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Fine-feathered, Aldinga Scrub

A teaspoon of sugar weighs around 4 grams; 3 teaspoons make up a tablespoon.

The bird in this post’s featured image weighs around 7 grams.

Imagine an old-fashioned set of scales with a 1 ounce weight in one bowl.

To “balance” those scales would require 4 such birds in the other bowl!

 

I am almost sure that this particular individual is a Striated thornbillAcanthiza lineata.

(all photos taken in December 2018, copyright Doug Spencer)

Such tiny, shy, and ever-shifting birds are difficult to see properly, let alone photograph well; it is small wonder that many people never notice how exquisite they are.

This species is primarily an eater of insects, and it catches most of them by leaf-gleaning.

Many birds are gleaners; the gleaner pictured below was adopting a typical posture, and “working” the very same pink gum.

 

 

White-plumed honeyeater (?), Aldinga, 26.12.18. Copyright Doug Spencer.

 

 

The most conspicuous and seemingly most frequent visitors to the same tree are New Holland honeyeatersPhylidonyris novaehollandiae is commonly seen across most of Australia.

 

 

New Holland honeyeater, Aldinga, SA, 26.12.18. Copyright Doug Spencer.

 

 

And, of course, magpies are oft-seen and oft-heard here, as they also are across most of Australia.

 

 

Magpie, Aldinga, 24.12.18. Copyright Doug Spencer.

 

 

I have just slightly cheated; this post’s photos were not taken whilst walking in Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park.

All these birds do use that Park, but I photographed them all from the balcony of the house we love to hire, which is right beside the Park…and a very short walk away from Silver Sands beach.

 

Striated thornbill (same individual as featured image). Copyright Doug Spencer.

 

if you like small birds, you will probably also enjoy this.

Published in Australia (not WA) nature and travel photographs