Grey fantail nest building, Phillip Island birds

Grey fantail, Phillip Island

Such a song - often heard but I'd not watched one singing close up before. The bill really opened wide for the highest silvery notes at the end of each song phrase

"I think I might build something of greatness ..."

Foundations, 50cm from a previous nest (last year's?) about a metre off the ground

Poor view of the arrival of another load of some fibrous plant matter.

What's good on TV? Spider webs of course

Sticky stuff though!

This nest building requires some agility! There was much rapid fussing around the edges.

The next shots were taken one day later and the nest has taken greater shape. It gets tested for size ...

The all important interior design cannot be ignored

One week later ... Voila! What a fine creation. Pizzey describes the fantail nest as a "beautiful small grey cup, tailed like wineglass without a base".

This one's wineglass stem is a little off!

A peak inside reveals a single egg which is not shown well in this iphone shot

I wonder if I'll find a second egg soon.

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday

Bird on!

The intriguing Musk Duck - Swan Lake, Phillip Island

Musk duck sit low in the water "platypus like". The presence of the leathery flap under the bill indicates that this is a male

As Pizzey says "A very strange duck". This one was swimming and diving quite close to our vantage point at Swan Lake's northern bird hide. The flow of "water off the duck's back" was quite impressive.

That tail flick again in case you missed it....!

This female bird was giving itself a belly rub (the back half of the bird is twisted belly-up)

Little black cormorant - love that eye colour!

Black swan

As usual there was good numbers of Eurasian coot

We surprised a Royal spoonbill who left the water to perch somewhat precariously on the ti-tree.

A very curious Brown thornbill was actually too close to the camera!

In the bird hide Welcome swallow chicks were excited by a camera flash until a "grown-up" came to settle things down 

Bird on!

Hide & Seek with a Spinebill - Birding Phillip Island

Silverleaves was pretty wet at times this last winter.

As the old saying goes: It was good weather for ....

Australian wood-duck took to the water where there was usually just grass

A few Chestnut teal had also moved in 

Waterlogged. "The Common" at Silverleaves

Birding was still OK albeit with damp feet! This Eastern spinebill was hanging around our house playing hide & seek.

Hiding in the correa. Eastern spinebill, Phillip Island

Playing peek-a-boo with a grevillea. Eastern spinebill, Phillip Island

There's nowhere to hide on fence wire! Eastern spinebill

 Another individual I'm getting to know is one of the local kookaburras. "He" also like sitting on wires.

Laughing kookaburra. This is his good side.

Here it is giving all in song. At first I thought his eye was just closed but his right eye is not normal

I see him 'round from time to time

The Common - uncommonly wet (Winter 2014)!

Bird on!

Gorgeous Golden whistler - Birds of Phillip Island

Golden whistler, Silverleaves, Phillip Island

I was treated to easily my best views ever of a male Golden whistler at Phillip Island yesterday. This species has often had me craning my neck looking into the canopy to try to find where that marvellous sound was coming from.

As you can see I had several minutes with this fellow as it fed in some smaller trees.

The bird was adept at detecting the presence of small grubs. This one was whacked repeatedly and wrapped one way then the other around this branch before being dispatched.

Bird on!