BROLGA

73       BROLGA          Grus rubicundus

Australia     (73)

Also known as Australian Crane and Native Companion. Range is n and e Australian mainland. Found in shallow wetlands, swamps, paddocks, crops, bore drains, town environs. 70 cm -1.3 m, wingspan 1.7-2.4 m.

REGENT BOWERBIRD

Female Regent Bowerbird, photographed southern Queensland

72        REGENT BOWERBIRD        Sericulus chrysocephalus

Australia      (72)

Found in rain forests, coastal scrub, raspberry thickets, orchards, gardens. Range coastal side of Great Divide from Mackay to fringes of Sydney. 25-30 cm.

BELL MINER

Photographed in trees outside Melbourne zoo.

71      BELL MINER        Manorina melanophrys

Australia      (71)

Also known as Bellbird. Range along coastal mainland Australia from Brisbane to past Melbourne. Found in pockets in temperate rain forests, dense woodlands, gullies, well treed suburbs. Popularly known as bellbirds for their little tinkle bell-like calls, their call is well known but the bird not often seen.  

SATIN BOWERBIRD

70           SATIN BOWERBIRD       Ptilonorhynchus violaceus

Australia       (70)

28-32 cm. Found in rainforests, eucalypt forests and woodlands, orchards. Range down east coast from just above Brisbane to Melbourne and pocket around Townsville area. (Though have photographed in Bunya Mountains, southern Queensland)

ROYAL SPOONBILL

69        ROYAL SPOONBILL        Platalea regia

Australia     (69)

74-80 cms. Frequents shallow waters in dams, wetlands, sewage ponds, irrigation storage and mangroves. All of Australia except se two-thirds of WA, western half of SA and sw of NT.

LITTLE WOODSWALLOW

Photographed at Cunnamulla, southern Queensland

68          LITTLE WOODSWALLOW          Artamus minor

Australia      (68)

12-14 cms. Found in rocky gorges with water, open scrub, woodlands, acacia scrubs. RangeNT, Queensland except SW, northern half NSW except coast, pocket central east of SA, and in WA in central west and north.

WHITE-NECKED HERON

67           WHITE-NECKED HERON         Ardea pacifica

Australia       (67)

Also called Pacific Heron. 76 cm-1.06 m, wingspan up to 1.6 m. Found in shallow freshwaters, dams, roadside gullies. Range all Australia except area in central east of Western Australia.

BLUE-FACED HONEYEATER

66     BLUE-FACED HONEYEATER         Entomyzon cyanotis

Australia   (66)

30-32 cm. Found in open forests, woodlands, golf courses, parks, orchards, farmland. Range across the north of Australia, eastern half of Queensland, large area from ne to sw of NSW, nw corner of Victoria and just into SA.

GOLDEN-HEADED CISTICOLA

65            GOLDEN-HEADED CISTICOLA         Cisticola exilis

Australia      (65)

Also known as Barleybird, Cornbird, Golden-headed Fantail Warbler, Tailorbird. Found in tall grass, overgrown margins of irrigation trenches, scrub, sewerage farms, salt marsh, roadside grasses. Found around coast of mainland from Adelaide, up east coast, across the north down to mid-WA, and for some distance inland. 9-11.5 cm.

AUSTRALIAN WOOD DUCK

64          AUSTRALIAN WOOD DUCK            Chenonetta jubata

Australia    (64)

Also know as Maned duck or goose. 44-50 cms. Found in grasslands, pastures, woodland, farms, wetlands and flooded inlets. Ranges over much of eastern half of Australia and w part of Western Australia.

AUSTRALIAN WHITE IBIS

63      AUSTRALIAN WHITE IBIS            Threskiornis molucca

Australia     (63)

Also known as the Sacred Ibis. 65-76 cm. Found in all of Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and Queensland; the east of SA, se half of NT and around the west and north coast of WA. Found in wetlands, irrigated areas, tidal areas, parks and garbage tips.

EASTERN WHIPBIRD

62          EASTERN WHIPBIRD              Psophodes olivaceus

Australia      (62)

A noisy but secretive bird, difficult to get in the open for a photograph. 25-31 cm, male larger. Found in rainforests, wet eucalyptus forests, coastal scrub, lantana,overgrown gardens. Ranges down the coast from Melbourne up to above Brisbane and a pocket near Cooktown.

DIAMOND FIRETAIL

61     DIAMOND FIRETAIL         Stagonopleura guttata

Australia    (61)

12-13 cm. Ranges through se Queensland, all except nw NSW, all Victoria and an area in se SA. open forests and woodlands.

HARDHEAD

60      HARDHEAD        Aythya australis

Australia   (60)

Also known as White-eyed duck. Found in large permanent waters/wetlands. Found across all Australia except an area around the south of eastern WA and into NT and SA.

Photography at Shellharbour, June 2014

Photography at Shellharbour, June 2014

Photography at Shellharbour, June 2014

AUSTRALIAN SHELDUCK

59     AUSTRALIAN SHELDUCK          Tadorna tadornoides

Australia    (59)

Also known as Chestnut-breasted Shelduck or Mountain Duck. 55-74 cm, wingspan 1-1.3 m. Found in large shallow waters, irrigation areas, farmland and pastures. Ranges over sw third of WA, se Victoria and Tasmania, most of NSW and e third of SA.

MAGPIE GOOSE

58         MAGPIE GOOSE          Anseranas semipalmata

Australia     (58)

Also known as the Pied Goose. 75-90 cm, wingspan 1.2-90 cms. Male is larger. Found in wetlands, dams, wet grasslands. Range across northern Australia and down the coast to Brisbane.

SPINIFEX PIGEON

57           SPINIFEX PIGEON        Geophaps plumifera

Australia   (57)

Also known as Red spinifex or plumed pigeon. 20-24 cms. Located near water in rocky country, spinifex, grassy woodlands, sandy ridges. Ranges across inland Australia and areas on WA coast in centre and north.

Three subspecies: plumifera, leucogaster and ferruginea.

Photographed at Palm Valley, Northern Territory, race: plumifera

Photographed near Dampier, WA, race ferruginea