Dear Birding Oz. I am a new subscriber with a query. My husband and I are buiding a native garden from scratch adjacent to The Gully, in Katoomba, NSW, which we are hoping will make for an extra bit of wildlife corridor and a pit-stop for native birds. So it is with the greatest self- restraint that I refrain from fulminating upon the extraordinary lax attitude by domestic cat owners in this World Heritage area to ask advice about a lone bird spotted in my perpetually flowering 2 yr old grevillia week or so ago. Without a camera I was able only to make a mental note before going to my bird books, where was unable to identify it. A neighbour across the road has confirmed he saw the same bird around the same time in his garden, flitting about in a native shrub. His description matched mine: Slender bird about 160 – 170mm, predominantly pale grey (upper feathers) and pale orange/rufous? (breast), with a longish, possibly curved beak; behaving just like a honeyeater, occasionally flipping upside down to gather nectar. My neighbour confirmed the colouring and longish beak, reckoning the beak was curved, but I can’t be certain of that. My first thought was “what an unusual-coloured honeyeater!”. The colouring was similar to the fan-tailed cuckoo or rufous whistler (according to Baker & Corringham’s Birds of the Blue Mountains) but definitely had a longer beak than these birds according to my memory of it. Just wondering if we were seeing things or not! Many thanks, Meg _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
I don’t think it can any other bird other than a Eastern Spinebill right size, long bill curved behaving like a Honeyeater right colour on belly more than breast —–Original Message—– Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 10:59 AM Dear Birding Oz. I am a new subscriber with a query. My husband and I are buiding a native garden from scratch adjacent to The Gully, in Katoomba, NSW, which we are hoping will make for an extra bit of wildlife corridor and a pit-stop for native birds. So it is with the greatest self- restraint that I refrain from fulminating upon the extraordinary lax attitude by domestic cat owners in this World Heritage area to ask advice about a lone bird spotted in my perpetually flowering 2 yr old grevillia week or so ago. Without a camera I was able only to make a mental note before going to my bird books, where was unable to identify it. A neighbour across the road has confirmed he saw the same bird around the same time in his garden, flitting about in a native shrub. His description matched mine: Slender bird about 160 – 170mm, predominantly pale grey (upper feathers) and pale orange/rufous? (breast), with a longish, possibly curved beak; behaving just like a honeyeater, occasionally flipping upside down to gather nectar. My neighbour confirmed the colouring and longish beak, reckoning the beak was curved, but I can’t be certain of that. My first thought was “what an unusual-coloured honeyeater!”. The colouring was similar to the fan-tailed cuckoo or rufous whistler (according to Baker & Corringham’s Birds of the Blue Mountains) but definitely had a longer beak than these birds according to my memory of it. Just wondering if we were seeing things or not! Many thanks, Meg _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Meg, It sounds like a female Eastern Spinebill to me. Cheers, Nigel _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org