New Holland Honeyeaters

For about the last month there's been large numbers of New Holland Honeyeaters around our house and in the river reserve. Noisy little things they are as they move about in agitated jerky jump about, not still for long. They're in groups, numbering in excess of twenty, not staying for more than a minute or two then coming back maybe an hour or so later.

There are many bird species in this area. We wake to magpies warbling and galahs chirruping. The galahs are often in flocks of hundreds, and many roost in the red gum next to our bedroom at night.They give warning of the dawn and a few, surprisingly, can be heard in the dead of night, flying too, because you can tell they're on the wing as the noise moves. I haven't seen the corellas lately but a few weeks ago huge flocks of what looked like a thousand birds were a regular sight, and sound, flying very much higher than the norm of the galahs. Black cockatoos are also bountiful, never before have I seen so many. A few weeks ago they were in groups of maybe 20-50 birds when seen, typically flying low at tree top level.

Our neighbour Mark is a birder, often seen getting about with binos, told us that the NH Honey eaters group together this time of year before pairing off soon and dispersing to breed. Similarly the black cockatoos. Apparently they all get together in this area for a while before moving off in smaller breeding groups to an area not far away that has many native pines as abunadant food source.

Birds are amazing creatures. There's many water bird species along the river; ducks, coots, herons, cormorants. I have not yet tried to identify them specically but it's lovely just seeing them when we walk. Last night we saw a pair of hooded plovers scurrying along the water's edge at the beach near the river mouth. The lagoon had swelled for a couple of days following the rain but last night we saw the opening had braeched some time in the previous 24 hours and the lagoon had spilled into the sea.

Every day fairy wrens frequent our backyard usually a few at a time in number and sometimes with a brilliant blue mature male. Wattlebirds are commonly seen, and heard. Hopefully as we are here longer I'll be able to see more species not so easily sighted. Apparently there's a rare bird around here, thought to be nearly extinct. I must ask neighbour Mark what it is, the person telling me didn't know the name. He did tell about the Red Necked Stint, a small bird which leaves here around April and migrates to the Arctic circle each year then returns in our spring. How wonderful is that?