Rufous Whistler

["David Rosalky" <>]

It is a great Spring around my place in Deakin.  In the last week, there have been a female Scarlet Robin and a female of each of Golden and Rufous Whistlers.  Plus many Yellow-faced and White-naped Honeyeaters, four frisky Noisy Friarbirds, Spotted and Striated Pardalotes (for some reason I rarely see Striated Ps in my GBS), Weebills, White-winged Choughs and all the usual suspects.  The most unusual sighting was a procession of five Great Cormorants some little distance from my place, probably around Deakin shops, flying south. 

 

At Broulee at the weekend, also large numbers of honeyeaters.  An interesting observation there was of a female White-throated Treecreeper foraging busily when a male landed beside her on the tree and fed her.  They landed on the ground and he fed her again and then a moment later on another tree, another feeding.  HANZAB describes this behaviour as pair-bonding early in the season.  The female apparently doesn't always accept the food,being picky as to her partnering.  But the bird I saw seemed pefectly happy with the attention she was receiving.

 

David Rosalky