail.
Notes: Very similar to the paperbark flycatcher and the willie wagtail, I felt very lucky to photograph this species too, even if it did do its best to hide from me behind all the branches of the bush during a break in the stormy weather on Kangaroo Island.
Details: The Pacific gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. Much larger than the ubiquitous silver gull, and nowhere near as common, Pacific gulls are usually seen alone or in pairs, loafing around the shoreline, steadily patrolling high above the edge of the water, or (sometimes) zooming high on the breeze to drop a shellfish or sea urchin onto rocks.
Notes: I wanted to see a pacific gull as they seem so much more impressive than any other type of gull that seem to merge together. We were on the south of Kangaroo Island watching the fur seals (which you can see out of focus on the left of this image), and down on the rocks I finally saw a pacific gull. You would never mistake that beak!
Details: The Cape Barren goose is a large goose resident in southern Australia. These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique. The tail and flight feathers are blackish and the legs are pink with black feet. The short, decurved black bill and green cere gives it a very peculiar expression.
Notes: A beautiful goose that we saw a number of on Kangaroo Island. We had heard them the night before, mistaking them for wild pigs. It was only the next day we realise that the grunting like sound actually came from these geese. Their sound certainly doesn't match their look.
Details: The wedge-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. The wedge-tailed eagle is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. A large brown bird of prey, it has a wingspan up to 2.84m and a length up to 1.06m.
Notes: I could write for days about the wedge-tailed eagle and have many tails to tell of this magnificent creature. Driving down the long straight highways of Australia, you would often see a mound in the road in the distance, this would be the wedge-tailed eagle feeding on other roadkill like kangaroos (as can be seen here). You would have to slow down as they wouldn't get out of the way and due to the size of them they would take some time to take off.
Details: The white-plumed honeyeater is a small passerine bird endemic to Australia. White-plumed honeyeaters are common around water and are often seen in backyards and suburbs with vegetation cover. The plumage does not differ between the sexes. The distinguishing characteristic is a conspicuous white plume across the neck from the throat to the edge of the nape. The top of head and neck are olive, with a yellow eye-ring surrounding a black-brown to olive-brown eye.
Notes: I must have taken this somewhere along the highway in South Australia, but I'm not sure where. I only took one photograph of this bird so it must have flown off or I shot it from the van. It's a beautiful bird and I would have loved to have more of an opportunity to shoot more of these colourful honeyeaters.
Details: The spiny-cheeked honeyeater is the only species in the genus Acanthagenys. It is large, for a honeyeater, ranging from 22 to 27 centimeters and weighing around 52 grams. The birds are sociable, aggressive, and often observed foraging in large flocks.
Notes: Driving down from the Northern Territories we stopped directly on the border with South Australia for the evening. The next morning we got up for sunrise and photographed the birds. I found an unusual bird nest in the desert and watched the spiny-cheeked honeyeaters catch their breakfast in the form of flies.
Details: The red-capped robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Found in drier regions across much of the continent, it inhabits scrub and open woodland. Like many brightly coloured robins of the family Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic.
Notes: The small female birds are really tough to distinguish. It was only by looking through my other photographs that I realised I had wrongly identified this bird. I believe this is the female red-capped robin, the much less distinguisable and unremarkable of the sexes. It is worth looking up the male red-capped robin as their markings are stunning, but unfortunately I didn't see one these. The closes male bird I captured to this is the scarlet robin which is also worth taking a look at.
Details: The budgerigar, also known as the common parakeet or shell parakeet, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. It is found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia, where it has survived harsh inland conditions for over five million years. Its success can be attributed to a nomadic lifestyle and its ability to breed while on the move.
Notes: Kata Tjuta was an absolute haven for bird life. The sheltered valleys gave perfect opportunity for an abundance of species to thrive. On arriving, I saw my first two budgerigars mating on top of a branch. Afterwards she flew into her home in the tree and the male was bringing her gifts as can be seen in this photograph.
Details: The painted firetail is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. The painted firetail acquired its name due to the red and white spotted and mottled underparts of both males and females.
Notes: Another beautiful bird from Kata Tjuta. This painted firetail came and landed on the rock infront of me and perfectly framed itself allowing for a nice blurred background. I think Kata Tjuta is in the top 3 places in Australia to go for bird life.
Details: The zebra finch is the most common estrildid finch of Central Australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and some areas of the tropical far north. It can also be found natively on Timor island. The bird has been introduced to Puerto Rico and Portugal.
Notes: Another beautiful finch that makes its home in Kata Tjuta. Much like the budgerigar there was an abundance of these finches flying through the valley, playing and hunting with their exotic colours and markings.
Details: The crimson chat is a species of small bird found in Australia. It is also known as the tricoloured chat, saltbush canary, and crimson-breasted nun. Crimson chats can be found in deserts, semi-arid regions, woodlands, grasslands and coastal shrublands in the central part of Australia from the west coast to the Great Dividing Range and from the tropics to the south coast.
Notes: Although this crimson chat is really pretty, this is actually the female of the species. I didn't come across the striking male which is unmistakable. However, if I had a longer time in Kata Tjuta, i have no doubt it wouldn't be long before the male came along.
Details: The little woodswallow, is a bird patchily distributed over much of mainland Australia, avoiding only the driest deserts and the area within about 300 kilometres of the southern coastline, and showing a preference for rugged terrain around inland ranges.
Notes: Another bird I managed to discover in Kata Tjuta, unfortunately not the sharpest or best photograph but I only had one a small window before it flew off. The woodswallows are some of my favourite birds due to their bulky frame.
Details: The yellow-throated miner is a species of colonial honeyeater, endemic to Australia. It is also known as the white-rumped miner. The distinctive white rump is easy to observe in the field and distinguishes it from the other miner species. Yellow-throated miners are medium-sized, grey passerines with yellow throat markings, legs, and bare patches around the eye.
Notes: After driving for many hours we arrived at our accommodation in Uluru, I turned off the engine and sat back after a road that seemed much longer the rest. As i did so, a miner appeared next to the van, I opened the window and picked up my camera and captured this miner feeding on the bush. Most of the time, birds will come to you if you just stay in one place.
Details: The Australian ringneck is a parrot native to Australia. Currently, four subspecies are recognised, each with a distinct range. The subspecies of the Australian ringneck differ considerably in colouration. It is a medium size species around 33cm long. The basic colour is green, and all four subspecies have the characteristic yellow ring around the hindneck; wings and tail are a mixture of green and blue.
Notes: After a 10 hour drive through Australia we arrived in Alice Springs. Straight away I picked up my camera as there was a number of new birds in the trees around us, including the beautiful australian ringneck. The sun was setting behind it so there was only a set amount of time before the light became too low.
Details: The emu is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird. The emu's range covers most of mainland Australia, but the Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King Island subspecies became extinct after the European settlement of Australia in 1788.
Notes: On the way down from the North on the way to Uluru, we stopped at a gas station to fill up. To the side were some emus, one of which was sleeping. I wanted to photograph them slightly different and not just focus on the overall bird but the shape as it was curled up into a sleeping position.
Details: The black kite is a medium-sized bird of prey, it is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, current global population estimates run up to 6 million individuals. Black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify.
Notes: All through Australia I loved photographing black kites, however my favourite type of wildlife photograph is either an action shot or one that brings aspects of the landscape into it. Whilst stopping for petrol on the Stuart Highway between Tennant Creek and Katherine, some black kites were fighting for road kill and as this one flew over the road sign it provided a perfect opportunity to show location and bird all in one photograph.
Details: The long-tailed finch is a common species of estrildid finch found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley region to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a predominantly fawn-coloured bird with a pale grey head and prominent black bib and eyes. It inhabits dry savannah habitats in Australia and adapts readily to aviculture.
Notes: All finches are some of my favourite birds due to their distinctive colouring and shape. They look as if they have been painted with sharp lines. Here you can see the male and female and the male with its distinctly long tail.
Details: The glossy ibis is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek plegados and Latin, falcis, both meaning 'sickle' and referring to the distinctive shape of the bill.
Notes: Although this is the most common ibis globally, the white ibis was far more common in Australia. I photographed this in the early morning as we were cruising up the Yellow River in Kakadu.
Details: The white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey. Resident from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia on coasts and major waterways, the white-bellied sea eagle breeds and hunts near water, and fish form around half of its diet. Although rated as Least Concern globally, it has declined in parts of southeast Asia such as Thailand, and southeastern Australia. It is ranked as Threatened in Victoria and Vulnerable in South Australia and Tasmania.
Notes: As the sun was setting over the Yellow River in Kakadu, we sailed down the river towards the jetty. Two white-bellied sea eagles sat upon the branch overlooking the river and watching us as we passed.
Details: The intermediate egret, median egret, smaller egret, or yellow-billed egret is a medium-sized heron. Some taxonomists put the species in the genus Egretta or Mesophoyx. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and Australia.
Notes: There are a number of photographs from the Yellow River that I love of intermediate egrets, so I have featured a few of them across the next few slides. This egret had caught a fish and flew across the reeds with it in its mouth.
Details: The green pygmy goose is a small perching duck which breeds in southern New Guinea and northern Australia. The green pygmy goose nests in tree hollows. Eight to twelve eggs are laid and the incubation period is 26 days.
Notes: This was another one of those shots where it was difficult to tell the birds being photographed but the way they flew in allowed for a beautiful photograph. I later identified them as green pygmy geese, which are actually ducks.
Details: The sacred kingfisher is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the western Pacific. In New Zealand the species is also known as kotare.
Notes: On our second cruise of the day along the yellow river, i noticed a bird quite a distance behind us, so the captain turned the boat around and approached the bird slowly. Fortunately it was a sacred kingfigher (would have been even better if it had been the rarer little kingfisher), it just sat there and took in the evening sun whilst we all appreciated it.
Details: The radjah shelduck (Radjah radjah), is a species of shelduck found mostly in New Guinea and Australia, and also on some of the Moluccas. Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wing-tips and a distinctive 'collar' of dark feathers. Seen from above in flight the birds have green bands on the tops of their wings. The female has a harsh rattle and the male has a breathy, sore-throat whistle.
Notes: A lot more rare than the plumed whistling duck, we only saw one of them that waddled through the other ducks. There was something shifty about the radjah shelduck, like it always had an eye on you. Another beautiful duck.
Details: The royal spoonbill occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia. The royal spoonbill lives in wetlands and feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side
Notes: I never had any idea that I would see a royal spoonbill in Australia. They have always been a mythical like bird to me, with their long beaks and pristine white feathers delicately sprawling from the back of their heads. The only negative was that they were so incredibly far away that with the naked eye it was difficult to see them. I would have loved to have seen them closer.
Details: The varied triller like its better-known relative the white-winged triller, is a smaller member of the cuckoo-shrike family. Varied trillers prefer warm, reasonably moist environments and are found in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, along much of the tropical and sub-tropical coastal hinterland of eastern Australia,
Notes: Yet again, another bird on the Yellow River, or to be more precise, in a campsite just off to the side of it. Like a lot of birds on this list, it was the only time i saw the varied triller in Australia.
Details: The northern fantail is found in New Guinea and northern Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
Notes: Inbetween two trips along the river, I went for a walk through the forests. Although there was very little bird life around in the middle of the day away from the water, this little northern fantail kept me entertained for a while whilst I cautiously watched my back for crocodiles.
Details: The shining flycatcher is found in northern Australia, and from the Moluccas to the Bismarck Archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.
Notes: It's always great when you come across a female bird that also has beautiful colours and markings. The all black male is quite striking but the female definitely gives him a run for his money. This is another flycatcher to add to the long list of birds along the Yellow River in Kakadu.
Details: The leaden flycatcher is found in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests in the northern parts of its range, in the south and inland it is eucalypt woodland.
Notes: The day before I took this photograph, I met a retired couple called Noel and Lyn, they showed me a bird book and told me how beautiful the rainbow bee-eater is. Strangely the next day I see my very first one and it's one of the most beautiful colourful birds I have ever seen.
Details: The lemon-bellied flyrobin or lemon-bellied flycatcher is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
Notes: I have to be honest, I have no memory taking this photograph, but the yellow river cruise in Kakadu was a little bit like that. There were so many birds that it wasn't always possible to know or remember what you were photographing. We enjoyed the first trip so much we actually booked again for the evening cruise.
Details: The comb-crested jacana, also known as the lotusbird or lilytrotter. Like other jacana species, it is adapted to the floating vegetation of tropical freshwater wetlands. This species is unmistakable. It has a black crown and hindneck with a fleshy red wattle covering the forehead and forecrown, contrasting with a white face and throat. The comb is pinker in breeding adults, more orange when not breeding.
Notes: The mother and the child jacana wading through the water next to the water lillies. They are so incredibly small but with loads of personality.
Details: The royal spoonbill occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia. The royal spoonbill lives in wetlands and feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side
Notes: This is an immature nankeen night heron. In my opinion the young ones with all their markings are a lot more beautiful than the adults. This young one was perched above the water, waiting patiently to try and catch something.
Details: The magpie goose is a common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia, but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to Aboriginal people as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting,[4] and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been 'ensured protective management'
Notes: I was quite a sight to see this astonisingly big birds fly over head with the massive wing spans. They are quite a unique bird with the knot on top of their head making them distinguishable from quite some distance.
Details: The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea. Its habitat mainly comprises a range of wetlands and wet grasslands.
Notes: The plumed whistling duck had such beautiful markings. It introduced me into a whole new world of duck species and how exotic and beautiful they can be. The sheer amount of them created a carpet of ducks on the land. When the white bellied sea eagle flew overhead, they swarmed together and took off, turning the sky dark with their sheer numbers.
Details: The paperbark flycatcher, also known as the little restless flycatcher occurs in tropical woodland and riverine habitats of northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has entirely black upperparts from the crown and sides of the head, in contrast with entirely white underparts from the throat to the vent.
Notes: Whilst cruising along the Yellow River, the tour guide would mention different bird species almost before they came into view, a skill that must have been honed after spending many seasons cruising along these rivers. This was maybe the only bird he missed that I saw but I ultimately managed to photograph and later identify it.
Details: The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea. Its habitat mainly comprises a range of wetlands and wet grasslands.
Notes: Another type of egret/heron on the yellow river. I saw many of these but they were the young ones as can be seen in this photograph with it staring me down. The adult version is absolutely beautiful with distinctive markings and a solid grey head.
Details: The great egret is a large, widely distributed egret, with four subspecies found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.
Notes: I find it incredibly hard to tell the difference between all the egrets but along the Yellow River, there is such an abundance of them, you can clearly see the difference between an intermediate and great egret, however saying this, I could still be wrong.
Details: The Australasian darter is a slim bird measuring 86–94 cm long with a snakelike slender neck. Typical habitat is freshwater or brackish wetlands more than 0.5 m deep with fallen trees or logs and vegetated banks; less commonly, darters are found in inland saltwater environments.
Notes: A much clearer image of the australian darter that was photographed on the yellow river in Kakadu. A number of these birds were nesting as we approached in the boat with the vast lilly fields providing a beautifully colourful background.
Details: The black-necked stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetland habitats and near fields of certain crops such as rice and wheat where it forages for a wide range of animal prey. In Australia, it is sometimes called a jabiru although that name refers to a stork species found in the Americas. It is one of the few storks that is strongly territorial when feeding and breeding.
Notes: A pretty magnificent bird that is absolutely massive. When it flies or runs, it looks comical as its gangly legs and large wings create a movement that wouldn't be out of place in a tom & jerry cartoon. Nonetheless it was a privledge to see such a magnificent bird.
Details: The Australian pratincole breeds in Australia's interior; it winters to northern and eastern parts of the continent, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a medium-sized nomadic shorebird which is commonly found in arid inland Australia. It breeds predominantly from south-western Queensland to northern Victoria and through central Australia to the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The Australian population is estimated at 60,000.
Notes: The yellow river was teeming with so much bird life that wherever you pointed a camera and made a photograph, you were sure to capture at least something. Without even knowing it I captured this australian pratincole. I didn't see it with my own eyes but it was only when looking through my photographs, did i notice it.
Details: The white-gaped honeyeater is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. The white-gaped honeyeater (Stomiopera unicolor) is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia.
Notes: Another bird photographed from the boat along the Yellow River. I can't particularly remember photographing this bird, neither is it a great photograph but it's another species.
Details: The apostlebird, also known as the grey jumper, lousy jack,”awky sqwarky” or caw bird is a quick-moving, gray or black bird about 33 cm (13 in) long. It is a native to Australia where it roams woodlands, eating insects and seeds at, or near, ground level. Apostlebirds often travel in groups of about 12; for this reason they were named after the Biblical apostles, the twelve chief followers of Jesus Christ.
Notes: After seeing the apostlebird in a book, I was fascinated by its bulky build and quite ominous characteristics. On the morning of leaving Nitmiluk, I came across a group of them. A bunch flew into the tree and this one on its own decided to stare me down which I think perfectly fits the ominous look that these birds give off. I saw them one more time in Australia, but this was the point that I got the shot I was most happy with.
Details: The blue-faced honeyeater, also colloquially known as the bananabird, is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. At around 29.5cm in length, the blue-faced species is large for a honeyeater. Its plumage is distinctive, with olive upperparts, white underparts, and a black head and throat with white nape and cheeks. Males and females are similar in external appearance.
Notes: Unlike their cute cousins to the south, the blue-winged kookaburra has a menacing look with a head that seems way too big for their body. Their laugh is also distinctly different to that of the laughing kookaburra. I'm glad I saw them but the laughing kookaburra is still my favourite.
Details: The little friarbird, also known as the little leatherhead or yellow-throated friarbird, is the smallest of the friarbirds. It is found throughout northern and eastern Australia as well as southern Papua New Guinea. It lives a very prominent life, whereby it can easily be seen chasing other honeyeaters, and also it is very vocal. However, the little friarbird is usually spotted high up in trees, rarely being seen on the ground.
Notes: The friarbirds weren't my favourite of birds with their featherless heads, they aren't the pretiest but the little friarbird is much prettier than its cousin the noisy friarbird.
Details: The great bowerbird is a common and conspicuous resident of northern Australia, from the area around Broome across the Top End to Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Mount Isa. Favoured habitat is a broad range of forest and woodland, and the margins of vine forests, monsoon forest, and mangrove swamps.
Notes: Bowerbirds have a presence about them, they stand tall and proud. The first time I saw one of these I was only aware of the satin bowerbird and mistook this for a type of wattle bird but soon discovered that a few species of bowerbird exist.
Details: The red-collared lorikeet is a species of parrot found in wooded habitats in northern Australia (north-eastern Western Australia, northern Northern Territory and far north-western Queensland). It was previously considered a subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet, but today most major authorities consider them as separate species. No other member of the rainbow lorikeet group has an orange-red collar over the nape.
Notes: Very much like the rainbow lorikeet, it was actually hard to tell apart. At first sighting I thought they were a rare type of colourful finch that inhabits Nitmiluk National Park but unfortunately not. However they're still beautiful birds. Not my most favourite photograph but a photograph nonetheless.
Details: The northern rosella, formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia. The species is unusually coloured for a rosella, with a dark head and neck with pale cheeks.
Notes: The morning of leaving Nitmiluk National Park was a morning of many different species of birds, especially crowding around the sprinklers that will keeping the grass wet. A few northern rosellas were sat in the tree and this was the only time I saw them in Australia.
Details: The silver-crowned friarbird is endemic to northern Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It's a large gray honeyeater with pale gray cap, bare black facial skin, and a small but prominent 'horn' on the long, pointed, black bill.
Notes: The friarbirds aren't my favourite type of bird, but the silver-crowned friarbird might just be my favourite of the bunch. It is probably helped by the fact I love this photograph, the beautiful coloured background and the way the light comes down and perfectly hits its eye and face just tops it all off.
Details: The pied butcherbird is a songbird native to Australia. Within its range, the pied butcherbird is generally sedentary. Common in woodlands and in urban environments, it is carnivorous, eating insects and small vertebrates including birds. A tame and inquisitive bird, the pied butcherbird has been known to accept food from humans.
Notes: Not the most interesting of photographs, maybe I can put it down to the heat in the north of Australia. This pied butcherbird sat in the tree above the natural swimming pool in the campsite where a lot of birds convened.
Details: The Torresian crow, also called the Australian crow or Papuan crow, is a passerine bird in the crow family native to the north and west of Australia and nearby islands in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The species has a black plumage, beak and mouth with white irises. The base of the feathers on the head and neck are white. The Torresian crow is slightly larger with a more robust bill than the morphologically similar little crow.
Notes: It was just becoming winter in Australia and it was still 36c in Nitmiluk National Park. We hiked up to the canyon early in the morning to beat the heat and sat looking down the valley as the crows sat on the trees above, an ominous sign if there ever was one.
Details: The diamond dove is a resident bird in Australia. The dove predominantly exists in areas near water but which are lightly arid or semi-arid in nature, being Central, West and Northern Australia. They are one of Australia's smallest pigeons along with the peaceful dove. They have been spotted occasionally in Southern Australia in parks and gardens when the centre of Australia is very dry.
Notes: The diamond doves are so small they seem like baby doves. Incredibly delicate, they would fit in the palm of your hand and the diamond studded markings on their wings make them stand out.
Details: The bar-shouldered dove is native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It is a medium-sized pigeon varying in size from 26–30 cm. Its voice is a distinctive and melodious "cook-a-wook" or "coolicoo".
Notes: Being use to city pigeons, a dove with such stunning markings is quite an unusual sight. The way the bar-shouldered dove fits in with its surroundings and its yellow eye makes a sharp contrast with the rest is what I love about this photograph.
Details: The whistling kite is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia (including coastal islands), New Caledonia and much of New Guinea (excluding the central mountains and the northwest). it is named for its loud whistling call, which it often gives in flight.
Notes: In the lake/watering hole in the outback, there was a whole range of birds and multiple whistling kites perched on top of the trees. I could have sat there all day watching these birds of prey inspect their surroundings.
Details: Medium-sized dark whistling-duck with cream-colored flank plumes. Unlike Plumed Whistling-Duck, these plumes do not stick out and appear painted on the flanks. Often in smaller flocks around lakes, ponds, and dams. As the name suggests, note whistling call.
Notes: The main who ran the campsite and gas station saw me with my camera and told me about a lake in the outback. I just had to jump a gate and walk down the track past the old windmill and I would see it. Walking into the outback was always a strange experience in Australia, the vastness just felt surreal, but once i came across the lake it was a haven for wildlife, especially birds. This was the first bird I photographed as it flew over infront of me.
Details: The white-breasted woodswallow is a medium sized passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia and northern Australia. The name 'woodswallow' is a misnomer as they are not closely related to true swallows. Instead, they belong to the family Artamidae, which also includes butcherbirds, currawongs and the Australian magpie.
Notes: Along side the whistling kites, egrets, termite mounds and cows, this white-breasted woodswallow sat upon the tree with its chest puffed out. I was really happy to spot this bird as I had been keeping an eye for it for a while after I had seen it in a bird book.
Details: The yellow-tinted honeyeater is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It has a pale yellow throat and face, as well as a distinct black neck patch.
Notes: I woke up one morning and decided to go for a walk and photograph birds. At the back of the fields there was a little puddle where about 5 species of birds were feeding and splashing as the morning sun poured down on them. It was a perfect opportunity to photograph birds in flight as they darted about. This was one of my favourites from the morning.
Details: The peaceful dove is a pigeon native to Australia and New Guinea. The peaceful dove is closely related to the zebra dove of south-east Asia and the barred dove of eastern Indonesia. The peaceful dove is found in pairs, groups and flocks. They feed off the ground and are found commonly in streets and gardens. They also are found in scrublands, woodlands, watercourses, railyards and on the edge of rainforests. When not found on the ground feeding, they can be found in trees roosting.
Notes: A little bit like the diamond dove, the peaceful dove is incredibly small and delicate. I often saw them in pairs, either feeding or drinking but I decided to go for this photograph as the sharpness and is just right.
Details: The common bronzewing is a species of medium-sized, heavily built pigeon. Native to Australia and one of the country's most common pigeons, the common bronzewing is able to live in almost any habitat, with the possible exception of very barren areas and dense rainforests.
Notes: After a day of 11 hours of driving, we pulled into a quirky petrol station which doubled up as a campsite. After sitting down with a beer outside the van, a beautiful bronzewing walked up to us. The evening sunset shining off the side of its wings made it extra beautiful.
Details: The double-barred finch is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face.
Notes: I first saw these birds on the west coast of New South Wales. As i was about to press the shutter button, they flew off and i didn't see them again but referred to them as ghost birds. A few weeks later on an early morning photoshoot, I came across them again and finally managed to photograph them.
Details: The eastern koel, also known as the pacific koel, is a species of cuckoo. In Australia, it is colloquially known as the rainbird or stormbird, as its call is usually more prevalent before or during stormy weather. The Pacific koel is found in forest, woodland, plantations and gardens from Wallacea east to the Solomon Islands and south to northern and eastern Australia.
Notes: Some photographs i actually find offensive and this is one of them. The eastern koel is an absolutely beautiful unique bird (go and look it up), however due to being in the van and having to photograph out the window as I was moving, I only managed this poor shot of the female. It still counts but I really wish I could have had an amazing photograph of the male, but that's the nature of this project.
Details: The olive-backed sunbird, also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia. Originally from mangrove habitat, the olive-backed sunbird has adapted well to humans, and is now common even in fairly densely populated areas, even forming their nests in human dwellings.
Notes: I was only in this spot for an evening camping and had barely any light to play with but I kept seeing this olve-backed sunbird darting about. Unfortunately I didn't get a good photograph of the bird and didn't see the even more colourful male but I was to have seen it at all.
Details: The brown booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. Brown booby pairs may remain together over several seasons. They perform elaborate greeting rituals, and are also spectacular divers, plunging into the ocean at high speed. They mainly eat small fish or squid which gather in groups near the surface and may catch leaping fish while skimming the surface.
Notes: Spending a night ontop of the Great Barrier Reef was a special experience and with all the abundance of life below us, I was determined to get a new species of bird above us. Fortunately there were hundreds of brown boobys that had decided to use the man made platforms to their advantage when hunting along the Great Barrier Reef.
Details: The bush stone-curlew is a large ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. The favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, where they stalk slowly at night in search of invertebrates such as insects. The grey-brown coloration is distinguished by dark streaks, its eyes are large and legs are long. They are capable of flight, but rely on the camouflage of their plumage to evade detection during the day; the bush curlew will adopt a rigid posture when it becomes aware of an observer. Both sexes care for two eggs laid on the bare ground, usually sited near bush in a shaded position or next to a fallen branch.
Notes: One evening when walking towards the camp kitchen, a group of bush stone-curlews ran out infront of me. I took a step back as these strange looking birds reminded me of a character from a Studio Ghibli film rather than that of an actual real life bird species. The noise they made was quite loud and abrupt as they dashed around me. Although it was incredible dark, I just aboue managed to use the light from the camp kitchen to photograph one.
Details: The blue-faced honeyeater, also colloquially known as the bananabird, is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. At around 29.5cm in length, the blue-faced species is large for a honeyeater. Its plumage is distinctive, with olive upperparts, white underparts, and a black head and throat with white nape and cheeks. Males and females are similar in external appearance.
Notes: Waking up early to go for a run, i tied my shoes and looked up to see two new species of birds, so I grabbed my camera and managed to get 2 new species at 6.20 in the morning. I saw quite a few more blue-faced honeyeaters in northern Australia but never managed to get a better photograph than this one.
Details: The azure kingfisher is a very colourful bird, with deep blue to azure back, a large white to buff spot on the side of the neck and throat, rufous-buff with some blue-violet streaks on the breast and flanks. The azure kingfisher is usually silent, but makes a sharp, squeaky call when breeding.
Notes: One of the most beautiful places I've been in my life. As the sun rose above the mountains and through the trees, the mist started rising over the river where platypus swam the evening before. As i photographed the mist, this azure kingfisher came and landed nearby. I'm absolutely gutted i didn't get a sharp image of this beautiful bird, but none-the-less you're able to see the exquisiteness of this kingfisher.
Details: The dusky moorhen occurs in India, Australia, New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia. It is often confused with the purple swamphen and the Eurasian coot due to similar appearance and overlapping distributions.
Notes: On a river that was known as the home of the platypus, we watched as the platypus dived down for food and swam down the river. The dusky moorhen joined them on their journey. My attention was mostly on the platypus but if there's a chance to photography a new bird, I'll take it.
Details: The glossy black cockatoo, is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in eastern Australia. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach 50cm in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are blackish brown, except for their prominent red tail bands; the females are dark brownish with some yellow spotting.
Notes: If my nemesis was a bird, it would probably be a glossy black cockatoo. I saw these birds numerous times in Australia, once incredibly close for some time but I was never in a position to take a photograph when this happened. The only photograph I managed to get of them was this one but it doesn't show the true beauty of these cockatoos.
Details: The brahminy kite, formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia. Adults have a reddish-brown body plumage contrasting with their white head and breast which make them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey.
Notes: The night before i took this photograph, the same brahminy kite flew overhead as i watched the sunset on the beach. The magnificent creature soared overhead and I was lucky enough to take a photograph. The next morning we arose for sunrise and the moment I stepped on the beach, the brahminy kite swooped down and sat upon a lobster pot on the beach. I got as close as I could and sat waiting for it to fly off as the sun rose behind it. Eventually it flapped its wings and took off with the sun piercing its feathers from behind.
Details: The Pacific reef heron, also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. Pacific reef herons are medium-sized herons, reaching 57 to 66 cm in length. They have a wingspan of between 90 and 110 cm and reach an average weight of 400 grams. The species displays an unusual, non-sexual dimorphism, with some members having entirely white plumage ('light' morph) and others (the larger portion) being charcoal-grey ('dark' morph).
Notes: I was sat on the beach of a lovely remote area of the Queensland coast watching this pacific reef heron hunt on the shoreline of the beach. The sun was setting behind me and the only sound was the slight trickle of water as the water met the land.
Details: The white-winged triller is found throughout mainland Australia and possibly on the islands to the north, including New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. It is resident or nomadic over the warmer part of its range (inland Australia and points north), and a summer breeding migrant to the cooler southern parts of Australia.
Notes: We were told this was the best place to see the sunset on the west coast of Australia, not only was that true, but we also saw three new species of birds including the white-winged triller.
Details: The pheasant coucal is a species of cuckoo. It is found in Australia, Timor and New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It has adapted well to canefields in northern Australia. The pheasant coucal is unusual among Australian cuckoos in that it incubates and raises its own young instead of laying its eggs in the nest of another species.
Notes: My partner often becomes my second eyes and finds me all types of new birds. Whilst I was photographing the rainbow bee-eater, Bryony called me to show me a new bird. Neither of us knew what it was and we instantly named it the phoenix due to it's mythical look. I couldn't get a clear photograph when it disappeated into the bushes but I did see one a month later whilst out on a run. One of my favourite birds.
Details: Rainbow bee-eaters are a common species and can be found during the summer in forested areas in most of southern Australia, excluding Tasmania. They migrate north during the winter into northern Australia, New Guinea, and some of the southern islands of Indonesia. They may be found in open woodlands, beaches, dunes, cliffs, mangroves, and farmlands, and they often visit parks and private gardens.
Notes: The day before I took this photograph, I met a retired couple called Noel and Lyn, they showed me a bird book and told me how beautiful the rainbow bee-eater is. Strangely the next day I see my very first one and it's one of the most beautiful colourful birds I have ever seen.
Details: The male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, even though peafowl of either sex are often referred to colloquially as 'peacocks'. The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl originally of the Indian subcontinent, and the green peafowl of Southeast Asia; the one African species is the Congo peafowl, native only to the Congo Basin.
Notes: A little bit like the chicken, I was unsure wether to include the peafowl as it's not a native bird and certainly not wild. However I made an exception for the peafowl and chicken as domesticated birds but these are the only two on the list.
Details: The brown honeyeater belongs to the honeyeaters, a group of birds found mainly in Australia and New Guinea, which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding. It is a medium-small brownish bird, with yellow-olive panels in the tail and wing, and a yellow tuft behind the eye.
Notes: Walking along the coastline in Noosa, I came across a number of spiders, sea turtles, butterflies and one new bird, the brown honeyeater. I often saw them in pairs as they darted in and out of bushes. It was a challenge to photograph them as they move with such agility.
Details: The little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera), also known as the brush wattlebird, is a passerine bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is found in coastal and sub-coastal south-eastern Australia. Little wattlebirds feed on nectar obtained with a long, brush-tipped tongue, adapted for probing deep into flowers. They also feed on insects, berries, and some seeds.
Notes: Although Bundjalung was meant to be a haven for bird life, the weather had dampened some of the chances to really go exploring with a lot of flooding. However there was an abundance of little wattlebirds which gave me the chance to practice photographing them in flight.
Details: The spangled drongo is a bird of the family Dicruridae. It is the only drongo to be found in Australia where it can be recognised by its black, iridescent plumage and by its characteristic forked tail. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates. It has complex and varied calls and is a mimic of the sounds it hears. It arrives in Queensland in late spring and breeds high in an isolated tree, producing three to five young each year.
Notes: Like usual, I was unaware of what this was, thinking it was something in the crow family but when you take a closer look you can see it's unique tail and markings and actually considering it's all black how beautiful it actually is. It was hard to photograph this bird as it in the undergrowth with a storm overhead so there wasn't much light to get the photograph.
Details: The brown quail is a small, ground-dwelling bird and is native to mainland Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea and has been introduced to New Zealand and Fiji. Widespread and common throughout its large range
Notes: Upon driving in to the coastal region of Bundjalung National Park, a whole bunch of Brown Quails were finding food on the floor. Any time I got remotely close at all, they would dash into the long grass to hide. Trying to photograph them inbetween the storms was quite difficult.
Details: The Australian brushturkey, also frequently called the scrub turkey or bush turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird found in eastern Australia from Far North Queensland to Eurobodalla on the south coast of New South Wales.
Notes: Just north of Sydney i woke up in our van in a carpark and found Turkeys scavaging food from the floor that people had left behind. I didn't realise there was such a thing as a wild Turkey here in Australia so I was quiet bemused by the fact these birds were roaming around. Fortunately I got a much nicer photograph of one further north in Bundjalung National Park.
Details: The noisy friarbird is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers. It is brown-grey in colour, with a prominent knob on its bare black-skinned head. It feeds on insects and nectar.
Notes: Not the most pretty bird by any means, it was sat on top of this branch as the rain poured downl, as you can see from the water droplets on its back. Soon to be followed by a massive thunderstorm that kept us awake for the night.
Details: The scaly-breasted lorikeet is an Australian lorikeet found in woodland in eastern Australia. The common name aptly describes this bird, which has yellow breast feathers broadly edged with green that look like scales.
Notes: Unfortunately not one good photograph of these birds. Hopefully I will come across them again but with the amount of rainbow lorikeets, i sometimes miss them in the crowd.
Details: The straw-necked ibis is a bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It can be found throughout Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia. Adults have distinctive straw-like feathers on their necks.
Notes: This white ibis is very common but this is the only straw-necked ibis i have seen. Walking across the flooded fields that had yet to recover from the floods in New South Wales and Queensland.
Details: The black-faced cuckooshrike is a common omnivorous passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. They are widely distributed in almost any wooded habitat throughout the area, except in rainforests. But they can also occur in urban areas, and are a fairly common sight on power lines in Australian cities such as Sydney and Perth.
Notes: I saw this Black-Faced Cuckooshrike from some distance away. I was unable to get closer due to it being across the water but once i managed to look at it on the camera i realised it was a new bird and quite a beautiful one at that. Although these are apparently quite common, i have so far only seen one.
Details: The chestnut teal is a dabbling duck found in Australia. The chestnut teal prefers coastal estuaries and wetlands, and is indifferent to salinity. This bird is an omnivore.
Notes: A photograph that isn't special by any means, it could have easily been photographed on my phone but it's the only time I have seen Chestnut Teals. I originally had no idea what type of ducks these were but another one to add to the list.
Details: The crested pigeon is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon.
Notes: One of my favourites in Australia just because it's such a strange take on the pigeons I'm use to from the UK. I have taken to naming these "punk pigeons". These might not be quite as common as the standard pigeon but you can find them quite regularly.
Details: The five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to the royal and lesser crested terns, but can be distinguished by its size and bill colour.
Notes: Terns are great for practicing photographing birds in flight as they swoop around coastal water before diving in to catch something. On an overcast evening we sat on the beach watching the young terns fishing.
Details: Lewin's honeyeater is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear-patch, pale yellow in colour. The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin.
Notes: Immediately after photographing the Eastern Whipbird, this Lewin's Honeyeater flew into the branches above in the botanic gardens of Jervis Bay.
Details: The eastern whipbird is an insectivorous passerine bird native to the east coast of Australia. Its whip-crack song is a familiar sound in forests of eastern Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Heard much more often than seen, it is dark olive-green and black in colour with a distinctive white cheek patch and a crest. The male and female are similar in plumage.
Notes: The first Eastern Whipbird I came across was in the bushes digging something up. I spent half an hour waiting patiently to get a clear photograph of it, it never happened. Fortunately later in the day, this little fella jumped up the tree infront of us. The way they move is really unique and would run and jump between the floor and the tree trunk rather than fly. He became known to us as "hat matey".
Details: The Bassian thrush, also known as the olive-tailed thrush, is a medium-sized mostly insectivorous thrush found from northern Queensland to southeastern Australia. It is estimated that the rangewide population is large, though no official count has ever been established.
Notes: The botanical gardens of Jervis Bay were a hotbed of bird life. This Bassian Thrush was hopping around the undergrowth digging things up from the dirt.
Details: These small brownish birds can be hard identified (especially being colourblind), the female birds can often look quite similar making it all the more difficult. This Brown Gerygone was found in the botanical gardens in Jervis Bay,
Notes: The brown gerygone, previously known as the brown warbler, is a small passerine bird native to eastern coastal Australia. The upper parts of the brown gerygone are a deep olive-grey or olive-brown, while its face and underparts are a much paler grey, cream, or washed-out brown. The tail feathers are dark and may be white-tipped. It is approximately 10 cm in length.
Details: The large-billed scrubwren is a passerine bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in denser undergrowth in temperate forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Notes: Jervis Bay is one of the best places I have been to photograph birds. There is an extortiornate amount in the varied landscapes. A number of large-billed scrubwrens were flying between the tropical trees in the botanical gardens where they had made themselves home.
Details: The eastern yellow robin (Eopsaltria australis) is an Australasian robin of coastal and sub-coastal eastern Australia. The extent of the eastern yellow robin's residence is from the extreme southeast corner of South Australia through most of Victoria and the western half of New South Wales.
Notes: The eastern yellow robin (Eopsaltria australis) is an Australasian robin of coastal and sub-coastal eastern Australia. The extent of the eastern yellow robin's residence is from the extreme southeast corner of South Australia through most of Victoria and the western half of New South Wales.
Details: The pied currawong (Strepera graculina) is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. It is a robust crowlike bird averaging around 48 cm (19 in) in length, black or sooty grey-black in plumage with white undertail and wing patches, yellow irises, and a heavy bill.
Notes: Pied Currawongs jump around branches with such character. Above our campsite in Jervis bay, you would often hear them making commotion in the trees above with their bright yellow eyes.
Details: The rose-crowned fruit dove also known as pink-capped fruit dove or Swainson's fruit dove, is a medium-sized, up to 22 cm long, green fruit dove with a grey head and breast, an orange belly, whitish throat, yellow-orange iris, and greyish green bill and feet. It has a pinkish-red crown with yellow border.
Notes: I could see this bird in the distance from the beach in Jervis Bay but i was unable to get closer to it. It was the most beautiful looking dove I have ever come across. Although i was able to distinguish that it was a type of dove, i needed further help to get the actual species correct.
Details: The fan-tailed cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
Notes: We came across this Fan-Tailed Cuckoo whilst on a 14km hike around Jervis Bay. I had been looking for one these after I read about them and was happy to finally get a clean photograph of one of them.
Details: The Australasian gannet is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family. The species range over water above the continental shelf along the southern and eastern Australian coastline, from Steep Point in Western Australia to Rockhampton, Queensland, as well as the North and South Islands of New Zealand, Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
Notes: Teeming with bird life inland and on the sea, Jervis Bay delivered bird after bird. This australasian gannett was far out to sea when I photographed it. Unaware of what it was, I had to zoom in to the maximum to see it. The only one I photographed in Australia.
Details: The eastern spinebill is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. It is around 15 cm long, and has a distinctive black, white and chestnut plumage, a red eye, and a long downcurved bill.
Notes: Although quite common, i have only seen these in Jervis Bay in NSW. With their striking long beaks, the instantly stood out as they darted in and out of the bushes in the morning.
Details: The white-cheeked honeyeater inhabits the east coast and the south-west corner of Australia. It has a large white patch on its cheek, brown eyes, and a yellow panel on its wing.
Notes: For a long time i thought all of these were New-Holland Honeyeaters and only whilst reading a bird book did i discover that there are two types of honeyeaters that are really similar. I went back through my photographs and noticed I had captured a few of these whilst I was photographing New-Hollands. I will be on the look out for these more regularly now.
Details: The Australasian figbird, is a conspicuous, medium-sized passerine bird native to a wide range of wooded habitats in northern and eastern Australia, southern New Guinea, and the Kai Islands
Notes: Disclaimer, it might be a massive push to claim this as an Australasian Figbird, but nonetheless I'm going to. I only managed to get this photograph from some distance and without fully displaying it's markings it's hard to tell. If it is, it would be a female one.
Details: The magpie-lark, also known as the peewee, peewit or mudlark, is a passerine bird native to Australia, Timor and southern New Guinea. The male and female both have black and white plumage, though with different patterns.
Notes: One of the most common birds you can see in Australia. Often find them around parks in cities. I finally took a photograph of one whilst walking around the lake in Canberra.
Details: The white-eared honeyeater is a medium-sized honeyeater found in Australia. It is a member of the family Meliphagidae (honeyeaters and Australian chats) which has 190 recognised species with about half of them found in Australia. This makes them members of the most diverse family of birds in Australia.
Notes: Just before leaving Karuah, I noticed this little one in the tree above. Although he was there for a good 10 minutes, he was hard to capture as something would always be infront of him and never sitting still.
Details: The Australian pied cormorant, also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi.
Notes: On the banks of the Snowy River we were looking for platypus in the morning light. We were a little late and they had all gone home for the day but we did have a beautiful misty river with some pied cormorants fighting for the prime fishing spot.
Details: The range of the black-chinned honeyeater is across northern Australia. Insects form the bulk of the diet, and like its close relatives, the brown-headed and strong-billed honeyeaters, the black-chinned honeyeater forages by probing in the bark of trunks and branches of trees.
Notes: One last bird appeard before we got on our way towards the coast of New South Wales. Although the black-chinned honeyeater stayed around for 10 minutes, its inability to stop hopping between branches made it very difficult to get a great photograph. The one i have selected is the one that best shows its colourful markings.
Details: The grey shrikethrush, formerly commonly known as grey thrush, is a songbird of Australasia. It is moderately common to common in most parts of Australia, but absent from the driest of the inland deserts. It is also found in New Guinea.
Notes: The grey shrikethrush, formerly commonly known as grey thrush, is a songbird of Australasia. It is moderately common to common in most parts of Australia, but absent from the driest of the inland deserts. It is also found in New Guinea.
Details: The striated thornbill is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Notes: A glimpse of a striated thornbill on top of a freezing cold mount buller where the clouds had rolled in and visibility was limited. The birds were picking the berries off the trees but wouldn't sit still long enough to get much of a photograph.
Details: The white-throated treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea) is an Australian treecreeper found in the forests of eastern Australia. It is unrelated to the northern hemisphere treecreepers. It is insectivorous, eating mainly ants.
Notes: A freezing cold morning on Mount Buller, this white-throated treecreeper had fluffed up his feathers to keep himself warm.
Details: A common garden bird throughout much of Asia, found in open forests, fields, and parks; introduced to several regions around the world. Often tame and approachable. Brown overall with a rosy breast and a unique white-spotted black nape patch. Plumage shows slight regional variation: western birds have dark centers to wing feathers, lacking in eastern birds.
Notes: Another one I found hard to identify due to it being a juvenile, but the people of Reddit helped me identify it. The spots around its neck have yet to develop but you can see the markings of the feathers on the lower back.
Details: The eastern rosella is a rosella native to southeast of the Australian continent and to Tasmania. The natural range of the eastern rosella is eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The species is found in lightly wooded country, open forests, woodlands, gardens, bushlands and parks.
Notes: After chasing a few Eastern Rosellas through the vineyards near Hobart, i finally managed to photograph one near the botanical gardens in Hobart where there was an absolute abundance of them.
Details: The silvereye is native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands. The silvereye is liable to be found in any vegetated area, apart from open grasslands, within its distribution range, including forest, scrub, horticultural blocks and urban gardens.
Notes: On our last morning in Tasmania we visited Pooley Wines near Hobart. As my partner was purchashing wine after a bit of wine tasting, I photographed this little Silvereye as it darted between the vines.
Details: The kelp gull, also known as the Dominican gull, is a gull that breeds on coasts and islands through much of the Southern Hemisphere. The kelp gull superficially resembles two gulls from further north in the Atlantic Ocean, the lesser black-backed gull and the great black-backed gull and is intermediate in size between these two species.
Notes: As i wrongly proclaim, "there's a sea eagle", I notice it's a gull I have yet to photograph. Soaring over the Pacific ocean off the East Coast of Tasmania.
Details: The black currawong also known locally as the black jay, is a large passerine bird endemic to Tasmania and the nearby islands within the Bass Strait. One of three currawong species, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian magpie
Notes: After we got to the peak of Cradle Mountain this Black Currawong was hopping around looking for scraps of food from the people who managed to scale the rock face below.
Details: The crescent honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family native to southeastern Australia. The parent birds use a range of anti-predator strategies, but nestlings can be taken by snakes, kookaburras, currawongs, or cats. While the crescent honeyeater faces a number of threats, its population numbers and distribution are sufficient for it to be listed as of Least Concern for conservation.
Notes: As i insist on climbing mountains and photographing birds, it means I carry huge lens to the peaks of some massive mountains, it's the price to capture beautiful birds like the Crescent Honeyeater that I only saw just before we pushed for the peak of Cradle Mountain.
Details: The Tasmanian nativehen is a flightless rail and one of twelve species of birds endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania. Although many flightless birds have a history of extinction at the hands of humans, the Tasmanian native hen has actually benefited from the introduction of European-style agricultural practices in Tasmania.
Notes: All across Tasmania you can see Nativehens running around. They were quite shy and would often run away, considering they can't fly this is probably a wise move. I was shocked at how many of them i saw in Tasmania.
Details: The Sebastopol is a breed of domestic goose, descended from the European Greylag goose. Breeding over the last hundred years has increased the average weight of the birds by thirty percent.
Notes: Across Tasmania, many farms had Geese on their grounds. As we drove towards Cradle Mountain, the Geese were bathing in the morning sun.
Details: The brown falcon is a relatively large falcon native to Australia and New Guinea. The brown falcon eats small mammals, including house mice. They also eat young rabbits in the summer. It also eats small birds, lizards, snakes, and a variety of invertebrates, particularly caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles. Insects form the bulk of the animals' diets during winter and the falcons often chase the insects on the ground.
Notes: I believe this to be a Brown Falcon but as it's photographed from some distance I can't completely identify this bird with 100% surity. I managed to get 3 photographs before it flew behind the trees in the distance.
Details: The scarlet robin is endemic to Australia, where it is found near the coast from southern Queensland to central South Australia, Tasmania and southwest Western Australia. The species is mostly sedentary over its range, but some mainland populations undergo small local movements in the autumn and winter, either to more open habitats or to lower elevations.
Notes: The Scarlet Robin hopped around and sat upon the leaves of this apple tree looking proud of his evenings work.
Details: The grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey. The white morph of this species is known as the white goshawk. The white morph is the only bird of prey in the world to be entirely white
Notes: The first bird I photographed in tasmania was this White Goshawk, it looked mythical in the distance and looked like a dove but something was off, as I looked through the lens I realised this was a bird of prey that was completely white. A magnificent bird that proudly sat in the branches before taking flight.
Details: The gang-gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) is found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. It ranges throughout south-eastern Australia. The gang-gang cockatoo is the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory
Notes: This Gang-Gang Cockatoo was sat with its friends in the bushes as they all did little dances, rotating their heads around. They were sat right next to one of the most beautiful pieces of coastline I have ever seen and it was also the first time I had seen a Gang-Gang Cockatoo.
Details: This species breeds in southern and eastern Australia in a variety of habitats, mostly in open areas, man made clearings or urban environments, but not desert or dense forest. Eastern populations are largely migratory, wintering in northern Australia.
Notes: I have seen a number of Welcome Swallows but they're always flying at speed and rarely stay still enough to photograph. As I was waiting for my fish and chips, this little one decided to give me the opportunity to get my first photography of one.
Details: The New Holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. The bird is around 18cm long and is mainly black, with a white iris, white facial tufts and yellow margins on its wing and tail feathers. It is a very active bird and rarely sits long enough to give an extended view. When danger approaches a New Holland honeyeater, such as a bird of prey, a group of honeyeaters will form together and give a warning call.
Notes: As I was photographing Grey Fantails, this New Holland Honeyeater landed on the branch above me. Unaware of what it was, it came across incredibly striking from its sharp colours and eye. Up there with one of the most beautiful birds I've seen.
Details: The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) is a species of swamphen occurring in eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, it is known as the pukeko. The species used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen.
Notes: The colours of this Swamphen were a lot more pronounced than the previous swamphens I have seen. There are a number of similar swamphens that could easily be confused with each other but I believe this one is still an Australasian Swamphen.
Details: The Maned Duck is widespread in Australia, including Tasmania. Often found in grasslands, open woodlands, wetlands, flooded pastures and along the coast in inlets and bays. It is also common on farmland with dams, as well as around rice fields, sewage ponds and in urban parks. It will often be found around deeper lakes that may be unsuitable for other waterbirds' foraging, as it prefers to forage on land.
Notes: Female Maned Duck sat down and not once did she stand up. This doesn't look like a nested area as they nest up in trees, so I'm unsure of the case but her male companion was definiteiy looking after her.
Details: The satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia. Like all bowerbirds, the satin bowerbird shows highly complex courtship behaviour. Mate choice in satin bowerbirds has been studied in detail. Males build specialised stick structures, called bowers, which they decorate with blue, yellow, and shiny objects, including berries, flowers, and plastic items such as ballpoint pens, drinking straws and clothes pegs.
Notes: After previously only having one out of focus shot, I managed to see a number of bowerbirds on the Great Ocean Road. However, they were all female and I have still yet to see a male one which is distinctively satin in colour.
Details: This is a very common and widespread bird species. It feeds on the sea, in estuaries, and on freshwater lakes and rivers. Northern birds migrate south and winter along any coast that is well-supplied with fish.The great cormorant often nests in colonies near wetlands, rivers, and sheltered inshore waters. Pairs will use the same nest site to breed year after year. It builds its nest, which is made from sticks, in trees, on the ledges of cliffs, and on the ground on rocky islands that are free of predators.
Notes: Whilst photographing this Great Cormorant, I believd I was actually photographing little black cormorants. It was only after I realised they are 2 quite distinct types of cormorant. This great cormorant sat up high as lower down on the river, little pied cormorants patrolled the waters.
Details: Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds, the Australian magpie has an array of complex vocalisations. It is omnivorous, with the bulk of its varied diet made up of invertebrates. It is generally sedentary and territorial throughout its range. Common and widespread, it has adapted well to human habitation and is a familiar bird of parks, gardens and farmland in Australia and New Guinea.
Notes: One of the most common birds you will see in Australia. I have waited to get something a little bit interesting when it comes to the Magpie and strangely, everytime I try to photograph them, they come out unfocused.
Details: The Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific.
Notes: Camping overnight on the Kennett River, these Pacific Black Ducks came up to our tent intrigued by what we were doing and to look for any scraps of food we might have.
Details: The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. It occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It is found across southern Australia, but is absent from the deserts of central Australia and the monsoon tropics of northern Australia. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The grey butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds.
Notes: Sat high up in the tree, I was able to identify the Grey Butcherbird this time. Still not a perfect photograph but definitely more distinctive than my first.
Details: The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily. Native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia.[5] It occupies dry eucalypt forest, woodland, city parks and gardens.
Notes: One of the best things about photographing Kookaburras is that they are happy to sit on a branch and let you photograph them. I spent a few minutes photographing before I left it in peace.
Details: The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron, and incorrectly as the grey heron, or blue crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, and all but the driest areas of Australia.
Notes: I often see these elegant birds over head but on this occasion it happened to be wading throgh the reeds in front of us as we drunk wine in the King Valley vine yards.
Details: The rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) is a small Passerine bird, most commonly known also as the black-breasted rufous-fantail or rufous-fronted fantail, which can be found in Australia, Indonesia, Micronesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. In these countries they inhabit rainforests, wet forests, swamp woodlands and mangroves.
Notes: The moment the Golden Whistler flew off, this Rufous Fantail landed on the floor infront of us doing a mating dance. As it jumped and danced around i stumbled for my camera and managed to get off a single shot before it flew back into the bushes. Although not a perfect shot, you can see the fantail in all its glory.
Details: The Australian golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) or golden whistler, is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia (except the interior and most of the north) Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter. Its taxonomy is highly complex and remains a matter of dispute, with some authorities including as many as 59 subspecies of the golden whistler (one of the highest numbers of subspecies in any bird), while others treat several of these as separate species.
Notes: Whilst climbing the tallest mountain in Victoria, Warkwoolowler, and carrying my heavy camera and lens, i came across what I believe to be one of the most beautiful birds I've seen. Its stunning colours made it stand out from the forest around us. I only had a moment to photograph it, whilst sweating profusely, before it flew off into the bush.
Details: The white-winged chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos) is one of only two surviving members of the Australian mud-nest builders family. It is native to southern and eastern Australia and is an example of convergent evolution as it is only distantly related to the European choughs that it closely resembles in shape, and for which it was named.
Notes: I saw a number of White-Winged Choughs on my initial journey through Victoria. If you don't pay much attention to them they can come across as Crows but when you spend time watching them, they have a distinct personality. In this image you can see some of their white features peaking out of their all black exterior.
Details: The Australasian pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) is a fairly small passerine bird of open country in Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. It is a bird of open habitats such as grassland, farmland, roadsides, dry river beds, sand dunes and open woodland.
Notes: Often seen at the peak of mountains around Victoria. On a stormy day these little pipits were hopping around the rocks at the top of Mount Loch whilst we took a well deserved break and looked at the mountain scenery.
Details: The Nankeen Kestrel is widespread in Australia, though it occurs only sporadically in Tasmania. Kestrels usually occur in open country, such as grasslands and farmland, and avoid dense forests unless they have been opened up by clearing. They hunt a variety of prey, including small mammals (especially mice), small birds, lizards and insects.
Notes: Nesting in the cliff, the nankeen kestrel took off, searching for its prey from high up above the big red rocks of Kata Tjuta, the sister rocks of Uluru. The beautiful markings making a contrast with the sky above, it was a pleasure to watch it, even if the flies did make it difficult.
Details: The yellow-faced honeyeater (Caligavis chrysops) is a small to medium-sized bird in the honeyeater family. Some yellow-faced honeyeaters are sedentary, but hundreds of thousands migrate northwards between March and May to spend the winter in southern Queensland, and return in July and August to breed in southern New South Wales and Victoria. They form socially monogamous pairs and lay two or three eggs in a delicate cup-shaped nest.
Notes: One of my favourite photographs from my trip. Albeit at a high ISO which creates a fair emoung of grain, this Yellow-Faced Honeyeater ruffled all its feathers up giving it this grumpy look, whilst the yellow around its eye stands out profusely.
Details: Found all across the world, the house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. It feeds mostly on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is an opportunistic eater and commonly eats insects and many other foods.
Notes: A common sighting for most people, this house sparrow was surprisingly the only one I saw on my initial trip around Victoria. Fitting in perfectly with its surroundings here.
Details: Like other fairywrens, the superb fairywren is notable for several peculiar behavioural characteristics; the birds are socially monogamous and sexually promiscuous, meaning that although they form pairs between one male and one female, each partner will mate with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such pairings.
Notes: One of the most common but most beautiful birds in Australia. The male Superb Fairywren has a striking blue head which makes it stand out in its surroundings. Being really tame, you can spend a long time photographing them.
Details: The bell miner (Manorina melanophrys), commonly known as the bellbird, is a colonial honeyeater, endemic to southeastern Australia. The common name refers to their bell-like call. The birds feed almost exclusively on the dome-like coverings, referred to as 'bell lerps', of certain psyllid bugs that feed on eucalyptus sap from the leaves. The psyllids make these bell lerps from their own honeydew secretions in order to protect themselves from predators and the environment.
Notes: As you walk through the forests in Australia you can hear this high pitched chirp that travels all through the forest, the is the Bell Miner. Although scruffy looking, its bright colours make it stand out in its surroundings. This Bell Miner perched on this branch for a while, giving me the perfect opportunity to get the photograph.
Details: The galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the cockatoos. With its distinctive pink and grey plumage and its bold and loud behaviour, it is a familiar sight in the wild and increasingly in urban areas. It has benefited from the change in the landscape since European colonisation
Notes: The Galahs were common on the grass in our campsite in Wallagaraugh. All day every day they spent pecking the grass around our van and throughout the campsite. They came across as the pigeon of the cockatoo world, albeit a lot prettier.
Details: The white-browed scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) is a passerine bird found in coastal areas of Australia. The species favours forested or scrubby areas with plentiful undergrowth, from which it rarely ventures. It is a common bird in bushland areas around Sydney.
Notes: This little bird has so much character in its face, mischievous, maybe slightly evil, certainly not a cute bird, it still exudes personality. He followed me a long as I was going for my morning walk along the river.
Details: The dusky woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus), is a bird species of forests and woodlands in temperate and subtropical regions, extending into tropical areas around the Atherton Tableland,[1] in eastern and southern Australia. The global population of the species has as yet not been formally confirmed, but it has been officially rated in the range of 'Least Concern', according to the BirdLife International in 2004.
Notes: Here you can see a male and female Dusky Woodswallow. The male has an insect in its beak. A perfect example to show the differences between a male and female.
Details: The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume birds and scavenge for scraps if the opportunity arises.
Notes: One of my favourite images as you are able to see the true size of Pelicans as they wait for scraps from people sorting out their daily catch. Although their beaks are intimidating, you can walk freely through them without them being concerned by your presence. You can see a fish in the gullet of the Pelican in the middle.
Details: The Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) is endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest. They feed on fruits and seeds gathered from trees or on the ground.
Notes: The light landed perfectly on this King Parrot, emphasising its bright read head and chest, whilst the shadow falles on the darker section providing a nice contrast.
Details: The willie wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest. The willie wagtail is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its common name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when foraging on the ground. Aggressive and territorial, the willie wagtail will often harass much larger birds such as the laughing kookaburra and wedge-tailed eagle.
Notes: Although quite common, this was the only photograph I took of the Willie Wagtail in my initial trip around Victoria. Cute and mischevious looking.
Details: The masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent, New Zealand and New Guinea. It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms, and has several distinctive calls. It is common in Australian fields and open land, and is known for its defensive swooping behaviour during the nesting season.
Notes: The Masked Lapwing is a bird I've seen a few times but only managed to get this out of focus photograph so far. A poor image but better than no photograph at all.
Details: The brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10cm long, and feeds on insects. It is brown, grey and white. Brown thornbills are skilled mimics and also respond to humans imitating their calls. The calls have been described as "rich, musical warble".
Notes: I believe this to be a Brown Thornbill but I'm not completely sure of this one. The smaller birds with this colouring can sometimes be hard to identify especially if they are young.
Details: During waking hours the bird is almost never still. It flits from perch to perch, sometimes on the ground but mostly on the twigs of a tree or any other convenient object, looking out for flying insects. The birds are not shy, and will often flit within a few metres of people, especially in forested areas and suburban gardens. In doing so, it is able to catch any small flying insects that may have been disturbed by human activities such as walking or digging.
Notes: There isn't a bird that I photographed more during my initial trip around Victoria, yet here we are with a grainy shot and unable to see the true beauty of its fantail. I spent hours sat by the stream trying to capture these darting around, yet their speed and agility made it incredibly difficult. I'm sure with time a better image will be captured.
Details: The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests. A highly intelligent bird, they are well known in aviculture, although they can be demanding pets.
Notes: A common bird throughout Victoria. This might not be the best shot of one, but I have the attitude that I will capture a better one. With one of the loudest bird calls (if you can call it that, it's more like a massive screech), you always know when these birds are around.
Details: The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) is a bird in the honeyeater family and is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. This miner is a grey bird, with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow patch behind the eye, and white tips on the tail feathers. As the common name suggests, the noisy miner is a vocal species with a large range of songs, calls, scoldings and alarms, and almost constant vocalisations, particularly from young birds.
Notes: Although quite common, something I was unaware of at the time, this bird is stunning. With its bright yellow beak, eye and colourful body surrounded by grey feathers, it stands out in any location. One of the photographs I'm really happy with due to its clairity and composition.
Details: The little corella (Cacatua sanguinea), also known as the bare-eyed cockatoo, blood-stained cockatoo, short-billed corella, little cockatoo, and blue-eyed cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea.[2] It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the central and western Pilbara. They would keep them as pets, or traditionally cook and eat them. The downy feathers are used in traditional ceremonies and dances where they adorn head and armbands.
Notes: Hanging around in groups, these playful birds were a joy to photograph. With their humurours faces they appear clown like. My initial reaction to these birds were perhaps they were female Sulpur-Crested Cockatoos. The same family, but in reality quite far apart.
Details: The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas.
Notes: How could these magnificent parrots not become an instant favourite. Colours that are so bright they don't seem natural. The only time I saw these on my initial trip around Victoria, my partner saw them perched in what I believe to be their nest.
Details: The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and black legs. While its sister species is the African sacred ibis, the Australian white ibis is a native Australian bird - contrary to urban myth, it is not a feral species introduced to Australia by people, and it does not come from Egypt.
Notes: After only seeing one of these in Victoria in the last 4 months, they are in abundance further north in New South Wales and Queensland. The magnificence of the striking white feathers in the dark undergrowth on the edge of water is what makes this photograph so special to me.
Details: The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. It is a large bird with mostly black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.
Notes: Being from the UK, I'm very use to White Swans, but not so much Black Swans. One of the unique features of the Black Swan are its perfectly white feathers that are only visible when it's wings are out from its body. This Swan stood with its partner and it's two cygnets nearby.
Details: The silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae or Larus novaehollandiae) is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull, which also lives in Australia.
Notes: One of the most common birds you can see, the Silver Gull. These Silver Gulls were acting as body guards for two black baby swans whilst their parents stood nearby.
Details: The little black cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes throughout most areas of Australia and northern New Zealand, where it is known as the little black shag. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is all black with blue-green eyes.
Notes: There's a number of birds in this shot but for this image we're focusing on the Little Black Cormorants, even if the magnificient Pelicans steal the show. These Cormorants are more like the types of Cormorant that I'm familiar with. They were always in large groups stood around the Pelicans.
Details: The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (Microcarbo melanoleucos) is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the subantarctic. It is a small short-billed cormorant usually black above and white below with a yellow bill and small crest, although a mostly black white-throated form predominates in New Zealand.
Notes: I was well aware of Cormorants in the UK. I remember growing up and my mum pointing them out to me, but this grumpy looking fella was new to me and became a quick favourite with all its character. Perched on the jetty as we came ashore at 90 mile beach.
Details: The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is a seabird of the family Laridae. This bird breeds on the coasts and inland waterways of temperate and tropical Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in the subtropical and tropical oceans as far south as South Africa and Australia. The little tern breeds in colonies on gravel or shingle coasts and islands. It lays two to four eggs on the ground. Like all white terns, it is defensive of its nest and young and will attack intruders.
Notes: The flying Little Terns gave me the opportunity to try capturing birds in flight. This was my first attempt at doing so, made even trickier by the rocking boat and my desire to not fall in the water with my camera.
Details: The pied oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island pied oystercatcher occurs in New Zealand. The name "oystercatcher" is something of a misnomer for this species, because they seldom eat oysters, which are found mainly on rocky coastlines.
Notes: During Boxing Day, me and my partner rented a boat and took it out on the lakes of Gippsland. This beautiful location was rich with birdlife, magical islands and beautiful beaches. As my partner steered the boat, i took the opportunity to photograph the bird life.
Details: The rufous whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) is a species of whistler found in New Caledonia and Australia. Predominantly a reddish-brown and grey bird, it makes up for its subdued plumage with its song-making ability. Like many other members of the Pachycephalidae, it has a variety of musical calls.
Notes: On arriving in Bairnsdale on Christmas day evening, I went for a walk along the river at dusk. This little bird was perched up on the branches. The only Rufous Whistler I saw during my iniitial two week trip.
Details: The Australian raven (Corvus coronoides) is a passerine bird in the genus Corvus native to much of southern and northeastern Australia. Measuring 5cm in length, it has all-black plumage, beak and mouth, as well as strong grey-black legs and feet. The preferred habitat is open woodland and transitional zones. It has adapted well to urban environments and is a common city bird in Sydney, Canberra, and Perth. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it eats a wide variety of plant and animal material, as well as food waste from urban areas.
Notes: An Australian Raven, or atleast what I believe to be as it could well be an Australian Crow. Perched up on the same branch as the European Starling from the previous evening, the Ravens eye turning dilating and turning white, giving an ominous feeling that they are all too well known for.
Details: The crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans) is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the yellow rosella and the Adelaide rosella.
Notes: One of my favourite birds I have come across and when I say come across, they are one of the most common birds i come across. Being from the UK it will always be special coming across such a colourful bird. This Crimson Rosella spent a good 10 minutes eating in the bushes whilst I took photos of it on Christmas Day morning.
Details: The hooded plover (Thinornis cucullatus) is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania where it inhabits ocean beaches and subcoastal lagoons. There are two recognised subspecies which form isolated eastern and western populations. The eastern subspecies is of greater conservation concern, with listings varying from Vulnerable in South Australia and Victoria to Critically Endangered in New South Wales.
Notes: My lack of knowledge of birds before I started this project led me to photograph almost every bird I came across. Most birds I flippantly photographed with the idea that I will one day get a better photograph, only to come home and find that they are either threatened or vulnerable birds. This Hooded Plover looks as if it has stuff caught around its right leg and potentially a marker on its left leg...
Details: Loud and conspicuous, the red wattlebird is generally found in trees, where it gets most of its food; occasionally it forages on the ground. It is one of the largest nectarivorous birds in the world, feeding from a wide variety of flowering plants. Insects also comprise part of its diet. It is territorial and at times aggressive towards birds of other species, often defending rich sources of nectar. Breeding throughout its range, the red wattlebird builds a cup-shaped nest in a tree and raises one or two broods a year.
Notes: Another bird that was new to me, like many Australian birds. The freckles around its face stood out to me to be unique. With much foliage between me and the bird, it was hard to get a clean shot, but fortunately I was able to capture its pinkish wattle below its eye.
Details: The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family. It is about 20cm long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
Notes: The Starling perched high up on a dead tree as the sunsets on Christmas Eve. Fortunately the Starling, with its prey in its beak, stood on top of the tree for a good 5 minutes, allowing me to get use to shooting with a super telephoto lens. The light caught the front of it's chest and showed off its beautiful markings.
Details: The Tasmanian scrubwren or brown scrubwren (Sericornis humilis) is a bird species endemic to the temperate forests of Tasmania and nearby King Island. It lives in the understory of rainforest, woodland, dry forest, swamps and coastal scrublands.