White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Tara

The White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis) is native to New Guinea, and eastern and northern Australia. This little guy from Pine Creek was surprisingly bold in letting any passing human know he wanted a drink of water!

They have a very large range across Australia in Queensland and the Northern Territory and even into southern Papua New Guinea.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-THROATED HONEY-EATERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

VIDEOS

This one has something to say, probably asking the human below to get him some water!

Another one from Darwin

Birding Bowra Part 3 – Deeper Into The Property

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Tara

In this section we will see birds that are found as you leave the Bowra homestead area and turn in the opposite direction of the main road, heading deeper into the property. Of course it’s pot luck which birds will be there at any given time of year and depending on rainfall. Most cars can make it about 5km down the road but depending on road conditions you will probably need a 4WD to go further. Always check with the caretaker before heading out.

Look in dense bushes for Fairy-wrens, Homey-eaters and Crimson Chats.

Ground foragers like Cockatiels and Bourke’s Parrots are common here.

Major Mitchell Cockatoos often breed in this area.

Odd looking Noisy Friarbird.

And a close-up of a beautiful Bourkie!

Birding Bowra Part 1 – Road To Homestead Area

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Tara

Since there are so many places to see birds, I am breaking this down into several parts. The first area to explore is the part where you first enter Bowra Station at the letterbox and drive the main road to the homestead – about 5 or 6 km. This is a fantastic area for parrots, as you can see from the photos below we saw many species just in this area such as Cockatiels, Mallee Ringecks, Galahs, Major Mitchell Cockatoos, Mulga Parrots and various Honey-eaters, an Emu and of course lots of kangaroos! I also saw a Bluebonnet flying away at the speed of light near the gate.

Bring boots as sometimes you have to walk through the bush!

King’s Park, Perth

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Tara

King’s Park in Perth is easily accessed by free CAT buses from downtown. Once you are there, have a look for a nice variety of bird species. Full bird list can be found here. You can also download a nice brochure with bird pics to help you identify them.

Although it looks close to the city, be aware that the park is on top of a hill.

We were there late in the afternoon but still managed to see Carnaby’s Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, Ravens and more!

You can also enjoy wonderful views overlooking the city.

The Birds Of Stirling Range – Pictorial

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Tara

I’ve already blogged about the Stirling Range National Park but it got too long so I saved the bird photos for this post. Just as a reminder, here are the bird lists that have been recorded here:

Frank O’Connor

Eremaea

Birdlife (has pictures)

Since we have the long Easter weekend coming up, over the next 4 days, I will get caught up on some bird profiles and then move on to the next stop which was Two People’s Bay. So for now, just enjoy some of these beautiful birds!

Regent Parrot

Galah

Elegant Parrot

Dusky Wood Swallows (I think)

Owlet Nightjar

Honey-eater

Elegant Parrot

Singing Honey-eater

Elegant Parrot

Splendid Fairy-wren

Elegant Parrot

Australian Ringneck

Regent Parrots

Western Rosella

Elegant Parrot

Elegant Parrot

Elegant Parrot

Australian Owlet Nightjar

Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Tara

Dryandra Woodland offers amazing birding only a couple hours drive from Perth! Use your miles to get here and then hire a car so you can explore this beautiful park on your own.

Although you could visit Dryandra Woodland as a day trip from Perth, I highly recommend staying a night or two here so you can visit all the water holes and birding areas. You can stay either in the park or in Narrogin, about a half hour’s drive from Dryandra.

The Lion’s Dryandra Village has the advantage of being right inside the park so no commuting and you can easily do the night tour at Barna Mia. You do need to be completely self-sufficient and bring your own food and bed linens.

Otherwise you can stay in the closest town of Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.

The official park website has a brochure you can download. I have marked some prime birding location in yellow on the screenshot below. The Old Mill Dam was the best place, I personally saw several Western Rosellas, Australian Ringnecks, Rainbow Bee-eaters and more (see bird list links below).

Dryandra birding spots

The bird list is very impressive and Frank O’Connor’s website has some great location details complete with co-ordinates for your GPS. Eremaea also has a bird list for Dryandra Woodland.

Here are some photos I took at Dryandra Woodlands.

Australian Ringneck

Common Bronzewing

Scarlet Robin wants a bath

Some New Holland Honey-eaters join in.

TBD

Western Rosellas wait for the chance to drink. I was really happy to see them after I saw a video that they were disappearing.

Although this Ringneck didn’t approach too close to the Rosellas, they still flew off when he was joined by others. It’s clear the Ringneck is the dominating species.