Close-ups

Long time ago Mick of Sandy Straits and Beyond had pointed out in a comment how amazingly different and varied the colors of birds' eyes are. Then I thought I'd put together a post showing better this beautiful variety, but haven't actually done it. This post isn't exactly what my intention was, but some nice irises are visible on these photos and the level of detail is quite good. Each of these images deserved its own post. I'm just too lazy in this heat to press the 'publish' button more than once. Most of the pics are worth clicking too. They are quite sharp.

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

top to bottom: Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Juv. Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus), Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens), Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)

Currawongs are very photogenic!

Pied Currawong, NSW

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

The window

The apartment I live in at the moment is on the fifth floor, but the building is on a hill. That's why the view out of the window is quite spectacular. During clear days I can even see the silhouettes of Blue Mountains, or at least that's what I think they are.
I don't feed birds too often, but every now and then when I realize that there is excess in the supply of bananas, grapes or oranges, I get helpers on board.

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

Pied Currawong

Pied Currawong, Sydney

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

Currawong Song

As I have mentioned in a previous post there are many young Currawongs around. They are playful, they seek each other's company and they organize fantastic concerts nearly every afternoon. Some days it's far away from my window, but on several occasions it took place in the nearby tree. I wanted to share their beautiful song with the visitors of this blog, esp. the ones who live overseas.

I wish I had a microphone that suited outdoor recording better. This one is good for PC-to-PC calls, but doesn't handle well even the weakest breeze. It's not easy to find where to upload an mp3 file these days, so notorious they have become. The only way round I could think of was to use a Flash container. It took some time to build it, but I can use it in the future if I record more sounds. Multimedia is so much fun!

The length of the recording is about 70 seconds and the file size is ~700k. Rainbow Lorikeets can be heard in the bg too. Enjoy!

Pied Currawongs, Sydney

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

Some of my new 'neighbours'

These guys frequently check what I'm doing and if my camera is ready and responsive enough. I didn't want to disappoint them so I took some quick snaps from the window.

above: Rainbow Lorikeet at the window, Sydney

above: Juv. Pied Currawong, Sydney

above: Rainbow Lorikeet at the window, Sydney

above: Juv. Pied Currawong at the window, Sydney

above: Adult Pied Currawong, Sydney

So far at the new place I have seen/heard the Laughing Kookaburras (they wake everyone else up at 5:45 every morning), the Aussie Magpies, the Pied Currawongs, the Butcherbirds, the Aussie Ravens, the No(i)sy M-s, the Suphur-crested Cockies, the Rainbow Lorikeets, the Galahs, the King Parrot (I think), the Feral Pigeons, the Brushtail Possums, some tree frogs and lots and lots of insects.

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts

Pied Currawong

Another guy that used to visit me from time to time in Sydney was the Pied Currawong. Quite wary they are, but the sight of a few grapes was irresistibly attractive to them. Currawongs are mad about grapes!

The photo below shows how the poor Fuji couldn't do better. And I was only about 2 meters away.

click on a photo to view hi-res image :: click on a label to open all related posts