A Yellow Tufted Honeyeater

"Look at that, see it? A helmeted honeyeater! I reckon it is."

The bird was at the very top of the plum tree, happily preening itself. I'd walked over, curious at what Jod was watching, his head tilted back. We watched for a few minutes.

"Can you see that, sticking out on it's head? Like a cap? It could be a yellow tufted, I suppose. No, its a helmeted."

"I haven't got my glasses on Jod, but something's protruding, yellow coloured, brighter than the rest of the bird." It moved its head about almost constantly as it preened, making it hard to get a good look. It was greeny and grey with black on its head. It flew over us into a flowering abelia bush. I walked over and watched it working from as close as 3 or 4 feet, but its movement was now continuous and the many twigs between me and the bird prevented me getting a clear 'snap' in my memory.

That was late last Friday. I meant to look at the bird book that night but didn't think of it after getting home. The next day I was at the farm to put some seeds in, given the wonderful autumn weather. Michelle Faram was there giving Elvie a couple of hours in the garden. She works at the 'Friends of The Helmeted Honeyeaters' nursery at Yellingbow during the week. They propogate and plant trees and shrubs to improve the habitat. Since European settlement 99% of the helmeted's habitat has been destroyed.

"Did Jod tell you about the honeyeater we saw yesterday, Michelle? He reckons it might've been a helmeted honeyeater."

"Yes, he did. Most likely it was a yellow tufted. They move around quite a bit. It probably came down from up north. The helmeted stay close to home, in the swampy forest, don't go far at all, that's probably why they are nearly extinct."

"When you say up north, what you mean, Queensland?"

"No. Northern Victoria, up around the Murray. They move away from drought, fire. The helmeted are so vulnerable to fire. We nearly lost the colony in the Bunyip Park in the recent fires. It was that close they were going to take the babies out of the nests. In fact they did with two nests. They put them back two days later after the threat eased. The parents resumed feeding them as if nothing happened. There's about 50 birds in total in the Bunyip Park, and about 50 at the Yellingbow Reserve, and some mating pairs at Healesville Sanctuary. They breed them there and release them at Bunyip. There's a farmer who looks after them and feeds them at Bunyip. He lost his house in the fires, that's how close it was."

I have to say my heart was gladdened by the thought of this human effort to prevent this species disappearing totally from the planet. Jod's a bit of a hero to me for his knowledge of birds. Also Michelle, and her mum, who go out and feed the honeyeaters on Saturdays on the volunteer roster. And all the other volunteers who fill the roster on the other days.