Unfortunately, I haven’t been out and about over the last few weeks as I’ve been confined to barracks due to illness.
I’ve been watching the red-rumped parrots, New Holland honeyeaters, common mynas, spotted doves, common starlings, common blackbirds and house sparrows in the garden. Luckily there’s a few native birds in that mix.
I went for a walk one day and was swooped mercilessly by a masked lapwing near the corner of Heathwood Way Coastal Boulevard and Blue Mallee Drive. Obviously, this bird was protecting a nest or maybe a hatchling that I didn’t see, but I just wanted to warn residents that this bird was quite aggressive and if you were not used to them swooping like this it could be quite scary.
These birds have pointed spurs on the wings that they use as a threat, but they are just ornaments, as they don’t crash into anything and use the spurs as spears, or they would severely injure themselves.
Unlike Australian magpies that can actually hurt when they swoop (they have a strong and sharp beak, which they are happy to use as a weapon), masked lapwings just use scare tactics when protecting their young.
They nest in urban areas so they face many obstacles when rearing their offspring such as cars, dogs, cats and people, so they are quite frantic in their protective efforts.
The tawny frogmouth pair that I’ve been watching for years in Ocean Grove had me very worried over winter. On my regular visits to say hello they were either nowhere to be seen, or a few times only the smaller female bird was seen.
I was very worried that the magnificent male bird had been killed or had abandoned his mate. My friend Susie B who also checks on the pair was also concerned.
Then by some miracle I looked up in a high gum tree one morning last week and two tawnies were huddling together in the winter sun and it was such a relief to spot them both. Hopefully it won’t be long until they are nesting.
I received an email from Joseph, who was spending his free time at Portarlington, and noticed what he assumed to be crested terns swimming by in the shallows and managed to capture them.
Joseph named the fantastic photo ‘Terns Synchronised Swimming’. Joseph explained that he is not a bird photographer and that he just happened to be there at the right time.
Joseph then sent me a few photos of rainbow lorikeets in his neighbour’s backyard. I’m afraid I have to disagree with Joseph. I think he is a ’bird’ photographer and his images were lovely.
