Western Australia 2023/2024
Here are some of the birds that Ethan managed to photograph while in the south of Western Australia.
So Black Swans actually exist. The iconic bird that exposed Juvenal as a fraud.
Prior to coming to Australia, Ethan only knew the Acanthizids from the Gerygones (specifically the Golden-Bellied Gerygone) which he though were dull in every sense of the word and just sort of annoying. He now has a lot more respect for the family after meeting dynamically patterned little dudes like this Western Fieldwren who did the splits for him.
This Shy Heathwren took a break from zooming around the ground to perch in a bush and Ethan just managed to get it through the branches.
Ethan saw a bunch of these Spotted Scrubwrens but never got tired of their bold markings.
Ethan also finally got to see some cool Honeyeaters as well. On the left a Yellow-Plumed Honeyeater and on the right the ubiquitous but slightly deranged looking New Holland Honeyeater.
Despite being numerous, very cool to look at, and surprisingly terrestrial, Ethan found the many varieties of parrots in Australia difficult to photograph. Here is one Western Rosella, a SE endemic, that he did manage to get.
This self-satisfied Western Corella was part of a massive crackle that was one of the more majestic avian spectacles that Ethan had witnessed.
Ethan was very excited to see a whole bunch of Black Cockatoos including the Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo (left) and the endemic and endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (right).
Ethan finally got a good view of the critically endangered Baudin’s Black Cockatoo when he witnessed a skirmish over the use of a bird bath. The Baudin’s crushed a group of Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos and drove them before them.
A Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo issues her lamentations after the defeat. It would prove to be short-lived however as Red-Tailed reinforcements soon arrived and the Baudin’s were driven away. (Why does this bird look so stupid?)
Western Australia had the best set of common pigeons that Ethan has encountered yet. On the left it he Common Bronzewing and on the right is the Crested Pigeon.
The Western Shrike-Tit, a very nice SE endemic and another new family for Ethan.
Another Southwest endemic, the Red-Eared Firetail, just hanging out amongst the kangaroo droppings on the lawn behind Ethan’s accommodations.
A couple of Australasian imposters. The White-Browed Babbler (I can’t believe that name wasn’t already taken) on the left and the Rufous Treecreeper on the right.
New Buttonquails are always nice, especially when they are as cooperative as this Painted Buttonquail.
Ethan’s not sure how he feels about the Australasian Robins. On the one hand, they are less annoying than the Muscicapids but on the other hand, they are just sort of weird. They’ll probably grow on him as he starts to get more though. Counterclockwise from top right: The Jacky Winter (named thusly since its vocalizations supposedly sound like someone saying “Jacky Winter” which is a wild thing to decide something sounds like), the SE endemic Western Yellow-Breasted Robin, the White-Breasted Robin which is also endemic to the Southeast and finally the pretty cool Scarlet Robin.
Fairywrens are the perfect mix of phaneric plumage and skulky, but not too skulky, behavior that Ethan loves and they go a long way towards making the Malurids his favorite Australasian bird family. This Splendid Fairy Wren (Whoever named Fairywrens evidentially though highly of them as well.) came close, very nearly too close, to Ethan while he was trying to photograph some other bird.
As much as Ethan enjoyed all the colorful Fairywrens, he claims his favorite Malurid to date has been this Southern Emu-Wren which he describes as a “classier” bird.
Ethan finally saw his first Barn Owl which was using its unbelievably girthy talons to hang onto a branch in the windy night.
But wait, there’s more. Ethan weathered some horrible shrieking to expand his Tytonid collection further with this watery-eyed Australian Masked-Owl that looks like its about to burst into tears. Sadly its “very powerful legs” are hidden from view.
Of course, Ethan needed to photograph the legendary “Big Three Skulkers” of Southwest Australia. The first, the Western Whipbird decided to take a temporary break from skulking and perch on some nice Banksias.
The second, the endangered Western Bristlebird, was a bit more shy but stayed still long enough to allow Ethan to get a photograph through an opening in the thick scrub.
The final of the skulkers was, of course, the Noisy Scrubbird. After several failed attempts, Ethan was finally able to capture a halfway decent image of this legendary primeval beast during its evening road-crossing. If questioned about the blurriness, Ethan will explain that this girl is not even the individual he was listening for and that she crossed without warning making the fact that he captured it at all a semi-impressive feat of speed and skill. While there may be an element of truth to this story, I think a better explanation is that Ethan was just a bit scared of these little dinosaurs.