25/11/20 Bird survey: Yellingbo

Notes from: a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater hosted citizen science event.
Anat writes: Great birding this week at Yellingbo with my fellow Helmeted Honeyeater volunteers. A few lifers or rare-for-me birds, highlights being: Dusky Woodswallows! A lifer and one I'd been hoping to see for a while, and I got to sight it both on a nest, in flight, and a bit of resting. Fantailed Cuckoo, have seen and heard before but never properly been able to have a good look and photo. Jacky Winter, again a lifer for me, Crested Shrike Tits, love them, have not seen them in a while. And an interesting behavior from an Eastern Yellow Robin that after a bit of feeding swooped down to lay on its side and seemed to be playing dead for a good few minutes! Very odd and interesting, it almost looked like a little stuffed animal.
Editors note: What we observed with the Eastern Yellow Robin was sunbathing. Researchers believe using the sun in this way serves two purposes: it helps the preen oil to spread across the feathers and drives parasites out from within the plumage. Feather maintenance is a critical job for all birds, but not many species are known to sunbathe. Helmeted Honeyeaters are another species that do it.

Publicado el 09 de enero de 2021 por regnans