
image from http://www.statesymbolsusa.org –
“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” ~Chinese Proverb
There has been one constant in my “self-imposed” exile this past year, and that is the continuous play of wildlife outside my bedroom window. Whilst the rain and floods have played havoc on the countryside, farms, roads, livestock and homes, I have been fortunate to see a parade of wildlife, well bird life visiting my garden, for which I am truly grsteful.
We have seen Masked Plovers and Pee Wee’s (Pee Wit’s), Magpies and Doves, Ibis and Purple Water hens, and a variety of ducks. I believe we have a family of ducks just started visiting and I am on the lookout to get a few pictures of the ducklings before they get much bigger. They are so cute!
However, last summer we were visited by a “Mystery Bird”. Several of the professional birdwatchers I spoke to were positive it was a “Pheasant Coucal”, but since I’m not certain, well I’m simply not sure. Last week we were fortunate to see not one, but two! We have a mating pair and their colouring was much darker than last year, a beautiful russet colour. Here are some of the photos I took then. The colour looks a little lighter than when I took the photo but you can see the intense black around his head and shoulders.
Checking out the garden to see what’s around.
Not taking any chances, we are fortunate the dogs next door can’t get in.
They seem to walk much more than the other birds and only take flight when they’ve been disturbed.
This is where he/she stayed for half an hour after the neighbors walked past and he took fright/flight. Last year we saw them creeping along the fence line most often. They stayed under the shrubbery as much as possible and only ventured out if they felt safe – and unobserved.
If anyone knows what these shy birds are I would love to know.
Blessings
Susan x
We are very fortunate to have this passing parade. Working from home can be insular but these characters and many more certainly add to the quality of life we enjoy.
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I can’t agree more with you rayj2012. Definitely these little characters add to the quality of life. We live in suburban Sydney’s West and every summer attracts different little characters to our little garden and Jacaranda Tree. Then of course there are the plants that come along, the antics of our madcap dogs…ahhh..who said it has to be boring.
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[…] saw him ay our place in Nerang and was unsure what he was, Since then we have identified him as a Black Headed Peasant Coucal. This is the male. He puffs out his chest and the feathers at his nae and emits a loud “Coo, […]
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