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Visited: autumn
Recommendation: It was not the best time to visit this park as the summer left it scorched. However, there were still some die hard birds around. Another day perhaps.
Warby-Ovens National Park is located approximately 10 kilometres west of Wangaratta and east of Winton Wetlands in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. I knew it is a hotspot for the Turquoise Parrot. I visited on a fairly hot day and there was quite a steep track (doesn't really show in the photo but it was steeeep!). That was ok, as I walked really slowly listening to the birds in the trees.
At the bottom of the track, I caught 3 Brown Treecreepers flitting around some wood on the ground. The Brown Treecreeper is an insectivorous bird, which they search for on the bark of trees and on the ground.
Brown Treecreepers are aptly named for their characteristic foraging behavior. They use their long, pointed bills to probe crevices, cracks, and fissures in the bark of trees, searching for hidden insects and larvae.
They are larger than other treecreepers and as they are often on the ground, it is usually a little easier to photograph them.
Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus)
White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea)
Next up was the other treecreeper - the white-throated. I actually got close enough to watch this one digging into the bark. Treecreepers usually hang around on the opposite side of the tree so this was really interesting.
Lots of small birds were calling in the trees and I saw Striated and Yellow Thornbill and heard the pretty song of the Western Gerygone. No parrots but I was happy to catch a pair of Leaden Flycatcher. I couldn't get it on the right side of the sun but was happy enough with this shots.
Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula)
Back at the van, I had a cup of tea and could hear Rainbow Bee-eaters. I shot this out bending around out the back of the van. Interesting that this bee-eater was so green compared to those I saw in Queensland that were very blue.
Apparently this is due to iridescence, which causes light to bend and scatter as it hits the feather, creating a play of colors that can shift depending on the viewing angle. At certain angles, the feathers might appear predominantly green as they reflect green wavelengths of light more strongly. From a different angle, the blue wavelengths might be reflected more intensely, making the bird appear bluer.
Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)
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