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It’s been nearly three years since I first encountered this curious-looking Noisy Miner in the car park at the Observatory near Parkes, New South Wales. This Australian honeyeater can be confused with the introduced bird, the Common Mynah. The latter has mostly brown plumage, but much the same face, and belongs to the starling family.

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I don’t know why I never see Noisy Miners back home, for according to the distribution map, they are common all along the Eastern Coast from North Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and into South Australia, and Tasmania.

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The yellow patch behind the eye is the naked skin.

Thanks for looking.

🙂

Birds

Manorina melanocephala: Noisy Miner

Here are the photos, from yesterday, of the second Straited Pardalote in my backyard. Honestly, until I started working with the images, I thought it was a female doing a courtship dance. Now, I believe it was using the lilac twigs for a back scratch.

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In my Slater’s field guide, it mentions the different types of Striated Pardalote will interbreed. Identification is aided by counting how many feathers are tipped with white, the colour of the rump, and the wing spot. The colouring on this one is fascinating – even without seeing the brilliant yellow on its face and breast.

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Thanks for looking!

🙂

Birds

Back-scratching Pardalote

Sometimes I’m just lucky! Usually, when I get back outside after grabbing the Nikon D3000, the bird has flown. Earlier today, I was pleased to photograph this Striated Pardalote, rarely seen in my backyard. That reddish spot on its wing tells me that it’s probably the South Eastern Form.

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