Last weekend I was out catching birds at the Weddin mtns on a trip run by Harvey Perkins and Richard Allen. The bush was looking very green and lush, greatly changed from the dry and shrinking habitat I last saw there a year ago.
We caught 173 birds of a good variety of species, even though most of the summer migrants had left. We saw a flock of about sixty bee-eaters fly overhead, going north so that might have been them gone too. The birds we caught were of the resident or locally migratory species and there were many juvenile and first year birds indicating that there had been a good breeding season.
An adult female Crested Shrike-tit, she has a green bib and collar, while the male has a black one - we caught her mate (but he was released before I could photograph him) and he was banded seven years ago at the same site.
A Varied Sittella, wonderful little birds which forage up and down tree bark in extended family cooperative groups. This bird is a full-grown male, the female has a white chin and lower face.
Two Spotted Pardalotes: an adult female on the left a male on the right. he is moulting the first four white spots on his crown, from the yellow spots he had while in juvenile plumage, similar to that of the female. His full adult plumage will have all-white spots on the crown and a brighter white stripe above the eye.
A juvenile Painted Button-quail, fully feathered but only half adult size. These birds have been abundant throughout the grassy woodlands in our area this year and seem to have bred well.
Beautiful little birds. Never heard of a Sittella before, came across it when playing Countdown. They look cute and the one you found and had on your fingertips must have known you were a bird lover!
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