Saturday 16 November 2013

A Rainy Afternoon

On a recent trip to Newcastle we had some afternoon drinks on the lakefront balcony of the house where we often stay. It's a beautiful spot, and we always see quite a few birds. None of these birds are particularly rare, indeed most of these are quite common, but it was great to see such a range in quarter of an hour, without moving an inch (and all while enjoying bubbles- best birdwatching ever?).

I thought the kookaburra was close on the neighbours antenna

and then he came and sat on our gutter
(Dacelo novaeguineae)

A crested tern took refuge on the jetty
(Thalasseus bergii)

Spotted Dove
(Streptopelia chinensis- introduced)

Rainbow lorikeet
(Trichloglossus haematodus)

Mallard Duck
(Anas platyrhynchos- introduced)

An artwork on the balcony

Saturday Snapshot is a wonderful weekly meme now hosted by WestMetroMommy

15 comments:

Brona said...

Every time I see or hear a native bird I think of you...if only you were next to me, I could ask you what it is, because other than the obvious, well-known few, I'm clueless with birds.

Great close-up of the kookaburra's eye.

Paulita said...

They might be common to you but they're pretty exotic to me. Well, except for the mallard duck. I thought the artwork was your snacks. Do you have goldfish crackers in Australia? Here's Mine

Unknown said...

Wonderful birds!!

bermudaonion said...

That was some fabulous bird watching. I learned a song about a kookaburra as a child and would love to see one in person.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

The rainbow one is so pretty!

Anonymous said...

Common birds for you are exotic for me. I know I'll never see a kookaburra or a Rainbow lorikeet unless I travel to half a globe away. Before then, thanks for sharing your ordinary bird watching moment. ;)

Peggy Ann said...

So fun to see these birds I would never get a chance to see!

Joy said...

The close-up of the kookaburra is stunning! The rainbow lorikeet is such a pretty bird. Hard to believe it's real!
Joy's Book Blog

grammajudyb said...

I always enjoy your bird photos. We don't see water birds much in Wyoming. A few Canadian geese, mallards and the occasional Whooping Crane on migration. Thanks for sharing.

Esme said...

I like the coloring on the lorikeet. We have wild parrots in our neighborhood.

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

Lazy bird watching is the best, especially when such a nice variety stops by. The kookaburra is a handsome fellow. He looks similar to our Belted Kingfisher, but I've never had a kingfisher on the gutter! The lorikeet is gorgeous, nothing like it near me. We have painted buntings but I'd have to travel south to see those.

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Do you see the Rainbow Lorikeets very often? I can't imagine how shocked I would be to see one.

Ginx Craft said...

I really like the close up of the kookaburra. You feel like you could touch him.

Susan Lindquist said...

Now I shall be humming the Kookaburra song for the rest of the evening! What a handsome bird!

BooksPlease said...

Wow! fantastic photos - the wild life in your Newcastle is very different from the wildlife in our Newcastle (UK).