I spent an interesting day at Emu Green at Emu Plains photographing the birds. Like pries trips I was looking for Emu Wrens, and also like most previous trips I did not spot any. But lots of other nice birds still made for a good day.
On the walk to Emu Green from the station, I looked out for the Whistling Kite nest. I spotted the nest but it looked to be abandoned.
On the laneway into the reserve, I spotted some Yellow Thornbills –
Near the Model Plane Airstrip, I noticed some new trails had been mown on the western side of the road. I would explore these later. I could hear the call of a Sacred Kingfisher. I soon found a pair. One was trying to drill into a dead tree.
I followed the path upstream. Here is a Red-browed Finch –
On my last few visits to Emu Green, the Rainbow Bee-eaters have been hard to spot. This time I saw one straight away, but in a different area to where I had seen them before. It was a long way away however.
it soon left its perch –
And it returned with what looks like a wasp.
It didn’t eat the wasp straight away, but instead seemed to play with it. I don’t think this was actual play but rather manoeuvring the wasp so that it would not be able to sting the bird.
Some more birds –
Eastern Yellow Robin
Silvereye
European Goldfinch
Peaceful Dove
Superb Fairy-wrens
Back to the Sacred Kingfishers. They had moved to a different dead tree. It was the same one I had seen then drilling a nest hole last visit. That hole must have been no good, and a lot of other holes too. The dead tree was covered with dozens of small holes made by the Kingfishers.
They soon resumed their drilling –
Here you can see some of the holes that had made –
After only a few minutes the Kingfishers moved off.
Here are a pair of Satin Bowerbirds –
On the newly mown tracks, I found a few Golden-headed Cisticola –
And a single Chestnut-breasted Mannikin –
And a family of Brown Quails –
Back on the road, here is a Willie Wagtail trying to drive off a Raven.
I also spotted, very briefly, a Whistling Kite –
And this New Holland Honeyeater is trying to catch an insect –
And one last bird, a Fan-tailed Cuckoo –
Oh, you saw a Beeeater again! Means they are still there.
I tried the mowned track (leading to a residential area, isn’t it?), but nothing special I could spot…..
Maybe next time!
Probably some pairs breeding. I saw two I think, and not close. Look in the dead trees and overhead wires. They often perch in those places which gives a good view for their hunting. One was perched in the wires that go over he river, near the pump. The other was on the river side, on the way up that slight hill as you climb up to the fence.