Emu portraits

The Emu, Australia’s largest bird, needs no introduction as it is widespread across the Australian mainland (the sub species once found in Tasmania is now extinct) and is very familiar to most Australians and even features prominently, along with the Kangaroo, on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. They can be found in a large variety of habitats from our coasts to alpine country and are very well adapted to arid Australian habitats but are largely absent from intensive farming areas. 

While travelling in central west outback Queensland to visit six national parks (1) we saw Emus in many locations including some groups containing up to 40 birds on Mitchell Grass plains. 

In Currawinya National Park we had a close encounter with four immature birds as we slowed on approach to a road intersection. The young Emus were probably as surprised by us as we were by them. Instead of running away into moderately dense vegetation they milled about for a minute or so as I stopped the car, wound down the driver’s window and got my camera ready for some photos. With a 600mm focal length lens they were already too close for full body shots and as I tried to decide on which bird to focus on, they became curious and slowly approached our vehicle. 

Within seconds they were so close I was dealing with head shots of moving birds. I managed about a dozen photos and then put the camera down and watched the birds as they moved about showing clear curiosity. Unexpected close encounters with birds like this are a real joy. Eventually I started the car and at the sound of the engine the group bolted into the bush.  

Looking at the photos later I could see they were all immature and at slightly different ages based on the amount blue skin developing on the side of the head and neck.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

Note (1) The National Parks in order of our visits were, Mariala, Hell Hole Gorge, Idalia, Lochern, Welford and Currawinya.

Spinifex Pigeon

We encountered Spinifex Pigeons at the eastern extremity of their range in Hell Hole, Lochern and Welford National Parks in outback Queensland. They were found in pairs or small flocks of up to 20 birds and often the males were performing courtship displays with bowing motions, fanning their tails and issuing soft cooing calls. Given the generally good conditions with many bird species in breeding mode it was likely the Spinifex Pigeons were also going to breed.

I find Spinifex Pigeons rather comical in both looks and behaviour. They are quite confiding allowing a close approach both in a vehicle or on foot.

The following photos show a male courtship display.

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In the first photo the male at left was about to display to the female at right.

The male mostly faced the female but not always.

The male takes a break from performing.

Bourke’s Parrot

Our first encounter with Bourke’s Parrots on this trip was at Oma Waterhole on the Barcoo River south of Isisford.  Here, when logging the Bourke’s on a Birdata survey for our camp area I found the sighting was deemed to be outside of the species estimated core range and I was therefore requested to “please provide notes to support the sighting”. There were two birds, a male and female pair which were seen in the late afternoon and again in the morning at our camp site on the waterhole. Some photos were taken including the following of the male.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

The males are only slightly more coloured than the females however the faint blue on the forehead above the bill shows this is a male.

Travelling west from Isisford to Lochern National Park we saw several pairs and some single birds by the roadside and again more birds in the park and more later in Welford National Park giving us the impression Bourke’s are moderately numerous in this area of outback Queensland at present.

In Welford we saw pairs in a number of locations and one small flock of eight birds. The two photos below show a female (no blue on the forehead) which was with a male and seen on a number of days near our camp at Little Boomerang Waterhole Campground in Welford NP. 

Most birds seen were in pairs and given it was mid-August and they breed from August to December, and conditions were good following drought breaking rain - there were many seeding forbs and grasses – the Bourke’s were no doubt in breeding mode, as were many other species including Budgerigars, White-browed and Masked Woodswallows, Cockatiels, Spinifex Pigeons, Crimson Chats and Rufous Songlarks.

Bourke’s Parrots are mostly ground feeders and they have developed plumage that makes them blend in to their surrounds. They are shy and only come to water after sunset and before dawn so photo opportunities are hard to come by. In addition their plumage colours and patterns give the birds a slightly out-of-focus look in the images, so obtaining sharp photos of the Bourke’s is a challenge.

Spotted Harrier

Driving north on the Thompson Development Road towards Longreach across a Mitchell Grass plain we came upon a Spotted Harrier. The bird was hunting low along the boundary between the green roadside grassy vegetation and the straw coloured pure Mitchell Grass plain beyond. Using a moderately strong NE wind, the bird did not need to use any flapping flight at all. We followed the bird for about a kilometre when it took a break giving me time to get out of the car with the camera and take some photos including a couple of flight shots as it took off to continue hunting along the roadside.  

Please click on photos to enlarge.

Watching such a beautiful raptor hunt as we followed in the car and then having the opportunity for some photos was a great privilege, and one of the joys of outback travel.

Australian Pratincole

Australian Pratincoles are shorebirds/waders that can often be found beside remote roads on inland plains where some water is present. They seem to like roadsides where they will flush ahead of an approaching vehicle displaying their slender form, long wings and tern-like flight. They usually do not fly far and often alight close to the flush point once you have pulled up - however more often than not they fly to the sun side of the road leaving a photographer with an unsuitable light angle. Driving south from Lochern National Park towards the small hamlet of Stonehenge we had passed several groups of Pratincoles plus numerous single birds. Finally one bird alighted on a rare rock beside the road with the sun behind us giving an opportunity for reasonably close photos from the car window with good light. Here are two of the shots taken before the bird flew.

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The black flight feathers extend well beyond the tail which is just visible.

Spotted Bowerbird

While camped in Idalia National Park in outback Queensland at Monks Tank – an earthen water storage dam – we found a Spotted Bowerbird bower. The bower location was well concealed however with the temporary use of a rope, one end of the bower was exposed enough to enable some photos.

Like other species of Bowerbird, male Spotted Bowerbirds live a hyperactive life building and maintaining a bower, protecting it from other males and using it to attract females during the breeding season in addition to simply finding food each day to survive. Bowers may last for years and are maintained throughout the year, though activity at the bower varies across the seasons.

There were three adult Spotted Bowerbirds at or around the bower, however given males and females look the same – except the females have a smaller crest which is not much help to separate the sexes – it was not clear if any of the three birds were female or if they were all males. From observations over about one and a half hours at the Monks Tank bower it seemed likely that one male was the owner of the bower and the other two birds were males as they were vigorously chased away from the bower on numerous occasions whenever they put in an appearance.

The owner of the bower came and went and when in attendance I observed him perform a range of activities including placing a stem of grass in the bower wall, moving green fruits in and out of the bower, picking up and moving objects at the bower entrance, and bringing a large bill full of a green plant to the bower entrance which was consumed in five portions. 

The photos below show some of this action.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

The first photo was taken looking through the bower which is made of grass stems with collections of generally white objects at either end.  The second photo shows the collection of green fruits within the bower plus a few prized green glass objects, a few polished rounded grey stones and a few other miscellaneous pieces of plastic.  

The assumed bower owner at one entrance to the bower.

A back view of the bird showing a partly exposed pink erectile crest, which can be completely covered or exposed by degree and erected when the bird is excited, and the ash grey patch on the lower nape – the Western Bowerbird does not have a grey nape.

The next photo shows the owner chasing another bird away with much loud churring, grating, hissing and throat-clearing noises (voice description taken from Graham Pizzey’s field guide). 

This photo shows the bird with a green fruit – there was a lot of moving of the green fruits into and out of the bower and also on two occasions the bird flew in with a fruit. In all our walks in different locations within the park we did not see the shrub with this fruit. Given the timing of the arrival of fruit there must have been at least one plant with fruit close to the bower.

The bird picked up and dropped pieces of clear glass and a rare red plastic item.

The bird brought in a bill full of a green plant which it ate at the bower entrance – perhaps the bower owner could not afford to be away from the bower too long as competitors would soon move in or steal objects – so eating at the bower minimised time away. 

Male Bowerbirds perform displays at the bower entrances often using objects accumulated there as part of their dances and they accompany these with varied vocalisations. None of this behaviour was observed at Monks Tank however this is not surprising given breeding is generally from September to December. Females are attracted to the bowers to mate and are solely responsible for nest building, incubation and raising of young – the males take no part at all.

The Western Bowerbird is very similar to the Spotted. The Avithera post “Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, Alice Springs” shows a Western Bowerbird at a bower: 

https://avithera.blogspot.com/2015/07/olive-pink-botanic-gardens-alice-springs.html

Brolgas

Driving north on the Adavale-Blackall Rd we came upon a pair of Brolgas feeding in lush grass beside the road. We managed to pull up without flushing the pair and using the car as cover a few photos were obtained as they made cursory probes with their bills in the soft red soil and slowly moved away. One bird looked to have a larger dewlap under the chin so as the male has a larger dewlap it was assumed this was a male-female pair. The male stayed in the background while the female paid more attention to us – it was not long before they slowly moved away and we continued our drive north.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

It is always a thrill to find and observe Brolgas - Australia’s only crane.

PS Correction: It has been pointed out that Australia has two cranes - the Sarus Crane, an Asian species was first recorded near Normanton Qld, on the Gulf in October 1966 and it has expanded in number and range significantly since. As the Sarus is now resident in Australia we do now have two cranes. I am not sure of the deep history fo the Brolga in Australia but assume it has been here for a very long time, long enough to be regarded as Australia's crane and only crane until 1966. 

Banded Lapwings

By an earthen stock water dam beside the Adavale-Blackall Rd in an open area with a carpet of short vegetation we found a pair of Banded Lapwings. Using the vehicle and van as cover the following photos were captured of the two adults. One stayed in the short vegetation while the other moved to the top of a small pile of soil and timber left by fence line clearing – it was barely half a metre high but gave the bird a better view of the flat surrounds and no doubt it felt more secure there given our presence on the road nearby. It was very likely this was a breeding pair.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

A few days later heading west out of Blackall on the Isisford Road on our way to Idalia National Park we found two adults with two advanced young on bare cleared ground beside the road. Like the Masked Lapwings, Banded Lapwings seem comfortable breeding in bare open areas and beside roads.

Redthroat

Redthroats are a typical LBJ (little brown job), rather plain and shy ground foraging birds that tend to duck for cover when disturbed. They are found across a large area of arid (1) Australia in a variety of habitats. They can be hard to find and tricky to identify unless the male is seen with the distinctive red or rufous throat patch to help nail the ID – the female has few distinguishing features. The males call during the breeding season (Aug-Nov), often from the top of a shrub, and this can be a way to locate them. Pizzey ranks Redthroats, along with the Shy Heathwren, as the sweetest singer of inland arid scrubs.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

I have often looked for Redthroats over the years without much success, only finding one once on a walk near the historic Alice Springs Telegraph Station site. Recently while camped at Hell Hole Gorge National Park in outback Queensland I flushed a pair of Redthroats in moderately dense scrub only 100 metres from our camp site. The female immediately fled the scene however the male stayed to check me out from the cover of a dense shrub giving me the chance to identify him and get a few rough ID confirmation photos.

The next photo shows a section of the habitat where the Redthroats were found.

Over the next couple of days the pair were located in the same patch of shrubs on a number of occasions so I thought they may be occupying a breeding territory but as the male was not singing they had not yet commenced breeding. This was confirmed when on another walk to check on the birds and try to get some photos the male was found by his loud and sharp scolding call which it soon became apparent was directed not at me but a pair of Splendid Fairy-wrens. The Redthroat male was chasing the wrens out of his territory. While he was occupied with the wren eviction he disregarded me so I was able to get some photos.

Observing bird behaviour in the field is an important aid to bird photography and sometimes, as in this case, the interaction of two bird species can provide an opportunity to photograph a bird that is otherwise difficult to approach.

Note (1) Arid Australia is defined by the area where the average annual rainfall divided by the average annual evaporation is equal to or less than 0.4 – just over 70% of the Australian mainland land mass meets this criteria. Some would describe this same area as desert. 

Splendid Fairy-wren portraits

There are four races of Splendid Fairy-wrens and while the nominate race splendens is found in SW WA the other three are found in arid country. While camped at Hell Hole Gorge National Park a family of Splendid Fairy-wrens (Malurus splendens melanotus) were resident in the area of our camp site and after a couple of days they became accustomed to our presence and often visited the camp site on their foraging forays. The male in breeding plumage was particularly bold and by luck one morning as we set off on a birding walk he perched and posed for photos.

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The subject ended the portrait photo session - he had the serious business of finding food and living in this challenging environment to get on with.

Hell Hole Gorge NP is remote – to give the reader an idea of how remote, it is 180km by road north from Quilpie, 253km west by mostly dirt road from Charleville and 297km by mostly dirt road south from Blackall. Hell Hole Gorge NP is within the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre catchment. The park is mostly mulga woodland with two significant water courses, Powell Creek and Spencers Creek which join in the park, passing through the park on the way to eventually join Cooper Creek. 

The Powell and Spencer creeks have cut deep and scenically impressive gorges through ancient rocks where permanent water holes provide an oasis for water dependent species. So the environment in the park is very arid and often extremely harsh, especially during summer, and yet small birds such as Splendid Fairy-wrens can live here - their insectivorous diet provides all the moisture they require, they do not need water, even during summer – their adaption to life here is truly impressive.