rufous whistler – bushboys world

Sweet sounds (whistling in the trees)

Published on February 20, 2024 by bushboy16 Comments

Bird of the Week Invitation – LII

This week is the turn of the Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), one of Australia’s finest songsters, and its far-carrying, rich, musical song can be heard throughout most of Australia.

Rufous Whistlers are around my place for a lot of the year, found forests, woodlands and shrublands, with a shrubby understorey. They can be sedentary with some seasonal migration in eastern Australia; south during spring and north in autumn.

I know you want to hear the Rufous Whistler sing it’s little heart out

REF: http://www.graemechapman.com.au/library/viewphotos.php?c=564

Eating mainly insects, sometimes seeds, fruit or leaves, they usually forage at higher levels than other whistlers.

Females are not as richly coloured as the males.

A juvenile morphing into his male colours.

The Rufous Whistler breeds in monogamous pairs, and both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young.

REF: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/rufous-whistler/
REF: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Pachycephala-rufiventris

Last on the Card – August 2021

Published on September 1, 2021September 19, 2021 by bushboy94 Comments

Last Photo for August 2021

Wasn’t there a great range of photos among last months lot of photos. Let’s do it again. I was lucky to be in a another great spot for my last photos, all at home as I am in lockdown still…..sigh

The rules are simple:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 31st August.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo”

Here’s mine

From my Samsung Galaxy S9

From my Canon PowerShot A1200

From my Canon PowerShot SX70HS

Birds Around My Neighbourhood

Published on March 10, 2019 by bushboy29 Comments

Two photo challenges caught my eye today.

Lens-artists: Around the Neighbourhood

Jenns: Feathered Friends

Come for a quick walk around my neighbourhood. There is my dead end gravel road which is about three kilometers long which has an intersection with another gravel road which is paved about sixteen kilometers from my place. It goes from the highway to a long way away, perhaps fifty kilometers.

Lets get going.

The Noisy Friarbird will often let others know we are about

Listen for a chip chip and look at the tree trunks to see a White-throated Treecreeper scouring the bark for an insect or two

The lovely face of a Blue-faced Honeyeater

You might hear the wings of the Eastern Spinebill before you see one zoom past

The Pied Butcherbirds song will fill the forest as we walk along

We may see a Jackie Winter sitting on a fence

Lovely little Eastern Yellow Robins will be chip chip chipping seemingly endlessly

Of course the familiar sounds of Kookaburras will resound around the bush

Small Brown Honeyeaters will be silently having a snack on a Bottlebrush

A flash of colour and a Spotted Pardelote will fly by

A Forest Kingfisher, a sudden flash like a blue jewel, as he flies through the bush

The unmistakable squawking of Rainbow Lorikeets as they argue about whose branch it is will get your attention

The beautiful song of a Rufous Whistler will kep you spell bound for ages

A whistle, a flash of red, the smallest honeyeater is unmistakable in the bush

High in the tree, the resident Square-tailed Kite will keep an eye on you

While overhead it’s mate will soar
Up the road a bit, some Crimson Rosellas have a snack on the horses feed

What’s that chatter chatter chatter? I hear you say. The Grey-crowned Babblers walk about the forest floor snacking on unsuspecting insects talking about their day

More jewels in the sky as the Rainbow Bee-eaters gather

Another remarkable song and bright yellow of the Golden Whistler will make you stop and listen

Musk Lorikeets can be seen as they feast on the nectar of Pink Euodias

The largest bird of prey, a Wedged-tailed Eagle on the lookout for an unsuspecting wallaby or animal, will sit silent until we get to close

A bit more whistling heralds that we are near some King Parrots

A strange metallic sound draws our attention to the iridescent and distinctive tail shape of the wonderfully named Spangled Drongo

A Satin Bowerbird who is similarly coloured to a Drongo will be in the bush sometimes finding food

or finding sticks or blue stuff to decorate and construct his Bower

Thanks for dropping by and having a bit of a walk around my neighbourhood. I hope you had a good time.

This is June 2018

Published on July 5, 2018July 26, 2018 by bushboy16 Comments

Welcome to my world in June. Not an abundance of photos this time but I do recommend getting comfortable. June was the month where my bestie sold her 103 year old farmhouse in a Rain-forest, where a lot of bird bath and bird photos came from, and moved into her new place which is similar to my climate. It is a newish house but has a bird bath and a great bird attracting garden. So far we have identified 38 birds, some are in this post. As you can see I have been a bit busy helping move house.

The house is still in a rural setting.
cow_clothes line_named_caniaba_june 2018

This is my first attempt at photographing Dandelion seed heads.
dandelion seed head_named_caniaba_june 2018

One afternoon the sky became fierce looking. Quite an angry face looking out isn’t it?
cloud_named_caniaba_june 2018

The early morning at my place walking through the Blady Grass. It was very dry in the previous months. Green shoots struggled to grow among the dry brown grass.
blady grass_named_home_june 2018

This native plant is growing in the middle of a paddock. The Autumn saw the stalk covered in white flowers. I hope the seeds have spread and not harvested by ants.
seed pods_plant_named_home_june 2018
June is the month for the Lismore, a town nearby, Lantern Parade. I didn’t get many good parade photos. There were a number of Orchid lanterns hanging in the trees in the park where the show and fireworks took place. lantern_named_lismore_june 2018
The fireworks were quite spectacular. fireworks_named_lismore_june 2018

While my bestie was moving house, I was given some, OK a lot, of plants to look after. The Kalenchoe loved being in my sun room and has put on a wonderful display of flowers.
kalenchoe flower_named_home_hune 2018
Winter has also brought some other visitors into the house. I usually have native rodents come into the warmth. I have a trap to catch them and then they get taken back into the bush. This time I have had a House Mouse or two in the pantry. This little fat one, I suspect to be a pregnant female, was relocated up the road. mouse_named_home_june 2018
This is the big section of birds for the month of June

The little Silvereyes have really taken to the hanging pot bird bath and drinking place.
silvereyes_hanging pot_named_home_june 2018

The other bigger birds prefer to use this bird bath. A female or juvenile Satin Bowerbird was chatting to someone nearby.
satin bowerbird_female_bird bath_named_home_june 2018

A Yellow-faced Honeyeater takes a drink.
yellow faced honeyater_named_home_june 2018

A Yellow-faced Honeyeater at my besties has claimed this branch of a tree.
yellow faced honeyeater_named_caniaba_june 2018

There has been quite a number of Yellow-rumped Thornbills around my garden
yellow rumped thornbill_named_home_june 2018

A very cute looking Jackie Winter enjoyed the morning sun on the fence.
jackie winter_named_home_june 2018
While we were walking along a road, we came across a small flock of Variegated Fairy Wrens darting in the grass beside the road. A young one made an appearance on a nearby tree. vareigated fairy wren_young_named_caniaba_june 2018

Of course I couldn’t let a post go past without my favourite, an Eastern Yellow Robin. Sadly we had to leave Bobbin behind so maybe this one at my place will be the the new substitute. I haven’t found the right name yet. Any suggestions?
northern yellow robin_named_home_june 2018

One afternoon a small flock of Red-browed Firetails came looking for grass seeds in the front garden.
red browed finches_named_home_june 2018

A young Lewins Honeyeater found a great lookout atop a red flowering Eucalypt.
lewins honeyeater_red gum flowers_named_caniaba_june 2018

The Rainbow Lorikeets came for the Eucalypt flowers too.
rainbow lorikeet_named_caniaba_june 2018

A Rufous Whistler singing an early morning song
rufous whistler_named_caniaba_june 2018

It was lovely to have a welcome to the new place with a number of Welcome Swallows who zoom around the verandahs and sit on the fence to do their laundry.
welcome swallow_named_caniaba_june 2018

Another bloke who likes to sit on the fence to survey the lawn for insects is the Restless Flycatcher. They make the most amazing sound. I tried to make a video but it wasn’t the best sound quality.
restless flycatcher_named_caniaba_june 2018

An Eastern Rosella wanted to see what we were doing in the new garden.
eastern rosella_named_caniaba_june 2018

At my place, a number of Noisy Miners were carrying on. They didn’t like the Kookaburra being too close to their nests.
kookaburra_noisey minors_named_home_june 2018

I thought it was going to be a cold night after finding a Kookaburra family cosying up for the night in the late evening.
kookaburras_named_lilydale_june 2018

A Pacific Black Duck showing a flash of turquoise as it paddled on the creek.
pacific black duck_named_caniaba_june 2018

A young Straw-necked Ibis didn’t want me to take its photo as it strolled in a nearby paddock.
Ibis_named_caniaba_june 2018

This bloke didn’t seem to mind though.
straw necked ibis_named_lismore_june 2018

The Sacred Ibis look wonderful as they wheel about in the sky
ibis_flying_named_lismore_june 2018

A Common Tern was fishing down by the estuary. Gliding along and then suddemly plumetting into the water. I didn’t see it catch a fish though.
common tern_flying_named_ballina_june 2018

The Moon and a plane.
plane_moon_day_named_caniaba_june 2018

Well the sun is almost setting. Thanks for joining me in This is June
sunset_named_caniaba_june 2018

Hope to see you next month

This is September: The birds

Published on October 6, 2017 by bushboy17 Comments

G’day,
September, the first month of Spring but still no rain. The last drop of rain I have had was 6mls on the 6th July. Good news is there was 21mls over the last weekend. The dry Winter and September didn’t stop the Grevillieas from flowering. I didn’t include many Grevilleas in this or the next blog. You can see them here from a previous blog. But I digress. This part of This is September is just the birds. The next blog is everything else as I looked at the number of photos and there are too many for one blog. I didn’t want your cuppa to get cold scrolling through or fall asleep before the end.

Ready……..lets get going.

The first lot are birds who are not very good at hiding, although some were just sheltering from the heat of the day probably.

The Australian Raven gave the game away by incessantly calling.
australian raven_hiding_named_grafton_sept 2017

The Noisy Friarbird was in the Sweet Pittosporum
noisy friarbird_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

The Little Friarbird was hiding behind the Mago
little friarbird_looking_named_home_sept 2017

The Striated Thornbill was hiding in the Hibiscus
striated thornbill_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Can you spot the White-throated Treecreeper?
white throated tree creeper_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

The Figbird was trying to be inconspicuous
fig bird_named_home_sept 2017

Little Friarbirds don’t hide very well do they?
little friarbird_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

I love seeing the Variegated Fairy Wrens hopping through the garden. They usually come in small flocks looking among the bushes and flowers for insects or heading to the birdbath.
The females are hard to see aren’t they?
variegated fairy wren_female_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Whereas the males really stand out
variegated fairy wren_males_named_binna burra_sept 2017

They are so cute when they sit together
variegated fairy wren_male_female_named_binna burra_sept 2017

As the weather has been very warm, almost Summer temperatures, the bird bath was the place to be. The Little Friarbird came for a drink.
little friarbird_birdbath01_named_home_sept 2017

Bottoms up
little friarbird_drinking_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

Looking about before having another drink
little friarbird_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

A Spangled Drongo seemed to have a gargle
spangled drongo_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

While a White-throated Treecreeper jumped in and splashed about
white throated treecreeper_birdbath_splash_named_home-sept 2017

Sometimes you can emerge from the birdbath looking a bit bedraggled like this White-throated Honeyeater
white throated honeyeater_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

Eastern Whipbirds love the birdbath
whipbird01_in birdbath_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Almost ready for another dip
whipbird02_birdbath_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Lewins Honeyeaters like the mosaics of this birdbath
lewins honeyeater_named_binna burra_sept 2017
Of course there are birds who live in the water. Darters enjoy a swim
darter_named_grafton_sept 2017
While other birds prefer to be in the trees. Blue-faced Honeyeaters enjoy lunch
blue faced honeyeater_named_home_sept 2017

blue faced honeyeater01_named_home_sept 2017

Figbirds wonder what other birds are doing
figbird_looking_named_home_sept 2017

Yellow-faced Honeyeaters like sitting on sticks
yellow faced honeyeater_named_home_sept 2017

A regular Spring visitor is the Rufous Whistler who sing their little hearts out during the day
rufous whistler_named_home_sept 2017

The Square-tailed Kites have come back to their nest from last year to raise more chicks
square tailed kite_nest_named_home_sept 2017

Other birds don’t mind a stroll about. A Grey-shrike Thrush hopped about the leaf litter
grey shrike thrush_named_binna burra_sept 2017

On their regular patrol around the garden, the Wonga Pigeons stopped for a drink.
wongas_named_binna burra_sept 2017

A Common Bronzewing takes a walk along the road
common bronzewing_named_home_sept 2017

I like the first signs of Spring when the Rufous Whistler and the Spangled Drongos arrive at my place. Did you have a favourite bird?

Goodbye 2016….

Published on January 4, 2017 by bushboy7 Comments

The last photos of December 2016 are nearly all birds. The weather was still hot and the bird baths proved to be a winner with all the birds who are staying around here. The cool of the forest also helps. The birds come into the garden from the forest in the cool of the morning and in the cool of the evening.

Sometimes you just have to fully immerse to get the benefits of cool water. I think this was a female Scarlet Honeyeater diving in deep into the very popular hanging pot.

This bloke was thinking about the bird bath and whether it was worth going in.

The Brown Honeyeater contemplates his dive into the bird bath.

And in he goes. What a splash for a small bird.

Not to be outdone, the tiny Striated Thornbill took the plunge and created a big splash.

The group shot of the Striated Thornbills after their bath. One of my cutest photos ever don’t you think?

On a hot day everyone arrives to get a drink. It’s heads down, bums up for the Rainbow Lorikeets.

The Rainbow Lorikeets are a noisy lot, always having something to say, even if a mate lands on your branch.

The Grey-crowned Babbler seems to defy gravity as it hopped up the Tallowwood.

Once the Grey-crowned Babblers found a good spot to get a feed, the project started. There is always someone ready to give a hand.

They almost have a large piece of bark ripped from the tree.

Every morning I am woken to the beautiful song of a Rufous Whistler. As I walked around the garden watering those plants who were in need the most, the Whistler seemed to follow me.

I bought a Hydrangea last year and have kept it in a pot on the verandah. In December I was rewarded with a beautiful pink flower. You can just see the flower of a White Hydrangea which I bought this year with flowers already on the small bush.

That is the last of 2016. Now to start to sort the first photos of 2017. Happy New Year everyone.

January….some excitement so far…

Published on January 15, 2015January 15, 2015 by bushboy5 Comments

Yes. There has been some excitement around my place so far this month. Just sitting on the verandah having a cuppa one morning, the usual bird song od Spangled Drongos, Friarbirds, Fig Birds, Kookaburras and Ravens, just to name a few, changed. There were a few small birds whizzing around the bush near the house as well as a couple of birds who were a bit bigger. But more of the birds later.

The flowers in the garden have had a bit of a lift with some rain at the start of the month. Prior to that I was feeling like the bad parent, having not much water in the dam to do a full garden watering, so I was having to select which plants I think could survive the dry a bit better than others. My best bird attractor, the Honey Gem Grevillea, hasn’t the flowers it normally has but still has bought a few birds in to the garden.

Other plants have stepped up and have made sure the butterflies have somewhere to visit. The Speckled Line-blue enjoyed a rest on the Hibiscus

While the Lemon Migrant seemed to prefer the red flowers

The Cassia has been quite spectacular this year with its drooping bunches of flowers seemingly cascading from the branches attracting bees. The buzzing of the bees made it sound like the Cassia was covered with bees but there was only a handful of big fat bees.

In the bush and around the garden, a little native plant has appeared. I have seen a few before but the dry then the rain seemed to make them grow in many spots in the garden as well as in the bush. The little yellow flower is about 5 to 8mms.

The Duranta has bunches of flowers which are followed by small orange berries. The variegated leaves are a favourite of the Satin Bowerbirds. Some small birds like to drink from the small purple flowers as well.

The Mistletoe Bird was hopping around the Duranta looking for bits of nesting materials as well as examining the flowers.

When it got a bit too hot, we went down to the river for a soak. On the way back home we came across a Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike peeking out from behind a Bottlebrush

On the road a group of birds scattered as the car approached. The group of Rainbow Bee-eaters flew about the trees, occasionally resting long enough to get a few quick photos in the fading light.

You can see why the are Rainbow Bee-eaters!

Meanwhile, back at home, the Scarlet Honeyeater was hanging on as best she could to get a snack.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters have been here for a while now since I first saw one a couple of years ago. I love their yellow faces.

The Restless Flycatchers also have made a home here in Summer. They were one of the first birds that came here when I first started to live in the bush.

The Rufous Whistler is singing in the bush, but on this day also dropped in to the garden for a visit.

OK. Remember at the start I said I had some exciting things happening. One of the new birds I have seen this year has been the Fuscous Honeyeater. I always get excited when a new bird appears. Of course the found the Honey Gem.

The Brown Honeyeater discovered another Grevillea in another part of the garden. This is also a favourite of the Scarlet Honeyeaters as the bigger birds don’t drop in for some nectar here very often. This is the first time the Brown Honeyeater has been seen at my place as well.

Well I have to fly…

….but not before the most exciting news of all. One quite rare visitor to my place has been a Regent Honeyeater. When something like this happens a lot of people like to know so it is always good to let the folk at Birdlife Aust know when you come across something special.

Many thanks to Twitter mates @DOCTOR_Dave and @caroproberts for their help in identifying the birds and butterflies I had trouble identifying as well as everyone else who also helped.

I hope I get some more new birds at my place in 2015 to add to the 88 I have already discovered.

See ya

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: