On the Bass
Coast of Westernport Bay, I recently found a pair of Striated Fieldwrens (Calamanthus fuliginosus) by a tidal
creek in Shrubby Glasswort (aka scrubby samphire - Tecticornia arbuscular), a dense shrub to about 2 metres in height.
Surrounding
the Shrubby Glasswort was an open plain of a low growing (to about 300mm) glasswort
species, also called samphire, which was subject to occasional tidal salt water
inundation. Across the creek there was a dense White Mangrove forest. To
complete this floristically simple habitat devoid of trees there was some Coast
Saltbush (Atriplex cinerea) and some bare
patches covered in a mat of bleached tide-washed seagrass.
The saltmarsh
environment is ideal and typical habitat for this somewhat elusive Fieldwren. Also
about twenty White-fronted Chats, another species that enjoys saltmarsh
habitats, were foraging on the glasswort plain.
The male
and female Striated Fieldwrens are similar however the male has a distinctive white
supercilium (eyebrow) and chin (throat) whereas these parts are buffy yellow on
the female.
Please click on photos
to enlarge.
Note I have
cropped the photos to a 3:5 ratio because I feel this reflects the flat very
low relief habitat in which the Fieldwrens live.
At first
the pair scurried about mouse-like on the ground between patches of glasswort.
This is the female – note the buffy eyebrow. |
This is the male with tail typically cocked – both male and female hold their tails like this. Note the mat of bleached seagrass. |
The tail is often wagged from side to side as seen in this photo. |
Note the white tips on the tail feathers which are only visible from underneath. |
I must
confess to having a soft spot for Fieldwrens and Heathwrens – it is always a
delight to find them and hear their beautiful songs which are quite loud for
such small birds.
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