Flycatcher

Had a long walk up Campbell Park in Canberra today. Came across this pair of flychatcher. I think this is a Satin Flycatcher, Myiagra cyanoleuca. Can’t quite differentiate it from the Leaden Flycatcher. Both of this bird are supposedly uncommon in Canberra.

Anyway… I was lucky to get a shot of the female flycatcher having it’s snack.

Some of you may be interested in this thread on the Bird Identification Forum…

http://birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=126453

Male Flycatcher

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Female Flycatcher

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Caught A Bee for snack

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This is how you swallow a bee...

Psittacine beak and feather disease

People always joke that a paediatrician is like a vet, their patients have minimal or no verbal communication skill.

I came across this Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, in Canberra recently. It looks like it has all the signs of Psittacine beak and feather disease. The beak is deformed and overgrown. The Cockatoo lost all the feathers in it’s Sulphur Crest. Interstingly, only the yellow feathers on the crest are affected, feathers on other part of the body seems to be normal. This disease is supposedly cause by a Circovirus and it is endemic in Australia.

Link to an article on Psittacine beak and feather disease

http://www.nwrc.com.au/forms/michael_pyne.pdf

Normal Looking Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo

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Deformity, overgrowth of the beak

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Lost of feather in the sulphur crest

My Australian Birds List

Photography Equipments

Canon EOS 350D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens

Baillon’s Crake (Porzana pusilla)

Baillon’s Crake, Porzana pusilla, is the smallest of Australia’s rails, about 15-16cm. It is usually secretive, not often seen, but probably common according to some expert. Baillon’s Crake is migratory. Can be found in wetland, swamp and vegetated lake margins.

Baillon's Crake

This picture of Baillon’s Crake was taken in Jerrabomberra Wetlands, ACT Australia. Some experience birder tip me off about the Baillon’s Crake. I sat quiet by the side of the lake,  and was lucky to have sighted 2 Baillon’s Crake.

I know taking a good picture was not going to be easy.  The Baillon’s Crake is relatively small bird, it is shy, and it is about 6-8 meters away, in the shallow area of the pond/lake. And I was warn about a brown snake in the vicinity.

For those of you who use a 350D, I notice that the centre auto focus point is actually not the dot, but the bracket just below it. It is front focusing if I put the centre dot on the bird, causing the weeds just in front  the bird to be in focus rather than the bird. This is quite a problem, especially when I am shooting at a low angle.

My Australian Birds List

Photography Equipments

Canon EOS 350D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens

Related post

https://exblog2012.wordpress.com/2008/03/29/birding-in-canberra-fyshwick-sewage-ponds/

Grey Teal, Anas gracilis

Grey Teal, Anas gracilis

Grey Teal

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Reflection

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Photo taken in Centennial Park Sydney, after rain.

My Australian Birds List

Photography Equipments

Canon EOS 350D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens

Nutmeg Mannikin, (Lonchura punctulata)

All under control

Many challenges can spring up all at once in our life. One by one, we keep them under control. Tough time never last; but tough people do.

Nutmeg Mannikin, (Lonchura punctulata)
Also known as Scaly-breasted Munia, Spice Finch.

Introduced species to Australia. Photo taken in Sydney Park, St Peters. NSW, Australia.

Crimson Chat, Epthianura tricolor

Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor), photo was taken in Sydney Park, St Peter, NSW, about 10km from Sydney CBD. Crimson Chat is usually found in outback Australia, rarely seen in Sydney. Thanks to TunPin, who reported the sighting. This is acturely the first time, I have gone out of the way chasing after a bird. I supposed this marked a next level up in my birding career.

Crimson Chat, adult male

With clear instruction and someone kindly marked it on google map, it was relatively easy to find the pair of Crimson Chat. The striking red colour of the male bird just made it standout from the background. The female is paler in colour. Locating the pair was not much of a problem.  The only problem was, this small bird (11-13cm) does not sit still for more than few seconds. And it was quite impossible to get close to it.

Crimson Chat

The Crimson Chats were feeding on the ground, flying from bush to bush, when being pursued. Nearest that I managed to get to them is about 5meters.  Quite happy with this shot, especially after I learn that there are not too many good photos of this bird online.

More of my birds photos on Flickr.

Other Australian Birds on my blog are  here.

HEART a Buddhist Musical

University of Sydney Buddhist Society, Uni-Bodhi presented HEART a Buddhist Musical at the Zenith Theatre on 2 and 3 October 2008. A few of us from Unibuds attended this event. It was very well run, very impressive, full of positive energy. Well done to the team behind this.

More photos here on my Flickr site. If you would like to you this images, please leave me a msg.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chenghiang/sets/72157607712911164/

Colourful performance

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Looking out....

Ever smiling Unibuds.