10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

In Australia we definitely have our fair share of invasive species and the main problem is that we are such a huge land mass with such a small population. The population of Australia is concentrated mainly around the city areas along the coast and many invasive species have been able to spread with ease.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

It has been more than 5 years since I last went to Australia, and I was even less of a qualified bird photographer then than I am now. So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. And that seems to be the only vaguely satisfying thing left to do at the moment.

Australia 194

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 194

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2018

This year is the eighteenth year since we discovered our first Pied Oystercatcher nest on Cable Beach in Broome and it didn’t take us long to realise that they are not at all successful at raising young due to egg and chick predation. Each year we hope for anther success, but so far it has not happened. Pied Oystercatcher nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding 2018 Eggs 2016 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Australia is a vast country with a very small human population, which mostly clings to the edge of the continent. The lack of people does not mean we have any less extinct or threatened bird species than other countries. Handbook to The Birds of Australia, 1865. Preface,p.xxiv.

Species 176

Species Australia Birds Parrots 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2022

According to a bird guide published in 1911, “Competent authorities have proposed to divide the world, biologically, into two parts – Australia and the rest of the world, and they have considered Australia the more interesting part.” The species was bred at the zoo of Memphis, Tennesee ( source ). ” ( source ).

Birds 147

Birds Australia Parrots Memphis 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

When going to Australia, one of the two birds I wanted to see most was the Tawny Frogmouth. Gisela Kaplan has written a book about the species, and how they seem unperturbed by humans: “It’s one of their most successful defense strategies. They just sit and pretend not to be there to avoid interaction.”

Birds 237

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 237

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

Over the past few months there have been a lot of birds breeding around Broome with the excellent rain events that we have been having and the vegetation is at long last revived. The grass is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and now we have numerous species of dragonfly to enjoy as the season starts to change.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Protection Cows 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

This year we have continued to monitor the breeding of several pairs of Pied Oystercatchers along the coast in Broome from Gantheaume Point to Willie Creek on the south side. The first eggs were laid in the first week of July, which is the case each year. Pied Oystercatcher sitting on eggs in the nudist area of Cable Beach.

Breeding 159

Breeding Eggs Camels Raised 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

The most common member of the Grebe species around Broome is the Australasian Grebe- Tachybaptus novaehollandiae and it has taken advantage of our exceptionally good Wet Season early this year and has been breeding very successfully. Juvenile Australasian Grebes. Adult and juvenile Australasian Grebes.

Breeding 100

Breeding Geese Ducks Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

After a very good Wet Season with substantially more rain than normal over the first few months of 2017 the land was flooded and a huge variety of birds arrived in the Broome area to take advantage of the ideal conditions for breeding. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

According to Tim Low (in “Where Song began”), “so easy were they to breed that by 1859 they cost less to buy in London than in Sydney.” ” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. We even had some chicks – not that this was a big achievement.

Birds 147

Birds Australia Sheep Zebras 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2017

Early in the Wet Season we had noticed the arrival of unusually high numbers of Magpie Geese and they are a species that don’t always make it to the Broome area if it is not a wet year. It did seem highly probable that the Magpie Geese would breed in the area this year. Ten young Magpie Geese with parents.

Geese 100

Geese Breeding 2014 Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa).

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2011

It worked, and the translocated birds were soon breeding. Today the species is secure on a large number of islands and reserves. Both species had undergone massive declines since the arrival of humans and where in a perilous position in the 1970s. Both species were pushed to the brink but pulled back just in the nick of time.

Species 233

Species New Zealand Rats Endangered Species 233

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

The obvious choice was the Mallard , that plucky familiar northern hemisphere species that is the father of the even more familiar domesticated duck. In fact, as the species was quickly identified as as creating hybrids with Grey Ducks, the opinion was by the 1920s that the species shouldn’t be released further.

Species 168

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

The most common species we see are the Stoke’s Sea Snake Astrotia stokesii , Dubois’ Sea Snake Aipysurus duboisii and the Olive Sea Snake Aipysurus laevis. Carpet Shark washed up Carpet shark being returned to the sea I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into our varied wildlife here in the north of Australia.

Australia 152

Australia 2011 Sharks Deer 152

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2023

Blue-bottle jellyfish There were various other jellyfish that were the size of dinner plates and other smaller “jellies” that may have been egg sacs rather than jellyfish. The two species of Oystercatcher are not breeding at this time of year and often congregate together.

Eggs 147

Eggs Australia Protection Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

” Writing about owls means writing about roughly 250 species (I counted 245 on the 2022 Clements spreadsheet, but I might have missed a few, and we all know that each classification system is different). The chapters on courtship and breeding and roosting and migration are the longest, which isn’t surprising.

Owls 220

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 220

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. There is egg predation, chick loss and sometimes possibly just some “bad parenting”! Three eggs in the nest.

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

Colorful bills and heads seem quite popular among Letaba’s bird species – see the African Jacana (blue and black) … … the Striated Heron (yellow and blue) … … and the Yellow-billed Stork (yellow and red). The Latin species name vermiculatus (worm-like) refers to the markings on the upperparts.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Are there birders out there who do not dream of birding Australia? Possibly birders who have already birded Australia (but, wouldn’t you want to go back?) The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species.

Australia 108

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 108

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2013

Once again Pied Oystercatcher breeding season is fast approaching in Broome and we can expect the first batch of eggs to be laid within the next few weeks. We have also discovered that they are very rarely successful with the first eggs laid due to predation of either the eggs or the chicks. Flock of Pied Oystercatchers.

Eggs 176

Eggs Breeding Australia Raised 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I do not get too many comments on my blog posts, but it seems that whenever I write about jacanas – whether in Africa, Australia, or Asia – there is an unusually high number of reactions (well, maybe one or two rather than the usual zero) from female readers. This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). How efficient.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2020

Pied Oystercatchers are not a species that we observe flying very often at all. They prefer to walk away from you to lead you away from eggs, chicks or their territory. It will remain with its parents for a few more months and then join a non-breeding flock either to the south or north of Gantheaume Point.

Eggs 170

Eggs Breeding Family Protection 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2015

Since discovering our first Pied Oystercatcher nest on Cable Beach in July 2000 we have observed the breeding of these local shorebirds along the coast between Gantheaume Point in the south and Willie Creek in the north, which is a distance of 23 kilometres.

Feral Cats 159

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 159

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Australian Bustards- Ardeotis australis are one of those birds that you hope to see if you are in the north of Australia and often encounters are accidental as they move quietly through the grass finding food. You are more likely to find them walking than flying and they are the heaviest flying bird in Australia.

Australia 105

Australia Mice Eggs Eagles 105

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2012

One of the more interesting aspects (in my opinion) of breeding in birds is their mating strategy. The most common mating strategy in birds is social monogamy, found in roughly 92% of birds species in the world (Jenni 1974, Owens 2002). of all bird species, is polyandry. Polyandry is found mostly in shorebirds (e.g.

2002 169

2002 North America 2000 2009 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2013

The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae is Australia’s largest bird standing at up to 2 metres (6 foot 6 inches) tall. They will only breed if the conditions are good and the male will be responsible for nest building and incubating the 6-12 eggs for approximately 60 days. He will then rear the young Emu for up to 18 months.

Australia 181

Australia Investigation Family Groups 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2015

As the tide dropped the Black-winged Stilt settled themselves on the wet sand close to some other Australian Pelicans and gives you some idea of the relative size of the two species. The most exciting time of year is coming up for us with the imminent egg laying, hatching and possibly fledging of Pied Oystercatcher chicks.

Pelicans 160

Pelicans Eggs Birds 2015 160

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2014

One advantage of Grant’s work being unpredictable is that occasionally he has to go to Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. There were three Wood Sandpipers present on this visit, due to the fact that it is summer here and they reside here during the summer months and then head north to breed in coming months.

Ducks 161

Ducks Birds Australia Pelicans 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2012

There are thousands of shorebirds that visit Broome each year and the majority of them are now in the northern hemisphere hopefully sitting on eggs. Not all of our shorebird species migrate and those that reside here are also currently sitting on eggs, or thinking about laying eggs in the upcoming weeks.

Eggs 217

Eggs Raised Birds Breeding 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2011

We discovered another juvenile not far away, so other species have had their eggs swapped out. There is very little information on this species of bird and it is believed that there are only 1500 in Australia. There have been reports of them breeding in the 1960′s near Derby, which is over 200kms away.

Australia 150

Australia Investigation Falcons Eggs 150

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Last weekend we went by vehicle to check on the Pied Oystercatchers that breed along that stretch of beach and there has been continued egg loss over the past few weeks. They are persistent at laying eggs and despite the loss of all the eggs from our last visit there were five new eggs. Pied Oystercatcher egg.

Eggs 140

Eggs Birds Investigation Bears 140

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Sadly it has been a poor season so far and the Pied Oystercatchers are currently on their second attempt at breeding. All of the pairs that we monitor have lost either their eggs or juvenile birds to predation before they were fledged and are patiently sitting once again on a new clutch of eggs.

Wounded 160

Wounded Eggs Rescue Breeding 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

In southern Africa, there are two species. As I watched, it slowly moved into a patch of dried vegetation and I noticed that it was settling over a single egg. Two or three eggs may be laid and either bird may incubate. I too am fascinated by the name of this species. How do we know this? I am around to learn more.

2011 168

2011 Deer Africa Peru 168