I spent an interesting morning in the Meehan Range on Tuesday. I had already seen Common Bronzewing, Black-headed, Strong-billed and Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebills, Dusky and Scarlet Robins, to name a few, and was looking for Tasmanian Scrubwren in Stringy Bark Creek, when I heard the unmistakable call of a Beautiful Firetail. They give a monosyllabic "weee", which I can give a passable imitation
of by whistling as I draw air in (rather than out!). Whether the birds are fooled is a moot point, but I did manage to get close enough to take the shots shown here. They did get a bit frantic, caused, no doubt, by the probability of having a nest nearby. I neither found or looked for a nest, but I have found many in the past. Often seeming to use Banksias (marginata), I suspect here they were using the Native Cherry, which abounds.
I spent an interesting morning in the Meehan Range on Tuesday. I had already seen Common Bronzewing, Black-headed, Strong-billed and Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebills, Dusky and Scarlet Robins, to name a few, and was looking for Tasmanian Scrubwren in Stringy Bark Creek, when I heard the unmistakable call of a Beautiful Firetail. They give a monosyllabic "weee", which I can give a passable imitation 
of by whistling as I draw air in (rather than out!). Whether the birds are fooled is a moot point, but I did manage to get close enough to take the shots shown here. They did get a bit frantic, caused, no doubt, by the probability of having a nest nearby. I neither found or looked for a nest, but I have found many in the past. Often seeming to use Banksias (marginata), I suspect here they were using the Native Cherry, which abounds.
Gorgeous bird.
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to get out soon and see what damage the fire did in this section of the Meehan Range.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteYes it will. I fear the worst. Perhaps it was prophetic that the last posting was of "firetails". It has had fire through there before. I had a study site there from about 1980, and the fire went through in 1985.It is only just fully recovering. I'm actually fairly limited in getting out for a while, post eye op., which appears successful, although at present I'm still sporting an eye patch!