Sunshine Beach Birds

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Sunshine Beach Birds...

Monday afternnoons
at 3.30pm
has become a Sunshine Beach
and Wallum walk ritual
for my Wallum walking friend
and I

Our walk begins
along the beach front
through a little shaded glade
of Banksias
and Pandanus trees
where we have noticed
the birds love to congregate...


This little wren
does not appear
in my bird identification book

But the Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike does...
Commonly known as a Blue Jay,
he has a black face and throat


He likes to eat berries and fruits
and can glide like a hawk
searching for insects


His call is a long rolling "cheeeer"
often uttered
whilst in undulating flight

The mighty Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo,
the biggest of the cockatoos,
is the harbinger of rains...

He loves to tear apart
the banksia nuts
which is what he is doing here
Click the first image
to see his big tongue
and strong beak


While I stood under the tree
I was pelted with chewed chunks
of banksia nuts...


He also rips open gums,
wattles, casaurinas and grass trees
with his powerful beak
to find grubs

A more delicate and refined creature
is the Bar Shouldered Dove
Notice the beautiful coppery
feathers on his nape

The commonest native dove here
he has a rollicking "cook-a-wook" call
and feeds on ground seeds

I can't resist tossing in
another of these grevilleas
one of the more unusual varieties
The Coastal Gem

My son sent me these pictures
taken on his iphone
whilst he was on the building site

The friendly young kookaburra
alighted beside him,
pecked him playfully on the arm

and allowed himself to be patted
He has been accustomed
to hand feeding
I imagine
and therefore
quite tame...





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