A year of wildlife photographs - 2014

                                                                   
I have had a great year full of wildlife observations and have been able to snap quite a few photos of the wonderful birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and flora.  I would like to share a selection of them with you.  I have included three photos from each month of 2014.  I would be keen to know which photos people like the most.  If you want to nominate a photo just go to the comments section at the end of the post and type in your choice.


                                                                    JANUARY

Whiptail Wallaby joey Black Mountain



Common Eggfly, Coutts Crossing

Sunset, Coutts Crossing

                                                                    FEBRUARY

Mud-dauber Wasp, Coutts Crossing

Giant Robber Fly, Coutts Crossing

Adult pair of Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Coutts Crossing

                                                                      MARCH

Adult Comb-crested Jacana, Lake Harrison, Kyogle

Adult female Cotton Pygmy-goose, Lake Harrison, Kyogle

Adult female Satin Flycatcher, Coutts Crossing

                                                                      APRIL

Fruit of Hairy Pittosporum, Boothbys Creek

Six-spined Spider, Dthinna Dthinnawan National Park

Broad-banded Sand-swimmer, Dthinna Dthinnawan National Park

                                                                       MAY

Adult Nankeen Night Heron, Tullymorgan

Rehabilitated Eastern Grass Owl, Harwood

Magpie Geese, NE of Coutts Crossing

                                                                       JUNE

Common Ringtail Possum, Washpool National Park



Adult Powerful Owl, Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens

Adult Koala, Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens

                                                                       JULY

Adult female Black-necked (Satin) Stork, Swan Creek

Immature Noisy Pitta, Sandon Camping Area, Yuraygir National Park

Adult male Red-backed Fairy-wrens, Illaroo, Yuraygir National Park

                                                                    AUGUST

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos eating nuts, Waterview

Three-toed Skink, Coutts Crossing

Two adult male Scarlet Robins in burnt heath, Gibraltar Range National Park

                                                                  SEPTEMBER

Adult female Nankeen Kestrel, Levenstrath

Red-backed Kingfisher, South Grafton

Short-eared Possum, Mt Hyland Wilderness Lodge

                                                                   OCTOBER

New England Tree Frog, Guy Fawkes River National Park

Grey morph Eastern Reef Egret fishing, Brooms Head

White-throated Nightjar sitting on egg, Lake Arragan area

                                                                    NOVEMBER

Ornate Burrowing Frog, Chambigne Nature Reserve

Brown Tree Snake, Chambigne Nature Reserve

Lacewing, Chambigne Nature Reserve

                                                                    DECEMBER

Little Tern runner, Red Rock

Eight black-headed Emu chicks, Sandon Road, Yuraygir National Park

Adult Dollarbird feeding nestling, Woombah

More photos from the Iluka banding 23-25 August 2014

The following are additional photos taken during the Iluka bird banding trip in August.

Fungus in rainforest

Adult male Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Firefly at night at Woody Head
 

 

Adult male Eastern Spinebill

 

First year male Red-browed Finch

A type Silvereye

measuring Brush-turkey's wing

Epiphytic orchid Cymbidium madidum

Adult female Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Report on bird banding at Iluka Nature Reserve 23-25 August 2014

Banding camp Iluka North

Banders:  Greg Clancy, Greg Little

Trainees: Alan & Wendy Pilkington, Christina Buelow, Rob Kite

Assistants/Visitors: Val Clancy, Bill O’Donnell, Russell Jago, Ron Felzer (USA)

Strangler Fig Ficus watkinsiana shading the camp

Banding was carried out at the northern end of the Nature Reserve, off the Iluka Bluff Road, on 23 & 24 August and at the southern end, off Long Street, on 25 August. Five Australian Brush-turkeys were caught and banded at Woody Head using a leg noose.

 

First year female Australian Brush-turkey

Alan with his Brush-turkey

Thirty-four birds were mist netted and noosed over the three day survey.  Six were retraps, having been banded previously, and twenty-eight were banded as first time captures.

 

The results are shown in the table below.

SPECIES	23/08/2014	24/08/2014	25/08/2014	TOTALS
	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap
Australian Brush-turkey	2         0	0           0	3           0	5         0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo	0         0	1         0	1           0	2         0
Rufous Fantail	3         0	0         0	0          0	3         0
Eastern Yellow Robin	1         1	2         3	1          1	4         5
Golden Whistler	0         0	0         0	2          0	2         0
Little Shrike-thrush	1         0	0         0	0          0	1         0
Brown Thornbill	0         0	1         0	0          0	1         0
White-browed Scrubwren	0         0	0         0	1          0	1         0
Large-billed Scrubwren	2         0	0         0	0          0	2         0
Silvereye	0         0	2         0	0          0	2         0
Eastern Spinebill	0         0	1         0	0          0	1         0
Lewin’s Honeyeater	1         0	1         0	1          0	3         0
Red-browed Finch	0         0	1         0	0          0	1         0
Regent Bowerbird	0         0	0         0	0          1	0         1
TOTALS	10         1	9         3	9          2	28         6

Little Shrike-thrush

 

Adult male Fan-tailed Cuckoo

 

All species trapped, except for the Australian Brush-turkeys, were ones that are regularly banded at the site, including some very colourful species such as the Rufous Fantail and Regent Bowerbird. 

 

Adult Rufous Fantail

Immature male Regent Bowerbird

The six retraps comprised five Eastern Yellow Robins and one Regent Bowerbird all originally banded at the site of recapture.  Their banding and retrap details are as follows:

 

Adult Eastern Yellow Robin

 

Eastern Yellow Robin

 024-39798 Banded (first year male) by me on 30 Aug 2007, retrapped three

                   times, by Anthony Overs on 5 May 2009, Bill Greenlees on 21 Feb

                   2011 and by me on 25 Aug 2014, nearly 7 years after banding;

026-42427 Banded (first year) by Bill Greenlees on 30 Jan 2010, retrapped by

                  me on 23 Aug 2014, over 4 years 6 months after banding.

026-79018 Banded by me (2+) on 19 Feb 2011,retrapped by me on 24 Aug

                  2014, over 3 years 6 months after banding;

026-79084  Banded by me on 17 Dec 2011, retrapped by me on 24 Aug 2014,

                   over 2 years 8 months after banding;

026-94987 Banded (1) on 23 Aug 2014.  Retrapped on

                  24 August 2014, one day after banding.               

 Regent Bowerbird

062-65942  Immature (2+) male banded by me on 14 Oct 2013, retrapped on

                  25 Aug 2014, over 10 months after banding.

 

Interesting records were of White-eared Monarchs and Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves calling in the Nature Reserve.  Noisy Pittas were seen and heard at Woody Head.  As usual Bill O’Donnell and I photographed some Greenhood orchids.

Maroonhood orchids Pterostylis pedunculata



Maroonhood Pterostylis pedunculata