Singing Honeyeater

Wow, what a day. First up we raced down to the airport to pick up fellow blipper DesertP who is from Alice Springs but presently stationed at the AnimalsAsia bear sanctuary in Vietnam.

Glorious weather - a bit windy perhaps - but that that didn't stop us taking DesertP down to Goolwa to indulge her in her passion for birding. Goolwa is a wonderful place for many kinds of birds including migratory species, and many different kinds of water birds.

We were so lucky to be able to see so many different species including a massive flock of Avocets, at least 50 or so. More than I have ever seen before.
Paladian photographed an Australian Crake which was also new to us.

We also met up with Antipodia at Goolwa for a shared picnic lunch, and had a terrific feast. Ruby (A's dog) joined in the fun and is one of the best behaved dogs we have ever known. Took endless shots at the top end of the Coorong and then we moved on to the Victor Harbor Bluff (a local lookout point over Petrel Cove), and shared our favourite views with DesertP.

It was here that I was able to capture for the first time ever an image of a Singing Honeyeater (Lichenostomus virescens). It is a small bird only found in Australia, and is part of the greater honeyeater family.

More melodius.

Singing Honeyeaters are commonly found in South Australia and westwards through to the Western Australian coast. The Singing Honeyeater can vary in length from 18-22 cm long. Being mostly a brown colour, it also has other, more distinctive, colours. The tail and wings have a yellow-green colour. There is a small black stripe spanning from the behind the bird's beak to the bird's back.

We heard it first but then it was too busy keeping an eye on us to indulge in any more song. Singing Honeyeaters will eat a variety of foods from nectar to small insects, fruits, grubs, and berries.

A truly wonderful day. So much to see, and do, and blip!