Sacred Kingfisher

SACRED KINGFISHER (Halcyon Sancta)

The days are still very grey. We have patches of sunlight  and the air and ground is warming up, but the days have been grey. I have seen echidnas, brown snakes, blue tongued lizards and tortoises all on the move in the last week. I imagine a combination of wet ground and the warmth is pushing the wildlife above ground a little earlier than other years. 




Do we plant out tomatoes now? It is is still two weeks until Melbourne Cup Day. That is the proper time for tomatoes.

I have a brother in law who lives around Baddaginnie.  Benalla never had a holiday for Cup Day, so  the locals begin  tomatoe planting day according to the days when the brown snakes and the blue tongued lizards emerge from their winter sleep.

It must be the time.



I was walking last Sunday quite early when a flash of blue swooped past and a little kingfisher landed on a nearby tree. I can't remember seeing one of these before around Kilmore. It was a bright blue and sat on it's branch for quite a few minutes before flying off.  It was a small, blue kookaburra.

Today I had an hour or two to spare and went out looking to see if I could find him or her again. It began to rain heavily, again. I sat under a large pine tree to wait until the rain passed. The birds were not waiting. Swallows, ducks, swamp hens and cormorants were all enjoying the rain. And there was the little blue kingfisher, sitting quietly looking at me. Lovely!

So what kind of kingfisher is it?   I could not see this bird very clearly but I think this might be a Sacred Kingfisher. At first I thought it was an Azure Kingfisher which has a striking blue, ultra marine coloured back with buff underparts. This one has a pale chest and has a white collar which extends all around the neck.  So I think Sacred Kingfisher,  Halcyon Sancta. 

The name?  Halcyon  was a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm And sancta, of course means saint. What a lovely name for a lovely bird 

Red-browed Finch

Red-browed Finch or Red-browed Firetail

These birds are listed as being common to the eastern coast of Australia, and the adjacent ranges, but I do not see them very often around Kilmore.


This pair were feeding on the tee off mound for the final hole on the Kilmore Golf Course the other day. I was able to get quite close to them, they did not seem to be concerned about me at all, very sociable.  


Finches of course, are seed eaters, just look at the beaks. They feed on  ripe or ripening grass seed which they pick from the ground or from the  stalks. That is certainly what this pair were doing on this day. Perhaps the course curators had spread some grass seed on the tee-off area.  My reading tells me they also  need a regular supply of water. So if you are thirsty and lost in dry country, look out for finches. They are a good sign of water.

These have the scientific name Neochmia temporalis but have also been known as Aegintha temporalis. Temporalis comes from the Latin for temple; that makes sense. Neochmia and Aegintha? I am still looking for a meaning. Both sound like Latin to me, neo,  new?  Aeg...,  something to do with silver perhaps. Aah, they are related to silver eyes, perhaps that is a connection. I'll update the information if and when I find it.