White-plumed Honeyeater

WHITE-PLUMED HONEYEATER (Ptilotula pencillatus)

A lone honeyeater was in the area of the Kilmore Hospital reservoir this afternoon.

I have seen them further out from Kilmore, but not here on the golf course before.

There is plenty of blossom on the trees this year. The yellow box trees are flowering well, the dams are full so the birds and bees are all busy.




The name comes from the Latin  word  'penicillis' which refers to a brush stroke, which describes the white plume across the birds chin.

Striated Pardalotes

STRIATED PARDALOTES Pardolotus striatus

A Puzzle!

There are always pardalotes around the bridge on Nanny Creek Road, Kilmore East.

In late Spring there are many pairs, very busy flying around between the creek, the trees and the bridge. I can see with insects and spiders in their beaks but nowhere can I see nest burrows. I know they will also build nests in tree hollows and around buildings but they are so very busy around the concrete bridge which spans the creek. But I can see no signs anywhere of nests anywhere.

In the same area I have seen fairy martins, not so many recently, but over winter quite a few.Under the bridge there are plenty of signs of their presence, lots of beautiful mud nests with large piles of droppings underneath. Obviously the martins have been nesting here over a number of years.



Last week, I was sitting under the bridge hoping to photograph the martins returning to their nests. I sat for almost an hour but there was no movement. As I got up to leave, I could hear the squeaking of chicks in a nest. Something was not at home. I couldn't see any martins, just the pardalotes.

Could the pardalotes be nesting in the martin nests?The entrances almost look like the tunnel entrance of the holes in the banks they usually occupy.






I need another expedition to see what's what.

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Common Bronzewing

COMMON BRONZEWING (Phaps chalcoptera)

This single bronzewing pigeon was digging amongst the grass,fallen leaves and twigs under the peppermint gums in the Monument bush yesterday.






There was just this one single bird and he looked very lonely. I think this is a male, the pale area over the beak is more buff coloured than white and the "White cheek stripe curves back and wider down towards blue-sided neck." (quoted from Michael Morcombe's Field Guide To Australian Birds).

I had seen a single bird here a few days previously, perhaps it was the same bird or perhaps it was the mate.The Bronzewings share the duties of the nest, taking turns to sit on the eggs  whilst the other feeds.

Named from the Greek Khalkos, copper or bronze and pteron, wing

Australian (Richard's) Pipit

AUSTRALIAN PIPIT (Anthus novaeseelandiae Or Anthus australis)

 


The Kilmore sewerage ponds are out to the west of the town. Adjacent to the ponds is a Trust For Nature property, so there is always something to see.











This little pipit,whilst a long way off, sat long enough for me to get some pictures. This one was on a graveled road way so was easy to get a good look at. Often they are in and out of the grass and very hard to see.

Willy Wag Tails

WILLY WAGTAIL Rhipidura leucophrys

 

Adjoining the Kilmore Sewerage Ponds out at Willowmavin, is a paddock belonging to "Trust For Nature". It is a small allotment, perhaps20 to 40 acres in size. It contains quite a lot of timber and is generally ungrazed land.


It is a pretty spot, very quiet, and being adjacent
 to the to the sewerage ponds, there is plenty of water.

The Willy wag tails were very busy. I watched a pair for quite a while, flying up and down to a forked branch. It took a few minutes before I realized they were building a nest. It seemed a little exposed, in the fork of a branch, quite a distance from the trunk, out on the end of the limb.  One, I assumed to be the male, would wind some cob webs into the nest. He would stand back a little, whilst his mate would sit on the nest, as if to see that it was the right size and shape for her.



One of the birds had his whole head covered in spider's silk. When I looked closely, spider web was a major part of the construction of the nest.

 I have just finished reading a wonderful book called 'Bird Minds'  by an Australian writer Gisela Kaplan, which beautifully describes birds flying, as they carry cob webs for their nests.




Between visits, Mrs. Wagtail, seemed to be trying the nest for size and comfort.

A little distance away, I came across another pair. These were busy feeding  a couple of, almost fully fledged chicks.

Whilst they were aware I was watching, they seemed unconcerned. Each took a turn to stand watch, while the other flew off to gather food for the young.









They would then swap positions. The first watching whilst the first went off to forage.

Yellow-faced Honeyeaters

YELLOW-FACED HONEYEATERS Caligavis chrysops

Out at Kilmore East on the beautifully named 'Nanny's Creek Road,  I was watching  a family of pardalotes. I was hoping I might find a nest or two in the creek bank.

I was so busy watching, it took a few moments for me to hear the commotion coming from a tall white gum behind me.



This old tree contained a lot of mistletoe, hanging in large clumps. When our children were young we would hang a branch above the fire place as a Christmas tree.

Today the  mistletoe was in full flower, large red flowers and a family of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were very busy amongst them.

They seemed very happy with themselves, like a lot of noisy children at a birthday party.I have heard these birds called quitchups which must come from  sound of their calls

 

The name chrysops comes from two old Greek words, gold and face; very appropriate. 

White-eared Honeyeater

WHITE-EARED HONEYEATER Lichenostomos leucotis

There were a pair of White-eared Honeyeaters calling to each other along the train line at Kilmore East this afternoon.  I watched this one as he called to his mate, a shrill call which I at first thought was a grey fantail. The pair continued to call as the evening trains went past just thirty metres away, quite undisturbed  by the clatter and rush.

 

 

 

They are very beautiful birds with vivid olive plumage which glows yellow in the sunlight.


It was interesting to see this bird as it caught and ate a large spider. It is easy to assume that honey-eaters are fruit and nectar eaters. For the times when there are neither fruits or nectar, these birds can be seen peeling back the bark on old wattle trees,  as they search for food.

 

Sacred Kingfisher

SACRED KINGFISHER (Todiramphus sanctus)

There are numbers of these little kingfishers around just now. Perhaps they are more visible as they hunt. Usually I just see a flash of blue; by the time I turn and focus, there is nothing to see.

 I was at the ford on Jeffrey's Lane, just where it joins Dry Creek Road this morning. There were several birds calling to each other with high pitched chirrups. They were very vocal and whatever it was they were discussing, they were vert intent and ignored me watching them.

I had assumed these were Azure Kingfishers but their call described in Michael Morcombe Guide, '..a loud sharp penetrating far-carrying kik kik kik kik .... these calls repeated almost incessantly ...' was a give away.

I have noticed one bird sitting on the power line directly over the Seymour railway line, on three different occasions now, each time in the exactly the same spot. I assume it is the same bird I see each time. There must be something special about that place.


This ford is a nicely timbered area with a creek that actually has water in it most of the year. This despite the name 'Dry Creek'. So there is always activity here, lots of honey eaters, grey thrushes, parrots, fantails and kookaburras. It is a good spot to vist when other areas are quiet.