Hello all
At Leaders Creek, near Howard Springs, near Darwin, myself and a
couple of other birders observed an unusually plumaged Red-
headed Honeyeater today. It was an adult male (presumably, as it
had a fully red head) but the plumage was very pale, more so than
the typical female, and contrasting starkly with the typical male.
There was no black around the eye or on the lores and the bill was
pale as well. A very interesting looking bird. Some time later I saw
a young male gaining the red on its head - the body and wing
feathers of this bird were not much different from typical adult male.
For anyone interested, it is possible to hire a dinghy at Leaders
Creek, and it is almost guaranteed to see Chestnut Rail.
Not much happening with migrant waders up here at the moment -
a few Oriental Plovers earlier on, a few hundred Little Curlews,
perhaps a dozen Wood Sandpipers... A Little Ringed Plover is still
about. It may be a different individual from the one that was here in
August, but I'll need to check some plumage details to confirm that.
Happy birding
Niven
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