This beautiful female Brown Cuckoo Dove (Macropygia amboinensis) was hanging out outside our sunroom this morning, clearly deeply fascinated by us. It was remarkably lacking in fear when I took these photos. According to my Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, its habitat is rainforests, forest margins and regrowth thickets along the east coast of Australia.I'm thinking I'll have to start a section on my website about the birds we have visiting. At least a census, but with as many photos as I can take. Pretty much every week I see a species I've never encountered before, ranging from wonga pigeons to tiny spotted pardalotes. Eek. I'm turning into a twitcher.
" Eek. I'm turning into a twitcher."
ReplyDeleteAnd judt what, pray tell, is wrong with that?
Nothing, Fred. Absolutely nothing at all. :)
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here!
Cheers,
Margaret
Be vewwy vewwy careful Margaret, cos birding is like plants.
ReplyDeleteIt can creep up on you and before you know it you are a fully fledged fanatic.
Particularly vulnerable are the flora lovers, cos of the symbiotic nature of birds and plants, more so in Australia than other regions of the world.
When we starting camping ....years ago my wife and I [sorry about the possessive] used to take light reading.
Now we take "the book box".
Books on plants, mammals, reptiles, birds of course, as well as light reading and some serious stuff to keep the brain going.
And then we add another box to hold the books we accumulate on the trip.
BTW love your place...beautiful.
And the photos.
cheers
fred aka Kevin
Kevin, I know exactly what you mean about the books. Field guides are very addictive.
ReplyDeleteWhen my frog pond is finished, my tadpole key and CD of frog calls is going to come into its own!
At our last place, the pond only had three species of frog, Peron's Tree Frog (Litoria Peronii), the ubiquitous Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii), and just before we moved, I think an Eastern Pobblebonk (Limnodynastes dumerilii). But I'm sure this pond will attract a far wider range of species, not only because the pond is bigger, so I'll be able to incorporate more habitats, but also because we're next to a National Park, with a creek just out the back. Bring on summer!!