Saturday 19 September 2015

In Search of the Regent Honeyeater

The critically endangered Regent Honeyeater is one of the rarest birds in Victoria. In fact, there are estimated to be only 500-1500 birds remaining Australia-wide. A national recovery program has been established to save this species including a captive breeding program at Taronga Zoo. Birds have been released in the Box-Ironbark forest of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in north-eastern Victoria over the last seven years with the latest release occurring earlier this year. This morning we went out to a location near the release site where there had been reports of recent sightings.

Box-Ironbark Forest, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 16mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/1600

The site was dominated by a cacophony of Noisy Friarbirds flying around the treetops (and almost impossible to photograph) and small flocks of Fuscous Honeyeaters flitting around the understorey.

Fuscous Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/160

including this one doing its best impression of a treecreeper.

Fuscous Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/11, 1/500

There were also several larger birds flying from tree to tree and I caught a glimpse of a mottled black and white belly and got a little excited...but once the bird landed and I got a closer look, it turned out to be an Olive-backed Oriole.

Olive-backed Oriole, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/2000

I was happy to see this bird, albeit from directly underneath - not the best view! However, the prime target for the morning remained elusive...until I spotted this bird flying from behind a clump of trees...a few clicks of the shutter, one in focus...

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1600

and then it was gone. Examination of the shot in the camera revealed that it was a Regent Honeyeater...so mission accomplished. For a while I thought this was all I was going to get as the next 15 minutes revealed only a few scant glimpses high up in the trees and behind foliage but eventually at least four birds came closer and stayed (reasonably cooperatively) for a few photographs.

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/80
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320
Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/160

It was difficult to leave but lunch beckoned so we headed for Honeyeater Picnic Ground where a pair of Superb Fairy-wrens (the male in final stages of moulting into breeding plumage) displayed right next to the car park. I photograph these little characters a lot (they seem to be ubiquitous across a wide range of habitats in SE Australia) but they are hard to resist.

Superb Fairy-wren (female), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/125
Superb Fairy-wren (male), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/250
Superb Fairy-wren (female), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640
Superb Fairy-wren (female)
Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640

An Olive-backed Oriole sat for a few seconds on a low branch nearby (and was much more photogenic than it's colleague at the previous site).

Olive-backed Oriole, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/400
Olive-backed Oriole, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/400

Brown Treecreepers were feeding on the ground in the grass but I couldn't get a good shot until this one posed on a tree trunk.

Brown Treecreeper, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/2000

White-Naped Honeyeaters were feeding on insects high in the treetops - too far away for any good shots (this image is heavily cropped) but great to record them here.

White-Naped Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

The most common birds around the picnic ground were the Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters feeding on insects in the Black Wattle.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640

A great morning! We found the Regent Honeyeaters and Honeyeater Picnic Ground lived up to its name. This afternoon, more bush birds at Bartley's Block.


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