We spotted and photographed this Buff-banded rail from the car as our family arrived at Silverleaves on the weekend. They do appear to be regulars here - we see them from time to time.
Buff-banded rail, Silverleaves, Phillip Island
5.07pm
I went back to see to see if I could get some better shots and all I found was this:
Buff-banded rail, suspected road kill (the concrete is the shoulder of the road)
I don't really think it is the same bird (a little cold and stiff) but it was still pretty disheartening. Rails hold a special little place in our birding sphere. It was a long time before we ever saw one and since then we have always been excited to spot them again!
I find it hard to fathom how this occurred as the road is a 40km/h pedestrian-shared space. My only guess is that there were vehicles moving both ways and in evading one vehicle the bird has moved into the path of another. It is a narrow road and cars have to move to the side to pass each other.
Google StreetView, Honeysuckle Ave, Silverleaves. The grassed area is currently a lake!
Some low-lying land at Silverleaves has been an instant wetland for several weeks now and can be a hive of activity. Purple swamphen in particular are quite active with much strutting, posturing and aggression yesterday. However this fellow was simply contemplating something good to eat (or possibly just stunned at the silliness of his own reflection!).
The strut
I had never before noticed the exaggerated tail display seen above and below
Chestnut teal in particular are enjoying the new pond
There's something for everyone (Willie wagtail)
Willie wagtail
Brown thornbill and grey fantail were also active (below)
I returned to Koomba Park in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna today. The park contains lakes and billabongs fed by the Dandenong Creek. Although sizeable and containing some nice wetlands the park is absolutely metropolitan in nature. Reminders include the high tension electricity pylons and the prominence of noxious flora. Whoever contributed the Wikipedia Koomba Park entry felt it worthwhile to include a paragraph about crime in the park. Lovely!
It was another grey day in Melbourne with intermittent misty rain threatening to become showers. Armed only with my camera and long lens to ward off the advancing criminals I wandered off keen for birding pleasures to gladden the heart.
The only highlight was a colony of Bell miners in the same spot I had seen them in March 2011. Again they came lower than I have experienced elsewhere giving a chance for some photos.
I enjoyed watching them and was impressed with how aggressively they defended their patch. They would interrupt their feeding to see off any bird threat (principally other honeyeaters and a pardalote I think).
It would be remiss of me to not mention the gorgeous call of this bird. I was reminded today that if heard close by the noise can be startling as it is quite loud. Cameron Stephen's webpage has a recording of the call here. I enjoyed hearing it again!
Bell miner (Manoria melanophrys)
The light was difficult and results not great but I appreciate any photo of these guys as they are generally dots in the canopy or invisible!
New Holland honeyeater ducking for cover from the aggressive Bell miners. When seen in the larger version the swirling light rain could be mistaken as snow!
Site of the Bell miner colony, Koomba Park
Koomba Park - a very metropolitan reserve!
Did I mention the weather?
Another great recording of bell miner calls on stevehapp's youtube clip from Lake Macquarie, NSW (with Eastern whipbird calls and Satin bowerbird bower thrown in!):
