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

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

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 —

G’day Mike During a brief period in the southern suburbs of Brisbane this morning, there was a confluence of rain (minor thunder), flying ants and low level needletails. Given the small field of view from my back deck, I could only see half a dozen individuals in the swift passage. Regards Laurie Birding-Aus mailing list … Read more

I just wanted to get in first with – The Plumed Mulchscratcher aka the PM (for the Superb) and the Lesser Plumed Mulchscratcher aka LPM (for Prince Alberts). Thinking of renaming all Australian birds. Geoff