A white-headed pigeon found its way to Nola Thorpe's garden, a long way from its usual territory. By Nola Thorpe
THIS year I’ve been lucky enough to see two birds in (or at least from) my backyard that are not usually seen in this area.
THIS year I’ve been lucky enough to see two birds in (or at least from) my backyard that are not usually seen in this area.
The white-headed pigeon
I discovered this bird one morning after a few very windy days and I think it must have been blown off course. It was just sitting quietly in the garden in full view from the back deck and I was able to watch it for quite a long time. Time enough to get out the bird app and have a close look at its features. Its description fitted the male of the species very well. Its usual habitat is further up the coast in rain forest all the way to Northern Queensland. I was even fortunate enough to be able to take a reasonable photo.
Eastern koel
Late last year an Eastern Koel made its presence heard in Wonthaggi. We first heard it one morning in a back lane up near Tank Hill. It was very hard to spot as it was high up in a leafy gum tree and was keeping very still but with its very distinctive call, it was very easy to identify.
In January it moved closer to McMahons Reserve and could be frequently heard in the trees surrounding the oval. One morning we could actually see it sitting high in the foliage and being attacked by a family of noisy miners. One of the things that really delighted me about its visit was the number of people in the area who noticed the call and rang me or stopped me on my morning walk or in the street to ask if I had heard this strange call and whether I knew what it was. If I had my phone with me I would whip it out and show them what the bird looked like, where it came from and play them its call. They loved it.
I discovered this bird one morning after a few very windy days and I think it must have been blown off course. It was just sitting quietly in the garden in full view from the back deck and I was able to watch it for quite a long time. Time enough to get out the bird app and have a close look at its features. Its description fitted the male of the species very well. Its usual habitat is further up the coast in rain forest all the way to Northern Queensland. I was even fortunate enough to be able to take a reasonable photo.
Eastern koel
Late last year an Eastern Koel made its presence heard in Wonthaggi. We first heard it one morning in a back lane up near Tank Hill. It was very hard to spot as it was high up in a leafy gum tree and was keeping very still but with its very distinctive call, it was very easy to identify.
In January it moved closer to McMahons Reserve and could be frequently heard in the trees surrounding the oval. One morning we could actually see it sitting high in the foliage and being attacked by a family of noisy miners. One of the things that really delighted me about its visit was the number of people in the area who noticed the call and rang me or stopped me on my morning walk or in the street to ask if I had heard this strange call and whether I knew what it was. If I had my phone with me I would whip it out and show them what the bird looked like, where it came from and play them its call. They loved it.