http://redtail.net.au/birdnote Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:47:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I dream of being there that wonderful dawn at Farm Cove in "New Sydney Town" The Kookaburras calling where the "Toaster" now stands, the Rockwarblers "kissing" among boulders further down At the "Rocks" Scribbly Gums were full of Varied Sitellas while below all the convicted women and fellas were stunned as, ne'er in their lives had ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=2060 SOME HAVE BILLS for probing and gleaning, whilst others are designed for hooking, tearing and prising. However their bills come, it appears that the Australian birds which make bark foraging their speciality have one thing in common: "Intraspecific Resource Partitioning". Many birds will opportunistically take an insect from a tree's bark ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=2042 THERE REALLY is no end to the fascination that can grip you once you start to examine the lives of birds. Of course not one single organism lives in a vacuum, everything is pressured in so many ways by the behaviour and activities of other species and all must find ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=2015 [caption id="attachment_1999" align="alignright" width="220" caption="The East Asian-Australasian Flyway. © 2007 Ricki Coughlan."][/caption] From September to November each year millions of migratory shorebirds are making their way south to Australia from their breeding grounds in North Asia, Japan, Siberia and Alaska. Their flight path is the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: a massive aerial ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1978 Reports of increased diversity and abundance of shorebirds in northern Australia in recent weeks has prompted me to be on the lookout for shorebirds at all the key locations which I frequent from week to week. A few days ago, my regular shorebird survey at Boat Harbour revealed a rise ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1958 For many of us, little brown birds can be exasperating fellows. They're small, they never stand still, they either all look the same or look like nothing you've ever seen. The generally don't look like anything in the field guide too. Then there's the Brown Thornbill/Striated Thornbill thing if you live ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1924 I LOVE Crested Terns. Their sleek, clean black, white and silver plumage, teamed up with bright yellow bills makes for a beautiful sight, especially when they're in a tight roost. Their courtship antics are fascinating and highly engaging, including: wing drooping and circumambulation; offering captured fish and; aerial duetting. These ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1891 [caption id="attachment_1883" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Note the rufous plumage around the neck of the stint on the left. This becomes extremely vibrant when the sun hits it directly. Press image to enlarge. © 2009 Ricki Coughlan."][/caption] The second year Red-necked Stint with more than a little adult plumage has successfully survived all ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1882 LONG REEF is the best place on Sydney's Northern Beaches for a migratory shorebird encounter. It's a brilliantly fascinating and vibrant intertidal, ecological hotspot: a real nature lover magnet! So it's not unusual to find me stalking about the reef with scope and bins and magnifying glass, as I was ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1870 YOU'D HAVE TO BE out of town to not be aware that there has now been two events at the Manly Little Penguin rookery this week where dogs have attacked and killed penguins. The death toll is now seven. [caption id="attachment_1836" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A Little Penguin on Long Reef. © 2006 ... http://redtail.net.au/birdnote/?p=1829