I spent a nice day at Emu Green Reserve on the Nepean River at Emu Plains. There are always a lot of nice birds to look out for at this location, but I guess I was particularly interested in seeing raptors and Rainbow Bee-eaters. I saw quite a few raptors but I only saw a single Rainbow Bee-eater.
Black-shouldered Kites
The first raptors I saw were some Whistling Kites at their nest. I had seen their nest, both last year and also on my previous visit. I look out for it on the walk from Emu Plains Station to the reserve. The nest is located high in a large tree within the grounds of the correctional centre, so you cannot get close to it. It looks like there were two juvenile birds and an adult.
Here is a juvenile perched on top of the nest.
Nearby was this adult.
And I spotted this second juvenile perched in the tree.
I then made my way into the reserve. I soon saw some more birds. Here are some –
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Eastern Whipbird
Nankeen Kestrel
Little Wattlebird
Silvereye
Sacred Kingfishers
I heard and saw quite a a few.
Laughing Kookaburra
I saw one of pair, working on this hollow. Perhaps preparing it for nesting?
Satin Bowerbirds
Dollarbirds
Superb Fairy-wrens
White-browed Scrubwren
New Holland Honeyeater
The honeyeaters below are all juvenile New Holland Honeyeaters. Thanks to Maki for pointing this out to me (see comment below) – I had only looked at their eyes and assumed they were White-cheeked Honeyeaters (which I had seen previously at Emu Green about a year ago).
Eastern Yellow Robin
Double-barred Finch
Black-shouldered Kites
This one had just caught a nice mouse.
It was trying to eat the mouse in one go, and was having trouble.
As it finally gets the mouse down, second Kite flies in.
It is not made welcome.
I later saw one of the Kites with another mouse.
Yellow Thornbills
Bell Miners
Rufous Whistlers
I mentioned above that I did see a distant Rainbow Bee-eater perched on one of the overhead cables. It was at a location I have seen them before and including my previous trip. However when I got close it had gone. I ddi notice this hole nearby. Perhaps a nest hole?
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Golden-headed Cisticola
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
This one is swooping at in insect.
On my way back the station, I had another look at the Whistling Kite nest. One juvenile was sitting on the nest. I could not see the other birds I had seen earlier.
Hi, I’m a follower of your blog. Thank you so much for having been sharing wonderful photos.
As for the honeyeaters, I wonder they are juvenile New Holland not White-cheeked.
(They still have yellow gape.)
I am just a novice birder and not perfectly sure though.
I heard that Emu Green got terribly damaged by the last flooding. Hope I will go there again.
Thanks Maki for pointing this out. I made an error. I was looking out for White-cheeked Honeyeaters after seeing them at Emu Green in October last year.
Emu Green did suffer a lot of flood damage – a whole set of trees near the river got wiped out. But the rest is intact and it it still worth visiting.
David
I visited there last Sunday. The footpath along the river (not near the electric model aircraft site) was completely underwater. (I didn’t know that Warragamba Dam started releasing water from last Friday.). I couldn’t see any finches except for Red-browed.