Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Port Arthur 2012

Drove to Port Arthur historical site, saw quite a number of Wallabies carcasses at roadside along the way, they are the commonest road-kills there. Their remains attracted carrion feeder like Forest Ravens (Tasmanian Ravens) Corvus tasmanicus, which are huge birds at 54 cm, they will fly off on approaching cars, no photos of them Ravens though.

I do not know whether these are bales of Pea straws or Hay in the fields just outside Hobart. 
  Gorgeous lawn at Port Arthur.
Barracks at Port Arthur.
Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris, foraging on the lawn of Port Arthur Historical site.
Penitentiary at Port Arthur.
Barracks at Port Arthur.
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles.
European Goldfinch Cardelis carduelis.
Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus proves too far and too small for my camera.
Female Common Blackbird Turdus merula, very similar looking to juvenile Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris.



New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae.
Cemetery in front of a cafe at the junction to Port Arthur.
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae.
A Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus flying along the coast at Fossil Bay.
Fossil Bay look out, fastastic coastal scene.
Tasmanian Arch.
Ghost Tour
Sorell and Richmond will come next.
 



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Hobart 2012

Flew to Hobart on 14th December 2012. Tasmania is an island, when looking at the map of Australia, it is a small island. Its 68,332 sq km is slightly smaller than Sabah which is 73,619 sq km. If you imagine taking 9 hours to drive from Tawau ti Kota Kinabalu, you will feel that Tasmania is not so small as it looks on the Australian map. 
 
Here are some travel pictures as well as birds that are cooperative enough for my Panasonic GF 1 and 14-45 mm lens.
 
 
This is the view from the cockpit before landing at Hobart, it is almost 100% cloud cover.
This is the view below the cloud. A totally different perspective.
Welcome to Hobart, Tasmania.
Country scene outside Hobart, which is so different from our trees-dominated landscape. 
Pirate of Salamanca.
Salamanca week-end Market.
Salamanca week-end Market.
Glow in the dark candles at Salamanca week-end Market. 
Pizza vender with his oven at Salamanca week-end Market.
 Street artist at Salamanca week-end Market.
Salamanca week-end Market.
Hobart city.
 Elizabeth a Street, Hobart.
Long Beach, Hobart. See the human tolerant Silver Gulls Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus, much bigger than Silver Gull and quite approachable.
Float on Long Beach, on it  are two preening Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens.
Walk way along Long Beach.
A Common Starling Sturnus Vulgaris in winter Plumage foraging on the rocks next to the shore line. This species is a rare vagrant to NW Borneo. One was photographed last year at Penampang. Looking at its foraging ground, I suspect they might forage at our shore as well when wintering here.
Immature Common Starling Sturnus Vulgaris is a dull looking bird.
Scene at Long Beach.
 Scene at Long Beach.
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen hypoleuca, also known as White-backed Magpie. There are eight races of this in Australia.
 Immature Australian Magpie.
 
 
More to come on Tasmania.
 



Friday, January 11, 2013

Sydney December 2012

Was in Sydney and Tasmania for a few days in mid December 2012.

While in Sydney took time to visit the Sydney Harbour, Opera House and the adjoining Royal Botanic Garden, as well as Darling Harbour.

Here are some of the tame birds which were tolerent enough for me to take their pictures, and some travel pictures of beautiful Sydney. Tasmania will come in later posts.

For this particular trip, I only have a camera phone and a M 4/3 camera with me. Images are taken by Panasonic GF 1 unless otherwise stated. Birds are all wild unless otherwise stated.

Two dogs sit motionless in front of a shop along George Street. The White one has sunglasses on.
A street artist performing at Sydney Central one early morning.
Pictures of Alumni of Sydney Opera House on display.
Male Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata. (Pic by IPhone.)
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles, a very common bird, can be seen everywhere. Seen some at Jurung Bird Park years ago, and read somewhere that they were breeding there.(Pic by IPhone.)
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa, a common water bird in Australia. Last recorded in 1885 in Kalimantan Tengah, listed as a scarce vagrant of Borneo, but there was no modern record despite intensive searches in Kalimantan in 1997 and 2000. It may not be valid to still keep this in the Borneo List. (Pic by IPhone.)
 Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa. (Pic by IPhone.)
 
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa. The red legs and the lack of white on flanks distinguish this from Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus in Borneo. However, I suspect there are some birds in Australia exhibiting white on flanks, as stated in Pizzey's fieldguide.(Pic by IPhone. )

Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus, an abundant bird.This is also recorded in Borneo as escapee. (Pic by IPhone.)
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa, can be very tame in public gardens due to feeding by visitors. Recorded one time in Borneo at Mahakam Delta in late Nov. 1987(Pic by IPhone.)
Sharing Common habitat.
Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the climbers visible as small dots on top.
The landmark Sydney Opera House under overcast sky.
 The distinct un-Chinese looking stone lion at Sydney China Town.
Prints on display outside Sydney Opera House.
 Darling Harbour at noon.
A giant cruise ship berth at Sydney Cove.
Monorail at Darling Harnour
Clock tower showing 5.30 pm with high afternoon summer sun, it would be dusk in Tawau at that hour.
Darling Harbour with a Santa on top of the floating restaurant.
Juv. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.
Adult Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.

Silver Gull is a very common gull, it is increasingly inhabiting settlements and places with availability of food scraps and garbage. They came to pick up french fries thrown to them while I was having some McDonald at Sorell.
Aboriginal artists at Circular Quay.
Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos, smallest of the Austalian Cormorant. This one flew in to perch behind the Aboriginal artists for a little while.
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca, photogrpahed here in public garden and is very approachable. 
Silver Gulls are seen here congregating near someone who sits down with food package, apparently they know about it.
 Little Penguin Eudyptula monir (Captive)
 Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae (Captive)
 Plumed Whistling-duck Dendrocygna eytoni. (Captive) Much prettier looking than our Wandering Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arcuata.
 Reef in Sydney Sealife Aquarium (GF 1 with Voigtlander f0.95 lens)
 Reef in Sydney Sealife Aquarium (GF 1 with Voigtlander f0.95 lens)
Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala. A common roadside and garden bird.
 
That is all for the Sydney episode, Tasmania will come next.