White-eared Honeyeater

 WHITE-EARED HONEYEATER Nesoptilotis leucotis

These are a  common bird found all over most of Victoria and on the eastern coast of NSW and in South-Eastern Queensland. These were photographed amongst the wattle trees and gorse bushes at Kilmore East last week.

 

They are an attractive medium sized  bird with a  rich olive coloured back and breast with contrasting black bib and white eye patch.

 

 

 

 

 

They are present in most treed areas although not seen quite so often in open farmland, nor in town or urban areas of the countryside. A flash of olive is often the first sight one sees of them as they move quickly between trees.

 

 

 

They are of course honeyeaters by name, but feed mainly on insects picked from the bark of trees, as well as fruit and nectar. 

 

 

 

Platypus

 

There have been a number of platypus sightings in the Kilmore Creek in the last weeks. It is pleasing to think the creek, small as it is, is home to these shy monotremes. 

Sadly several of the sightings have been of animals affected by rubbish in the creek. 

I include this piece from the Australian Platypus Conservancy 

Australian Platypus Conservancy (Official)

10 October at 22:21 ·

An Australian Platypus Conservancy attempt to rescue two platypus entangled in litter in Kilmore Creek on Friday night was unsuccessful. However, the rescue effort was significant in providing important good news about how the local platypus population is faring. 

One platypus had been spotted in the pools near the Kilmore Leisure Centre with a plastic ring stuck around its head. Another animal had been observed near Bourke Street with what appeared to be a length of thin string or line with a tag of some sort caught around its body (see photo, courtesy of Kerry De Gabrielle).

White-browed Scrubwren

WHITE-BROWED SCRUBWREN

 

I have lived in Kilmore for over forty years but only in the last three to four, have I noticed these cheeky looking wrens. They are seen in dark tangled bushes, in amongst fallen logs, often around water. They move very quickly, over, under, around  the dark places and deep inside the thorny blackberry and gorse scrub. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The band of black around the eye gives them a villainous look,  just like the Beagle Boys. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of these little birds around, over a large area. It is hard to tell whether they are more plentiful now or whether it just takes some time to recognize they are about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The give away for me is the high pitched  'chie-weeep' which is heard before the birds are sighted.

Black Swans

 BLACK SWANS

 

It is many months since I last recorded bird sightings. The weather has been wet and cold and there has been little bird life to see. I could walk most days and not take a single photograph. 

 

 

The last weeks have changed. The bush has come alive once again.

 

 

And the swans are back. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well we think the male swan is back. Has he a new new partner? A number of keen watchers think it is a new female. She seems smaller and finer than the female of 2020. She also has  a distinctive skin tag on her beak. Unless the mother of 2020 has had an accident and lost some weight, this is a different partner.

 

 

 

 

There are four grey signets, happily following the adults around the lake and around the grassy, still damp, fairways of the golf course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So good to see two years in a row.