Central Alberta
Tags: caravan trailer RV camper old chevy truck gm auto vehicle grass field yard prairies rural country pasture summer abandoned decay derelict house home farm homestead shack cabin humble clouds sky view Nikon D5000 Gordon Hunter AB Canada
© All Rights Reserved
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Grey Fantail
Scientific Name: Rhipidura albiscapa
Description: The Grey Fantail is most easily recognised by its constantly fanned tail and agile aerial twists and turns. Both sexes are similar in appearance: grey above, with white eyebrow, throat and tail edges. This species is quite inquisitive and will closely approach an observer.
Similar species: Willie Wagtail, Rufous Fantail
Distribution: The Grey Fantail is found throughout Australia.
Habitat: The Grey Fantail is found in most treed habitats.
Seasonal movements: Appears to undergo a partial northern migration during winter.
Feeding: The Grey Fantail feeds on flying insects, which it catches by chasing them from the edge of foliage at all levels in the canopy.
Breeding: The Grey Fantail builds its nest in a thin tree-fork, unusually between 2 and 5 metres from the ground. It is made of fine grass bound together with large amounts of spider web. The bottom of the nest is drawn out into a long stem, resembling that of a wine-glass. Both parents share nest-building, incubation of the eggs and feeding of the young when they hatch.
The nest of the Grey Fantail has a long tapering stem that resembles a wine-glass.
Calls: Ascending, tinkling, whistles and squeaks.
Minimum Size: 14cm
Maximum Size: 16cm
Average size: 15cm
Average weight: 9g
Breeding season: July to January
Clutch Size: 2 to 3
Incubation: 14 days
Nestling Period: 21 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2025
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Tags: Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa small bird bird Australian bird Australian fauna fauna Nikon D500 AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Yarrowee River Ditchland Bushland Reserve Ballarat Victoria Australia wildlife Australian wildlfe Lagoon Creek, Barcaldine QLD
© All Rights Reserved
Your comments and faves are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Crimson Rosella
Platycercus elegans
Description: There are several colour forms of the Crimson Rosella. The form it is named for has mostly crimson (red) plumage and bright blue cheeks. The feathers of the back and wing coverts are black broadly edged with red. The flight feathers of the wings have broad blue edges and the tail is blue above and pale blue below and on the outer feathers. Birds from northern Queensland are generally smaller and darker than southern birds. The 'Yellow Rosella' has the crimson areas replaced with light yellow and the tail more greenish. The 'Adelaide Rosella' is intermediate in colour, ranging from yellow with a reddish wash to dark orange. Otherwise, all the forms are similar in pattern. Young Crimson Rosellas have the characteristic blue cheeks, but the remainder of the body plumage is green-olive to yellowish olive (occasionally red in some areas). The young bird gradually attains the adult plumage over a period of 15 months
Similar species: The adult Crimson Rosella is similar to male Australian King-Parrots, but differs by having blue cheeks, shoulders, and tail, a whitish, rather than red, bill and a dark eye. Immature Crimson Rosellas also differ from female and immature King-Parrots by having blue cheeks, a whitish bill and a more yellow-green rather than dark green colouring.
Distribution: There are several populations of the Crimson Rosella. Red (crimson) birds occur in northern Queensland, in southern Queensland to south-eastern South Australia and on Kangaroo Island. Orange birds are restricted to the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, while yellow ones are found along the Murray, Murrumbidgee and neighbouring rivers (where yellow birds meet red birds they hybridise, producing orange offspring). Red birds have been introduced to Norfolk Island and New Zealand.
Habitat: Throughout its range, the Crimson Rosella is commonly associated with tall eucalypt and wetter forests.
Feeding: Crimson Rosellas are normally encountered in small flocks and are easily attracted to garden seed trays. Once familiar with humans, they will accept hand held food. Natural foods include seeds of eucalypts, grasses and shrubs, as well as insects and some tree blossoms.
Breeding: The Crimson Rosella's nest is a tree hollow, located high in a tree, and lined with wood shavings and dust. The female alone incubates the white eggs, but both sexes care for the young. The chicks remain dependent on their parents for a further 35 days after leaving the nest.
Calls: The Crimson Rosella has a range of calls, the commonest being a two-syllabled "cussik-cussik". It also has a range of harsh screeches and metallic whistles.
Minimum Size: 32cm
Maximum Size: 36cm
Average size: 34cm
Average weight: 129g
Breeding season: September to January
Clutch Size: 4 to 8 (usually 5)
Incubation: 20 days
Nestling Period: 35 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Platycercus-elegans)
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2025
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Tags: Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans bird Australian bird fauna Australian fauna wildlife Australian wildlife Nikon D500 Nikon 200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6 VR Yarrowee River Ditchfielf Bushland Reserve Ballarat Victoria Australia Lagoon Creek, Barcaldine QLD
© All Rights Reserved
Tags: Crete Greece Nikon Z8 Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8 castle Greek ICM story story telling light Black and White black & white b&w bandw Monochrome Schwarz-weiss schwarz-weiß expressive interior
© All Rights Reserved