Turquoise Parrot (Neophema pulchella)

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Tara

The Turquoise Parrot (Neophema pulchella) is a species of parrot in the genus Neophema native to Eastern Australia, from southeastern Queensland, through New South Wales and into north-eastern Victoria.

I had to use a Wikipedia shot since the only one I could get was too far away.

Sitting on a wire near Amiens, Stanthorpe area.

They have a large range in eastern Australia mostly in NSW & Victoria with a smaller range in South-east QLD. I have seen them near Amiens in the Stanthorpe area and a brief glimpse of a pair in Durikai National Forest.

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VIDEO

Lovely close-ups of a lovely bird! That bright turquoise face is spectacular!

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Tara

The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a carnivorous bird in the kingfisher family Halcyonidae. It is probably the most iconic Australian bird and its distinctive “laugh” is as true blue Aussie as you can get.

They are very clever and more than one picnicker has lost a BBQ steak or bread roll to a swiftly swooping Kookaburra. We have quite a few of them in our suburb and I often wake up to the laugh outside my window and if you walk through any reserve or national park in Queensland, Victoria or NSW you will most likely see Laughing Kookaburras or even have unexpected guests at your picnic!

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VIDEOS

The best video of the laugh was actually filmed at San Diego zoo. It’s kind of hard to predict when a wild one will laugh unless you want to sit there and film until it does. This is how they actually sound in the wild………..or in your backyard! What a wake up call!

Here’s some wild Kookaburras

And just to show you how iconic they are in Australia, here’s a kid’s song about them!

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Tara

The Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin. The red-rumped parrot was described by John Gould in 1838 and is the type species for the genus Psephotus. It was long presumed to be closely related to the mulga parrot, however analysis of multiple genetic material shows it to be an early offshoot of a group containing the genera Platycercus and Barnardius.

At Lake Coolmunda, male Red-rumps were out foraging in all their glory but I struggled to get a good shot of a female. I found this nesting pair near Karara but the lighting was bad.

They have quite a large range in south-eastern Australia. I have personally seen them at Woodlands Park, Melbourne, Bowra Station, Lake Coolmunda, Karara and around SEQ in general.

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VIDEOS

This clip has excellent close ups of both male and female and you can really see the difference. You can also hear their call and watch them forage in the grass.

More foraging Red-rumps

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Tara

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 and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species (see Taxonomy) or this more detailed explanation of taxonomy.

Rainbow Lorikeets are readily found in towns along the eastern Australian seaboard. You don’t have to go birding to see them in Brisbane, they are everywhere! They visit my back yard and front yard most days of the year and roost noisily in the trees outside the Chermside Shopping Centre in the 1000’s. A smaller population has been introduced to parks near Perth, WA.

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VIDEOS

Here you see Rainbow Lorikeets in the bush and also some which frequent a wildlife park – Currumbin Sanctuary. All the birds are wild, they just like a free feed like anyone else!

Here you can see their playful nature!

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus)

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Tara

The Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), also known as the superb blue-wren or colloquially as the blue wren, is a passerine bird of the family Maluridae, common and familiar across southeastern Australia. They were recently voted as Australia’s favourite bird. Two subspecies groups are recognized: the larger and darker Tasmanian form cyaneus and the smaller and paler mainland form cyanochlamys.

Superb Fairy-wrens have a large range in eastern Australia and Tasmania. I’ve personally seen them in the Captain Cook Caravan Park in Bruny Island, Strahan, around Hobart and near Girraween National Park in Queensland.

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Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Beautiful close up footage from Chris Rishworth on YouTube.

Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella)

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Tara

Don’t call them vain, they didn’t ask to be called Beautiful Firetails……………..even though they are!

The beautiful firetail (Stagonopleura bella) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,000,000 km². The species inhabits temperate shrubland habitats in Australia. The ones in the photos were seen in Melaleuca sharing the Orange-bellied Parrots’ food. The beautiful firetail is endemic in Southeastern Australia. Its distribution range extends from Newcastle to Kangaroo Island, however, the bird is most prolific in Tasmania and off-shore islands. It lives in coastal heathland, forests and shrubbery, never far from water. Its preference for near water habitats was shown in a study of its occurrence in intact forest areas of the Victorian Central Highlands, where it was almost exclusively found in riparian habitat. Doing the Melaleuca trip with Par Avion is a great way to see them.

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Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Mike Grant has some stunning up close footage of Beautiful Firetails on YouTube.

Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna)

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Tara

The Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna) is a lorikeet, one of the three species of the Glossopsitta genus. It inhabits south-central/eastern Australia. The musk lorikeet was first described by ornithologist George Shaw in 1790 as Psittacus concinnus, from a collection in the vicinity of Port Jackson in what is now Sydney.

All the photos in this post were taken by me in Melbourne.

Musk lorikeets are found in eastern New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. I have personally seen them at Woodlands Historic Park near the Melbourne International Airport, near Cambridge Airport in Hobart and several places in South-east Queensland. Airline miles can get you to any of these places in Australia. They are easily recognized by the red-streak across their face covering their eyes. I called it “war paint”!