10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2020

We are lucky in Western Australia that we can move around our own state. We can’t move around the rest of Australia or go overseas, but keeping everyone safe is a priority. So much has happened in the world in their absence from Australia. This line gets used every day by many bird species.

Asia 275

Asia Australia Eggs Raised 275

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 198

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 198

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

JUNE 7, 2020

We don’t know how many eggs were originally laid due to the height of the nest. It is always rewarding to observe successful breeding in wildlife and we are fortunate here in Broome that so many bird species breed around the area. We have been keeping an eye on a Whistling Kite nest that is very high up in a tree.

Breeding 188

Breeding Australia Eggs Wildlife 188

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 169

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. But that may have helped me to see them – the species is quite nomadic and settles wherever there is rain. Ok, back to the (presumably non-sacred, certainly non-mummified) Australian species. In a paper published in 1938 (!),

Birds 147

Birds Australia Sheep Zebras 147

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 153

Australia 2011 Sharks Deer 153

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2022

Every year we observe both egg and chick loss amongst our Pied Oystercatcher pairs along Cable Beach and also in Roebuck Bay during their breeding season. The breeding season starts around the end of June and there are still eggs being laid and chicks hatching, but now these are the second clutches of eggs.

Breeding 147

Breeding Eggs Protection Family 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

Over the past few months we have had a variety of Cuckoos calling and looking for a mate and the sound of any Cuckoo in Australia is completely different to the European Cuckoo. The Cuckoos in Australia call shrilly and in a frantic descending or ascending call and often you will only hear the variety of species and not actually observe them.

Australia 174

Australia Eggs Raised Species 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2022

Even going on the same route twice a day we have noticed different bird species at different times and every walk is a time to enjoy time together in nature very close to home. Birdlife Australia mentions on their website that the female Mistletoebird builds the nest and incubates, but they will both feed the young. Male Mistletoebird.

Australia 147

Australia Eggs Birds Species 147

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

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 234

Dissection Birds Research Europe 234

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

.” His classes attracted diverse groups of students, often with little scientific background: “Students have to first pass biology, but most come in knowing next to nothing about birds except that they can fly, that they have feathers, and that they lay eggs.”. and from Australia. I got about 50 email responses.

2018 264

2018 Agenda Science Eggs 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

Once you travel further north from Broome there are numerous opportunities to observe this species and any fresh water body is worth checking. Thankfully the red crest is very helpful in identifying this species. Birding Australia jacanas' They often make a shrill sound in flight and often don’t fly very far.

Australia 163

Australia 2011 Eggs Species 163

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

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

The first eggs were laid in the first week of July, which is the case each year. The eggs take 28 days to hatch and it is then at least 35 days before the chicks are developed enough to fly and there have been problems with predation as in other years. Pied Oystercatcher sitting on eggs in the nudist area of Cable Beach.

Breeding 159

Breeding Eggs Camels Raised 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 106

Australia Mice Eggs Eagles 106

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. Sooty Oystercatcher having a shake!

Eggs 178

Eggs Breeding Australia Raised 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2013

In the Kimberley region of Western Australia there are both the Red-browed Pardalote and the Striated Pardalote. The Red-browed Pardalote has a five note call, whilst the Striated Pardalote has a sharp two note call, but both species sound extremely persistent when you hear them. Birding Australia Broome nesting Pardalotes'

Australia 154

Australia Eggs Birds Species 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

There is a lot of extreme behavior here (and a lot of that behavior takes place in Australia), but this is not simply a collection of the world’s most fantastic bird tales. It’s fascinating stuff. Most of the chapters in The Bird Way focus on one or two scientists who has done extensive research on ‘outlier behavior.’

Research 237

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 237

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2015

To the north they are very unlucky with predation before the eggs even hatch out, but to the south the eggs hatch out and then the predation occurs on the chicks. Thankfully with the longevity of this species it appears the population is fairly stable, but this may not always be the case if predation continues at the rate that it is.

Feral Cats 159

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 159

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

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 182

Australia Investigation Family Groups 182

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).

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2019

Not only did we observe the bird species most days, but we also had the privilege of observing them at a nest. We were quite surprised by the noise that they made, because it was not too dissimilar to some of the odd sounds a Blue-winged Kookaburra can make in Australia.

Singapore 113

Singapore Seals Eggs Australia 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

Our recent bush-walking has involved some long muddy walks and are always productive as far as birds and wildflowers go and we have found several species nests. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest. Australian Painted Snipe nest. Three swimming Australian Painted Snipe.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

The grass is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and now we have numerous species of dragonfly to enjoy as the season starts to change. Masked Lapwings have been busy breeding for some months now and some may well be on their second clutch of eggs. Masked Lapwing nest with eggs and chicks. Masked Lapwing protecting a nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Protection Cows 100

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. In about two weeks’ time the juvenile Pied Oystercatcher will have developed its flight feathers and could fly if required.

Eggs 173

Eggs Breeding Family Protection 173

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. I noticed a silhouette and we investigated and we got our first Pallid Cuckoo for the year.

Australia 150

Australia Investigation Falcons Eggs 150

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 221

Eggs Raised Birds Breeding 221

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. Both of the female Magpie Geese would have laid their eggs in the same nest and there could have been up to sixteen eggs in the nest at any one time.

Geese 100

Geese Breeding 2014 Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

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. Sadly it has been a poor season so far and the Pied Oystercatchers are currently on their second attempt at breeding.

Wounded 160

Wounded Eggs Rescue Breeding 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2016

We have several of the cuckoo species around the Broome area and all cuckoos are more likely to be heard than seen, but every now and again you get lucky! All other cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and let them raise them. At 28-33cm they are one of the larger cuckoos. Pallid Cuckoo.

United Kingdom 100

United Kingdom Raised 2013 Africa 100

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

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 242

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 242

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). These are behaviors that are most likely to vary across species and topics that make for compelling stories.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157