Birds of a feather

[drron]

Neighbour has a missing socialised maggie and a dead coughatoo this am…
I had two deceased mature ringtails within a few days of each other a while back
Fearful for the flu...

Apparently 70+ crested terns confirmed dead from bird flu in A.

 

[drron]

So today we were visited by a white bellied sea eagle following our canal. I'm a little slow getting outside so an intern


And then common visitors a pair of Australian tern.

 

[Major]

I think this is a Buff - banded Rail, which mooched around our yard today

 

[drron]

I went outside today and sat in the chair I always used to stun. Within a couple of minutes this fellow arrived with a youngster Couldn’t work out where the food was.



The youngster flew off every time I pointed the camera at him.

 

[Brissy1]

I went outside today and sat in the chair I always used to stun. Within a couple of minutes this fellow arrived with a youngster Couldn’t work out where the food was. View attachment 518687

View attachment 518688

The youngster flew off every time I pointed the camera at him.

He's showing the youngster the good feeding spots.

 

[Rayesfeg]

Adding in my part: Saw what I believe to be Griffon Vulture (according to a google search) in the Gorges du Verdon (France).
They were spectacular to watch and there was more than one so they can't be all too territorial. Apparently, they had been reintroduced to the gorge starting from the late 90's to the early 2000s. Based on what I saw, they seem to be doing well.
Sorry for the bad quality photo, its a screenshot from a video:

 

[drron]

The grey backed butcher birds now really know I’m back. Another one came for a chat.


Guess it’s time to add mince to the shopping list.

 

[kookaburra75]

Guess it’s time to add mince to the shopping list.

We create the mince for the birds that visit us from scratch (I use chuck steak) to avoid any preservatives. It doesn't take long, and we like to think our magpies know they're being spoilt with the full gourmet experience Rigamonti Mincy - Hand Mincer and Biscuit Extruder

 

[drron]

We create the mince for the birds that visit us from scratch (I use chuck steak) to avoid any preservatives. It doesn't take long, and we like to think our magpies know they're being spoilt with the full gourmet experience Rigamonti Mincy - Hand Mincer and Biscuit Extruder

You should have every magpie in the district hanging out at your place.
Our butcher birds line up for the cheap stuff.

 

[Pushka]

Avian flu is hitting hard in South Australia and feeding wild birds is being discouraged. All birds have been banned from our Royal Show in a couple of weeks. And now Kangaroo Islands seals are dying. We are also losing 98% of the Giant Cuttlefish in Port Augusta (and squid) due to algae bloom continuing to wreak havoc.

 

[Tiki]

OK here is the first batch of photos from the first birding stop in Kolombangara. This island is reached via local banana boat from Munda/Noro or Gizo. The environment is very jungly here and most sightings were of birds shooting through the valley leaving the mountain top to go forage for the day. I did manage to get a few birds in trees closer up. There were also lots of parrots - Duchess Lorikeets, Meeks Lorikeets, a flash of Finchs' Pygmy Parrot who ade their presence known by sound but kept their distance. People who are more fit can hike to the mountain top for closer looks at the parrots.

 

[Tiki]

These will be disappointing to those following the saga of being stranded in Rennell Island for 6 days. Birds were mostly far away or hiding in trees and I was trying to hand-hold a Canon SX-70 which is almost 1 kg. You can see how far the trees were from the lodge verandah where I was trying to catch the Singing Parrots in flight. I finally did get one perched in a tree (green bird below). The easiest birds to photograph were the bin chickens and a resident kingfisher. We were in Moreno Guesthouse for 2 nights, then checked out to fly back to Honiara. Then spend 6 nights in Maana Guesthouse after 4 flights in a row were cancelled. Rennell is actually a birding hotspot with many endemics and any birding tour group going to the Solomons will come here. I saw one group getting off the plane that finally took me and my husband back to Honiara that had the whole kit and kaboodle of gear - tripods, lenses as long as my arm, 3 kg cameras!

 

[Happy Dude]

Love the Sacred Kingfisher (?) pics. The Azure Kingfisher is one of my all-time favourites.

 

[Flyfrequently]

I had a birdwatching friend ( he has sadly passed on) @Tiki
He could impersonate bird calls - is that a skill you or other birdwatchers have?

 

[drron]

I am not a birdwatcher but I can impersonate a few different birds. Part1cularly Magpies and butcher birds both pied and grey backed. Got too be careful though as their songs can be slightly different in different locations. When I worked at Buderim the butcherbird songs there were just slightly different than at home so when I did my call several butcher birds would turn up presumably to chase off the interloper. They got used to me eventually.