#55 The Grey Butcherbird - from hatchling to fledgling

Taking the opportunity to observe the habits of a pair of Grey Butcherbirds raise their young in the Hunter Valley, NSW, was a fascinating and entertaining experience. I wish to share a series of images by my husband, Grahame, from hatchling to fledgling.

Female Grey Butcherbird settles on her chicks

The Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) appears to be a year-round resident of the Hunter Valley. I delight in hearing its joyous cackle, sometimes competing with the glorious tune of its cousin, the Pied Butcherbird.

I considered their nest site an odd choice, resting precariously on a dead sapling that was teetering at 45 degrees. It was totally exposed to the elements, and to aerial predators, without the protection of foliage.

Male offers female a morsel of food

(chicks in nest - 14 Oct 2008)

Male supplies one of 4 youngsters with food -22 Oct 08

Distribution of the Grey Butcherbird is woodland and open forest throughout Australia, excluding hotter deserts and Cape York Peninsular. (ref: Readers Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds). It is a reasonably common bird in rural Hunter Valley where I live.

Both parents feed the young - 14 Oct 2008

The female incubates 3 to 5 eggs for 24 to 26 days. She is fed on the nest by the male, but both parents feed the young. Young fledge in about 4 weeks. (ref: Readers Digest)

The 4 chicks - 28 Oct 2008

The habits of the birds were very interesting to observe at length. Both parents collected and carried away faeces sacs. Following is a series of three images illustrating the collection process:

The young offers his rear-end . . . . .

. . . . a bulge appears as the chick pushes out waste . . . .


. . . . . and the parent collects the sac for removal.

We watched both birds return to the nest with frogs, moths, worms, grasshoppers, other invertebrates, and a dismembered bird or animal. At one stage, the adult male successfully fed a piece of meat and bone, as big as the chick, to one of his brood.

I was amazed at the rate at which both parents returned to the nest with offerings for their young. They are very efficient hunters, perching on a branch, watching the ground, and pouncing.

A frog for one of the four gaping mouths (28 Oct 2008)

1st Nov the 4 chicks are exercising their wings


4 Nov, only 2 chicks remain - the missing two chicks may have fledged, fallen, or been predated

According to some of my reference books, Butcherbirds are likely to nest in the same territory year after year, so we will check out this area again next year in the hope of making further observations.

Note: I recently had the opportunity to observe a bird-banding project in Western Australia. Interested people can read about this rewarding experience on my journal blog, Snippets and Sentiments.

#48 Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters breeding

After a short break from posting nature blogs, I'm keen to start sharing my nature observations once again. As I haven't been able to get out into the bush much lately, I've had to be content to enjoy nature happenings in my backyard. This family of Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters was nesting in a friend's garden, so it was a great opportunity to observe these cheery birds at length.

The black-tipped pink bill is an identifying feature

of the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters (Acanthagenys rufogularis) do not appear to be common in rural Hunter Valley, preferring the drier, more vegetated country. The nesting I am featureing here was located at Sandy Hollow on the western rim of the Hunter Valley where the landscape mainly consists of rocky sandstone outcrops with cypress and eucalypt scrub, and scattered farms and vineyards.

This couple was raising their family of two in the lower branches of a mature introduced conifer.

We've also encountered Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters in the sandy semi-arid scrubland of the Pilliga Forests of Northwest New South Wales, as well as residential areas of northwestern NSW towns.

According to my reference books, the Spiny-cheek is found in all Australian states except Tasmania, but avoiding the tropical north, the far south-western corner of Western Australia, and the far south of the east coast.

A parent stuffs a grasshopper

into the gaping mouth of one of the two hatchlings . . . . .

Notice in the picture above how the flimsy grass cup nest is secured to twigs by spiders' web. The main breeding period is between July and January, with a clutch of 2 or 3. Although it is the female who incubates the eggs, both male and female feed the chicks. We watched both parents presenting the youngsters with insects.

I commented earlier on the "cheeriness" of these birds. Although they are noted for their agressive nature and noisy song, I find their musical notes cheery, and their character bubbly.

. . . . . and then the chick presents its rearend

for disposal of a faeces sac . . . . .

. . . . . and then warms the chicks

The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater is grouped with the wattlebirds, but its wattle is confined to fleshy extention of the gape. Adults have a patch of whitish stiff feathers behind the gape; in juveniles these are yellow.

This attractive bird with its cinnamon-buff bib, blue eye and black-tipped pink beak is easily recognised in the bush, and can often be flushed from roadside vegetation. It is also likely to be heard before it is seen, once its song is recognised.

Nesting season can extend well into autumn if late summer rain has been substantial - this nest was photographed by my husband, Grahame, in March of this year following an unusually mild and wet summer in the Hunter Valley. Keep an eye and ear out for these vocal birds of the dry inland; they are delightful.

#44 A disappointing bird tale

My husband, Grahame, has recently taken up the hobby of bird photography. This has resulted in not only obtaining a close up view of some of Australia's beautiful birds, but an introduction into some of the intricate details of their lives. [Note: all photos in this entry are by Grahame.]

Female Rufous Whistler at Broke in the Hunter Valley

We found a nest of Rufous Whistlers (Pachycephala rufiventris) at a reserve at Broke in the Hunter Valley, and sat back, relaxing, observing these busy little birds raising their family.

The nest was a small, flimsy, cup-shaped construction made from grasses or very fine twigs, sitting in a low fork of a very young eucalypt. I have since read that the nest is secured to the tree fork with spider's webs, and close inspection of photographs shows this ingenious building technique on the right-hand side of the 4th picture here.

A back view of the female Rufous Whistler

There is a marked difference in appearance of sexes of the Rufous Whistler. The male is unlikely to be confused with any other bird with its black face and breast band, white bib, grey wings and back, and rusty brown/orange belly. The female, although more subtle in colour, is definitely not a drab bird with its attractive streaked underparts.

Male and female are both about 17cm long, and rather stocky. Their call is loud and cheery, and once we were accustom to their tuneful song, it was easily recognised.

Distinctive colours of the male Rufous Whistler

With the nest low in the tree, we felt privileged to have an excellent unobstructed view into their lives. Clearly, there were two young in the nest with eyes barely opened. Mum and dad left the chicks unattended while they both flew off hunting for insects, and we were amazed at the array of food they offered the gaping mouths of their offspring.

Mum returns with a large winged insect.....

.....and places it well down the throat of the chick

It is likely that the Rufous Whistler is affected by land clearing, but it appears to be quite capable of adapting, making use of available trees and shrubbery in farmland and residential areas. Now that we have learned to recognise its call, we have heard the Rufous Whistler in several locations.

According to records, the Rufous Whistler is found throughout Australia except in Tasmania and the most arid of environments. I have not seen these active little birds on the ground, other than to bath; and as with most birds, it is an entertaining sight to watch them bathing.

A male Rufous Whistler comes down to bath.....

.....and he really gets down and wet

But this bird tale has a disappointing ending: we returned 6 days later to observe the progress of the Rufous Whistler family only to find the nest empty. Although the chicks apparently do not spend a long time in the nest, we observed the male and female at length without sighting the two youngsters.

I can only presume that the chicks were taken by a cat, goanna or another bird. If they ended up as a feed for a goanna or native bird, that's life in the wild, but too often cats are the cause of native animal loss. Fortunately, the Rufous Whistler's status is secure.

As two broods are often produced in a season, we plan to revisit the nest site. Observing the nesting activities of our native birds from a reasonable distance so as not to disturb or stress them, provides a fabulous opportunity to learn more about our wildlife. Learning about our wildlife increases awareness and respect for the value of preserving or reproducing habitat as human persuits encroach further on the lives of our native birds and animals.

#29 Spotted Pardolates are nesting

Bird-watching in the Hunter Valley has been an absorbing and rewarding lifelong pastime for me, as it has also been throughout Australia on my travels. Springtime is a particularly exciting period to observe our feathered natives, with a flurry of nest-building, courting and family activities in full swing.

A male Spotted Pardalote checks out the photographer

[This photograph by my husband, Grahame]

My bird-watching persuits have always been a relaxing, though engaging, affair where I have rarely attempted to capture photographs, content to just enjoy their company. My husband, Grahame, has recently decided to delve into the frustrating, but stimulating hobby of bird photography in preparation for a satisfying retirement hobby. I will occasionally use his photographs in my Nature Blog to highlight the beauty and diversity of Hunter Valley birdlife.

The brightly plumed Spotted Pardalote is a captivating subject. Werakata National Park in the lower Hunter Valley was our hunting ground, an area of Leptospermum scrub and regenerating Eucalyptus forest.

One of the distinguishing features between the sexes that is sometimes overlooked, is the colouration of the spots on top of the head. The female (top) has pale yellow spots on the crown, whereas the male (bottom) has white. [These photographs by my husband, Grahame]

Nest building

Spotted Pardalotes, Pardalotus punctatus, most commonly excavate a nesting cavity at the end of a tunnel dug in earthen banks or sloping ground. Roadside cuttings can provide appropriate sites for nesting, making fleeting encounters possible. For detailed observation purposes, however, it will be necessary to search out a nest in a situation with more room and less distraction.

The tunnel opening is 4 to 5cm wide, with the burrow reportedly about 50cm long and opening into a breeding chamber lined with bark and other vegetation. These tiny birds with legs about 2mm thick hardly look like efficient earth moving machines, with feet designed for perching and beaks suited to scraping insects from leaf surfaces. As I have not viewed their construction technique, I will always be left wondering what the difficulty factor is in this project, and how long it takes to complete.

Although the earthen tunnel nest offers protection from adverse weather conditions and predatory birds, a lot of energy is obviously expended, and still there is the threat of predation from snakes, lizards and foxes. According to my Michael Morcome Field Guide, 3 to 5 white eggs are laid, incubation takes about 14 days and there are often two broods in a season.

This nest looks to be still under construction. Notice the dampness at the tunnel entrance which appears to be purposefully deposited moisture. I observed this site for quite some time after seeing the female exit, but ran out of patience before the builders returned.

Spotted Pardalotes are also known to nest in small tree hollows and even artificial cavities, but earthen burrows are more common. Male and female are both involved in nest building and parenting duties.

Diet of Spotted Pardalotes

Upon consulting my bird field guide, I found that 'Lerps' featured high on the menu of Spotted Pardalotes. I was unsure exactly what lerps were, so I set out to find out, and then to find some to inspect and photograph.

Lerps are protective covers constructed by the nymphs of jumping plant lice (Order Homoptera/Hemiptera, Family Psyllidae). Lerps are formed from the honeydew excreted by the nymphs on the leaf surface. The honeydew consists of sugars and amino acids which crystallises on contact with air. Psyllids are tiny sap-sucking winged insects that feed on native trees and shrubs, especially eucalypts.

This lerp is about 5mm wide and protects a psyllid nymph as it feeds by sucking sap from leaves. Click on photos to view an enlargement.

Psyllids are Australian native insects. They produce a sticky substance (excrement) called honeydew, which drops to the ground, often splattering cars parked under eucalypts. A dark sooty mould grows on honeydew-covered surfaces, including the lerps.

Each nymph lives under its own white semi-conical waxy lerp feeding on plant juices. Adults are not as readily observed because they are active and tend to hide amongst leaves. Adult psyllids are about 4mm long and winged. Eggs are tiny and laid in rows or clusters on leaf surfaces.

Following a 10-20 day incubation period, the newly hatched nymphs (or ‘crawlers’) emerge and move over the leaf surface in search of food. They then construct a protective shell or cone-shaped cover (more commonly known as a ‘lerp’) from starchy material derived from the host plant.

Growth to adulthood occurs mostly within the confines of the original lerp, with maturation from egg to adult taking between 8 weeks and 6 months, depending on temperature. Warm temperatures create optimum growth conditions.

An overturned lerp with psyllid nymph

A close-up of the psyllid nymph that is less than 2mm long. Notice the unformed wings, and the leg configuration with front leg facing forward and two pairs of hind legs facing backwards.

Physical features of the Spotted Pardalote

Both male and female Spotted Pardalote, are between 8 and 10cm long and profusely spotted. The female has pale yellow or buff spots on the crown, while the male has white. Wings of both sexes are marked with clean white spots.

The male has a bright yellow throat, while the female's yellow throat is dull and patchy. Both have deep red and yellow on the rump, but the male's colour is more pronounced. Both also have a white eyebrow defined by the black spotted crown, but again, the male's markings are more defined. A sound file of the Spotted Pardalote is linked to entry 35 on this Birds in Backyard page.

The male bird's bright yellow throat and white eyebrow [This photograph by my husband, Grahame]

Distribution of the Spotted Pardalote, Pardalotus punctatus, includes the east of eastern Australia from Atherton Tableland in north Queensland through NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, and into the south eastern corner of South Australia. It also occurs naturally in the south west of Western Australia from about Jurien Bay to Esperance.

The female bird with a less bold throat, head and face [This photograph by my husband, Grahame]

And the bright red and yellow rump of the male as it enters its nesting burrow

Out of breeding season, Spotted Pardalotes form small flocks and are rarely seen as they feed high in the eucalypt canopy. But as they pair off to breed, they can be seen entering and leaving their nesting tunnel, and if you are prepared to initially wait for these busy little birds to become comfortable with your presence, they will go about their activities, making observation easy.

Their bright flashy colour and intricately patterned plumage make them stunning subjects to watch, and now is the time to see them.