Red-browed Firetail at Cranbourne Melbourne

 These petite, seed-eating wonders, also known as the Red-browed Firetail, are easily recognisable by their vivid red brows and tails contrasted against their olive-green plumage.

Sony A7RV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Galah for Saturday Critter

 

The Galah, also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, is one of Australia's most beloved and recognizable birds. With its striking pink and grey plumage and playful personality, the Galah captures the hearts of bird enthusiasts and casual observers alike.

Galahs are easily identified by their bright pink chests, pale pink crowns, and grey wings and backs. These medium-sized cockatoos are known for their strong, curved beaks and expressive crests, which they raise and lower depending on their mood. Galahs are highly social birds, often seen in large flocks, and are known for their acrobatic flying and playful antics.

Galahs are widespread across Australia, inhabiting a variety of environments including woodlands, grasslands, and urban areas. They are highly adaptable and can thrive in both rural and suburban settings. Their ability to find food and shelter in diverse habitats has contributed to their success and widespread presence.

These birds have a varied diet that includes seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. They are often seen foraging on the ground in open spaces or in trees, using their strong beaks to crack open tough shells and extract seeds. In urban areas, Galahs may also visit bird feeders and parks, where they enjoy a range of treats provided by human admirers.

Galahs are known for their strong pair bonds and often form lifelong partnerships. They nest in tree hollows, where they raise their young together. Outside of the breeding season, they gather in large, noisy flocks that can be seen and heard across the Australian landscape. Their playful nature and social interactions make them a delight to watch.

Linking Saturday Critter

Kea in New Zealand for Saturday Critter

 

Someone is baiting the bird with an empty can

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G

Linking Saturday Critter

Galah from local garden for Saturday Critter

 

Loud and clear

Linking Saturday Critter

Keel Billed Toucan for Saturday Critter

 

A bird I spotted in a Japanese bird reserve 

Linking Saturday Critter

I have been resting for the past few days. Got addicted to a phone game. The hedonic treadmill.

More Seagulls at Lake Tyrrell for Saturday Critter

 

It is winter here. I don't really get to photograph much about wildlife. Sea gulls are probably like more flying rats in urban land. 

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f4 G

Linking Saturday Critter

White Whiskered Laughingthrush in Taiwan for Saturday Critter

 

I only learnt the name of this bird until a former mate in Perth Australia told me about it.

Extraordinarily plumaged songbird with white facial markings that lend it an almost comical whiskered appearance. Brown overall, with accents of yellow, buff, purple, plum, blue, and orange throughout the plumage. Inhabits montane forest edge with dense shrubbery or grassy cover, but often emerges out onto roadsides and paths to forage, often crossing the road close to vehicles. Moves in noisy flocks or in pairs, giving soft contact calls and harsh rattling and whistling calls when alarmed. Song, a melodic tinkling, is simple but pleasant.

Sony A7RV

Sigma 105mm macro 

Linking Saturday Critter

Alpine Parrot Kea in New Zealand for Saturday Critter

 

Kea was once treated as pests in NZ. In 1970, they went into extinction as the country wanted to protect their sheep grazing industry. Now, Kea is a protected species. They behave like seagulls trying to get my food all the time.

Sony A7RV

FE 70-200mm f4 G

Linking Saturday Critter

Galah for Saturday Critter

 

I haven't done much photography on birds lately. 

Galah is very loud. They always wake me up every morning. 

I would be on the flight back to Melbourne now. (I have to wake up at 2 am in the morning to catch the flight). 

Linking Saturday Critter

Rosella in Mount Dandenong for Saturday Critter

 

They are the song birds

Olympus 150mm f2

Linking Saturday Critter

Crested Peacock Pheasant for Saturday Critter

 

I was in one of the old trips to Malayasia. This bird was in an enclosure of a village I visited. I was using a point and shoot camera at the time. Now it is memory.

The Malayan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) also known as crested peacock-pheasant or Malaysian peacock-pheasant, is a medium-sized pheasant of the galliform family Phasianidae. The closely related Bornean peacock-pheasant (P. schleiermacheri) was formerly included here as a subspecies, but as understood today, P. malacense is monotypic.

Their plumage is generally pale brown with small black spots and bands all over, creating the "salt-and-pepper" effect found in most peacock-pheasants. It has iridescent blue-green eyespots with a buff border on its upper wings, back, and on the 22 rectrices, a white throat running down to the centre of the breast, and a loose, pointed and upturned dark blue-green crest on its forehead. A bare facial skin surrounds the eyes with their bluish-white iris; usually pink, it becomes bright orange-red during courtship. The bill and legs are blackish.

Female plumage is duller than in males, with a vestigial crest and eyespots only on remiges and rectrices. On the wing coverts and back, they have dark dots instead, which are pointed towards the feather tip.

Young birds resemble females but have even less-developed eyespots and usually lack them entirely except on the rectrices. The downy hatchlings are pale chestnut-brown above and buff below.

Linking Saturday Critter

Wren in Grampians for Saturday Critter

 

This is a female wren looking back at the lens.

Sony A7RV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Cranbourne Garden Birds for Saturday Critter

 

I cannot ID the birds. They do look nice.

Sony A7RV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Yesterday was Lunar Chinese New Year. I spent the whole day binge watching "Boy Swallows Universe". The series is definitely better than the book. 

Wattlebird in Braeside for Saturday Critter

 

It looks minimalistic. 

Sony A7RIV

200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Honeyeater in Cranbourne for Saturday Critter

 

Sitting there meditating

Sony A7RIV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Blue Fairy Wren in Grampians for Saturday Critter

 

Blue Fairy Wren is a delight to see

Sony A7RIV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Falcon in Kerang for Saturday Critter

 

It is often spotted around kangaroo Roadkills near Kerang. They love to feed on Roo's meats. 

Very hard to capture them on camera as they are scared of humans easily

Sony A7RV

FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Barn Swallow Cranbourne for Saturday Critter

 

I think the distracting bokeh takes away the focus of the swallow

Sony A7RV + FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter

Galah in Ringwood Melbourne for Saturday Critter

 

They are starting to make noises every morning. Really noisy. 

Olympus 150mm f2

Linking Saturday Critter

More honeyeater from Cranbourne for Saturday Critter

 

Honeyeater in Cranbourne Garden is a guarantee in this banksia bush. 

Honeyeaters can be either nectarivorous, insectivorous, frugivorous, or a combination of nectar- and insect-eating

Sony A7RIV + FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3

Linking Saturday Critter