Fw: Dr David Roberston

Dear Birding Australia This is David Robertson’s son-in-law. Unfortunately, I have some sad news to share with you, David Robertson passed away this morning at 2am after 4 weeks in Flinders Medical Centre and his last couple of days at the Laurel Hospice. He was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple of months ago and . . . → Read More: Fw: Dr David Roberston

Birdpedia – Australia – Weekly Digest

The following is a digest of Sightings Reported on Birdpedia for the period Monday, March 4, 2024 to Sunday, March 10, 2024:

Area: SA

Location: Cnr Winchester St and Seventh Ave, St Peters

Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor) (1) A few weeks ago I thought I heard a distant grey currawong from our garden (Third Ave, . . . → Read More: Birdpedia – Australia – Weekly Digest

birding guide in Fiji

Does anyone know of a good birding guide in Fiji (Viti Levu)? Google seems to have become even more cretinous recently.

— John LeonardCanberraAustraliawww.jleonard.net

Make nature great again.

Cicadabird wing-shuffling

Here's something that puzzles me. I have read in field guides that Cicadabirds do not shuffle their wings like other Cuckoo-shrikes do. And now I can consult HANZB online I find this statement: 'Do not shuffle wings on alighting as other cuckoo-shrikes.' I wouldn't say I see this species regularly, but I saw it a . . . → Read More: Cicadabird wing-shuffling

Melbourne Yellow-rumped Thornbills

Yesterday on my commute I spotted a small flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills. It’s a species I haven’t seen in urban areas for a while. They were on the M80 bike path near Darebin Creek in Thomastown (Melbourne).

Has anyone else seen these guys? Are they unusual here or have I just not seen them before?

. . . → Read More: Melbourne Yellow-rumped Thornbills

Nicobar pigeon in Aus

Dodo relative’s mysterious appearance on tropical island baffles bird experts abc.net.au

I did think Tooth billed pigeon in Samoa was closest relative though to the Dodo. 

Warm regards, Charles Hunter . . . → Read More: Nicobar pigeon in Aus

Only partly a name issue

And now for something a little lighter.  With the recent eBird announcements came the news that you can no longer tick ‘Red Junglefowl’ at the You yangs picnic area. That category is confined to real junglefowl in their traditional haunts, geographically.  You might, subject to certain conditions, be able to submit a valid . . . → Read More: Only partly a name issue

An Odd Koel Situation

In my experience, koels almost invariably call from cover. You can hear them but they lurk in such thick foliage that you can rarely see them calling.

I was riding my bike up a hill in the southern suburbs of Brisbane around 6 am this morning when I heard some classic koel grunting. I saw . . . → Read More: An Odd Koel Situation

REN

Good morning

I’ve been away from organised ornithology/birding for about a decade. It’s somehow reassuring to see that the topic of hot discussion now is the same as when I first got involved in the late 1970s, when REN was consuming all the correspondents!! (REN – Recommended English names for Australian birds published in Emu . . . → Read More: REN

Lyrebird renaming

While renaming birds let’s swap the names of the Black-faced and Masked Woodswallows. Because the Black-faced has a mask, and the Masked has a black face! John L