Finch Update 14-05-2014

All five Gouldian Finches that hatched from the first batch of eggs have survived and are now living in the larger aviary (with the Zebra Finch colony).  Of the four Gouldians Finches that hatched from the second batch of eggs two have survived.  They are still with their parents but are becoming increasingly independent.

The parents now appear to be going for round three...  Stay tuned.

Finch Update 23-03-2014

All five Gouldian Finches have fledged and are progressing well.  Some of them still require feeding by their parents but they are increasingly fossicking for seed on the aviary floor and visiting the seed bowl.  It will be many months before I can work out what is what (in terms of males and females).  The parents have already relined the nest and laid more eggs (I had hoped to remove the nest box before this happened as I didn't want to stress them with multiple clutches this season but they beat me to it).

My pair of Painted Finches have constructed an elaborate nest in a wicker basket.  I cannot tell if there are any eggs in there but there always seems to be a parent on duty so I am optimistic.

Finch Update 09-03-2014

The first Gouldian Finch fledgling has left the nest box!  The remaining four are clearly enjoying the room service.  Note the remnant mouth markings on the edge of the beak (see here for more details).

As a side note, this is the first photograph from my "new" Canon 50D I have posted online.

Finch Update 21-02-2014

I lifted the lid on the Gouldian nest in the aviary today to check how the recently hatched chicks are going.  We have five healthy looking youngsters (and one unhatched egg).

Canon 50D

I have recently replaced my Canon 350D DSLR after many years of reliable service.  I purchased the 350D in about 2006, just as the 400D was being released (which made the 350D with the twin lens kit affordable).  I have taken about 8,500 photographs with the 350D and the original battery still holds a very good charge.

Shutter speed was my primary reason for upgrading - the 350D was capable of 1/4000 second but I needed (wanted) more.  I primarily use my camera for bird photography so being able to freeze the action is an advantage.

Some research indicated that the 50D was the sweet spot: it still used CF (so I could keep my collection of memory cards), it was capable of a 1/8000 second shutter speed and it was cheap as there had been some recent upgrades (meaning there were a few available on the market).

I found a very affordable 50D second hand in Perth, complete with a 16GB memory card, two batteries and a car charger.  All for about 25% of what I paid for the 350D...

Finch Update 14-02-2014

When I fed and watered the finches in the main aviary this evening I noticed that both of the Gouldian Finches were inside their nesting box.  Thinking I'd better check if everything is ok, I climbed inside the aviary.  To my surprise I discovered that some (possibly all, it's a bit hard to see everything in there) of the eggs have hatched!

Finch Update 09-02-2014

Did a quick check on the Gouldian Finches this afternoon and there are six eggs in the nest box.  Mummy bird was less than impressed but quickly resumed duties when I closed the lid and made my exit.  I'll be happy if one or two are reared successfully.

Finch Update 05-02-2014

All four Zebra Finches that hatched earlier had fledged and seemed to be going well.  During January, however, two died.  Unfortunately I have no idea why.

The pair of Gouldian Finches in the main aviary have occupied a nesting box (after investigating all of the nesting boxes I installed) and are busy looking after a few eggs.  In a week or so I should know how many have hatched.

I have started work on the construction of another, much larger aviary.  It is based on an existing aviary I purchased off Gumtree (thanks for the help David!) that I plan to modify and extend with some large flyways and planted scrub areas.

Finch Update 22-12-2013

I'm in the process of cleaning out the cages so I have returned all of the Zebra Finches to the main aviary.  I also replaced the two (dead) potted grasses with alive (for now).  A bit of greenery really makes the aviary looks nice and the birds seem to like it as well.

The two charcoal males returned to the aviary without issue (although the smaller of the two seemed to have poor flying stamina initially).  I returned the pair of fawn Zebra Finches (nothing eventuated from the seven eggs they laid) and it turns out the male is quite the bully.  He insisted on occupying a large perch and would let no other bird near it.  The male grey Zebra Finch in the aviary is a solid little bird and even he was being pushed around.  I was hearing squawks I never thought finches could produce.  This was not good.

So late today I removed the pair of fawn Zebra Finches and placed them in a small cage indoors.  The atmosphere in the aviary changed instantly.  When I have cleaned out their cage they can go back in there.

Finch Update 15-12-2013

The proud father and a very industrious nest builder.

One of the young, almost all of the beak is now orange.  The beginnings of the "white spots on chestnut" sides mean this is a male (I think).

The whole brood is here.  The four on the left are the young, Dad and Mum on the right (blurred).  Third from the left is the "charcoal" Zebra Finch.

Finch Update 24-11-2013

All four young Zebra Finches have left the nest and a happily flying about the aviary.  I don't think the Gouldian and Painted Finches are terribly impressed with the young whippersnappers and their constant chirping and reckless flying.

Interestingly, one of the new arrivals appears to be a charcoal, raising the possibility that the pair of normal Zebra Finches have incubated and raised an egg from the pair of charcoal Zebra Finches that occupied the aviary (until the female died).

Still no news from the nest of the fawn Zebra Finches (there are at least four eggs in the nesting box).

Finch Update 17-11-2013

For the second day in a row the strongest fledgling in the aviary has escaped from the nest and had a bit of a run/fly around the floor.  This seems to cause the parent finches no end of distress and in both cases we have returned the truant finch to the nest.

Truant fledgling Zebra Finch (note the grey beak)

So in summary:

• 4 fledgling Zebra Finches in the pot plant in the aviary;
• No news regarding the nest and eggs in the smaller cage (I am starting to suspect they are too young).

Finch Update 09-11-2013

As far as I can tell four eggs have hatched in the main aviary.  The young make a racket when they would like a feed.  Despite that they are very hard to see (their parents have done a sterling job with the nest construction and camouflage).  The remaining two eggs may be from the charcoal pair (where the female died) so they may not hatch.

None of the eggs in the smaller cage have hatched.  I'm starting to get suspicious...

Finch Update 02-11-2013

Two of the eggs in the main aviary nest (normal/grey Zebra Finches) have hatched.  Four unbroken eggs still in the nest.  The parents are constantly feeding and maintaining the nest - wonderful to watch.

Finch Update 27-10-2013

In a medium sized cage with nesting box:

• The pair of fawn Zebra Finches have constructed a nest and laid two eggs.

In the aviary:

• The pair of Gouldian Finches are happy and enjoying the warmer weather;
• The pair of Painted Finches are happy fossicking around in the sand on the floor;
• The pair of normal/grey Zebra Finches have constructed an elaborate nest in a dead clump of grass in a pot plant and laid 6+ eggs.

In the medium sized "holding" cage:

• Two male charcoal Zebra Finches are keeping each other company.  One was in the aviary but his partner died last week.  I had thought it was the male that had died… hence the two males...

N Gauge Layout MkV

Despite the software indicating that the siding (between the Loco Shed and the Controller) would be possible, in practice it was too tight.  Below is what the layout will now look like.

1200 x 400 mm N Gauge Layout MkV

Mulga Parrot

Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius, Boorabbin National Park, WA, Australia).

Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius, Boorabbin National Park, WA, Australia).

N Gauge Layout MkIV

Below is the fourth design iteration of my small N Gauge layout.  I have replaced the two Peco engine sheds with a single Graham Farish pre-built unit.  This gives me more track space at the front and rear of the shed (the MkIII version was very crowded) and allows for the addition of a storage line down the side of the shed.

1200 x 400 mm N Gauge Layout MkIV

White-necked Heron and Emu

White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica), WA, Australia.

Emu and young (Dromiceius novaehollandiae) photographed west of Coolgardie, WA, Australia.

Red-browed Finch and Grey Butcherbird

Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis) photographed at Melville Rose Gardens, Carmel, WA, Australia.

Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus).

Brown Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta) photographed in our backyard in Perth, Western Australia

Howell Cubby House

Cameron enjoying the iPad in the cubby house.

The cubby house is (for now at least) complete.  To see the build pictures go to this Flickr set.  At some stage in the future I will no doubt add or improve a few things but everything I had planned for it is now done.  I've enjoyed building it and learning some new skills.

N Gauge Layout MkII

I have made some modifications to my planned layout.  See the image below.  I have simplified the design and added a signal box.  Construction has commenced with Tasmanian Oak beams and plywood base.  The controller will be a Morley Controllers Vector Zero Two (rapidly becoming my favourite controller).

1200 x 400 mm N Gauge Layout MkII

Edit:  See below for a slightly modified "MkIII" design.  This is the design I have commenced construction on.

1200 x 400 mm N Gauge Layout MkIII

A belated update of sorts

So, it's been a while since I posted a blog update.  Here goes:

• I upgraded the RAM in my 13" MacBook Pro from 4GB to 16GB (purchased from http://www.macfixit.com.au).  The performance boost is nice.
• The cubby house I am building for the kids is progressing well.  I am looking forward to the first round of bulk rubbish collections in the area for the year so I can stock up on some supplies (mainly Colorbond offcuts and wood).
• The computer collection received two new additions - an SE/30 and a PowerMac 7600.  Both are used but came in their boxes including all peripherals, cables and documentation.  Two very nice Macs.
• The N gauge model train collection and layouts are progressing well.  Recent additions include some old Graham Farish Class 43 HSTs, a new Dapol Class 58 and numerous rolling stock items.  I am in the process of planning a small 400 x 1200 mm layout as space in the Howell residence is becoming a little tight (see below for the planned layout).

400 x 1200 mm Layout Plan

• I purchased an iPad Mini (16GB, WiFi+3G, White).  I am finding it a very convenient size.  This is my iPad, the children have claimed the other iPad (3rd Gen iPad, 16GB, WiFi, Black) for YouTube, ABC iView etc.

2013 Birding Targets

Here is a list of the birds I am looking for in 2013:

• Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus);
• Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii);
• Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans);
• Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus), not sure how I've managed to avoid this one;
• Gilbert's Whistler (Pachycephala inornata), should be around the site I work at;
• Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), a remote chance near the site I work at;
• Inland Dotterel (Charadrius australis);
• Painted Button-quail (Turnix varius);
• Southern Scrub-robin (Drymodes brunneopygia).

Currently I have no plans for any birding trips so 2013 might be quite a dry year.

Planes I have flown in

• Fokker 100 (Alliance Airlines, Network Aviation);
• Boeing 737-400 (Qantas/QantasLink);
• Boeing 737-800 (Qantas);
• British Aerospace 146 (QantasLink);
• Boeing 717-200 (QantasLink);
• Embraer E-Jets E-190 (Virgin Blue);
• Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (Network Aviation);

The latest addition to the list is the Brasilia, a plane I travelled on from the Carina mine site (East Jaurdi) to Perth.  A very noisy and bumpy ride.

Edited to add 737-800 (thanks John).

Twitchathon 2012 Ticks

I saw the following birds for the first time on the recent WA Twitchathon:

• Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris);
• Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus);
• Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus).

These take my Australian life list to 330.

2012 Birding Targets: November Update

A November update to my birding targets list:

• Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa);
• Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea), I'm still checking all the Grey Teals I see (in reality I should have been checking my photo library);
• Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia), beginning to think these are fictitious - finally saw these on the QLD trip;
• Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus);
• Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) - crippling views on a pelagic;
• Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii);
• Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius);
• Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus), not sure how I've managed to avoid this one;
• Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus);
• Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus);
• Gilbert's Whistler (Pachycephala inornata);
• Little Grassbird (Megalurus gramineus), a somewhat embarrassing hole in my list;
• Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis), got to go check out that feral population in the hills..
• Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), a remote chance near the site I work at;
• Inland Dotterel (Charadrius australis);
• Painted Button-quail (Turnix varius);
• Southern Scrub-robin (Drymodes brunneopygia).

QLD Trip Lifers

Here is a list of new birds I saw on the south-east QLD trip with Martin Cake (with links to my photos from the trip):

• Australian Brush-turkey: ubiquitous in the rain forest areas;
• Black-breasted Button-Quail: the platelets gave away their presence;
• Magpie Goose: seen on a metropolitan lake (and if Martin hadn't pointed them out I would have written them off as manky farm ducks...);
• Wandering Whistling-Duck;
• Cotton Pygmy-goose;
• Royal Spoonbill: finally found one, beginning to think they were mythical;
• Wandering Tattler;
• Comb-crested Jacana;
• Pacific Baza: a wonderful surprise;
• Topknot Pigeon;
• Brown Cuckoo-Dove;
• Wonga Pigeon;
• Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo;
• Scaly-breasted Lorikeet: good views high in a tree;
• Australian King-Parrot;
• Pale-headed Rosella: probably my favourite new parrot of the trip;
• Crimson Rosella;
• Noisy Pitta: a wonderful bird, seen at three different locations (sorry John);
• Albert's Lyrebird: brief but spectacular sighting;
• Brown Thornbill;
• Superb Fairy-wren;
• Red-backed Fairy-wren: a really spectacular Fairy-wren;
• Large-billed Scrubwren;
• Yellow-throated Scrubwren;
• Fairy Gerygone;
• Brown Gerygone;
• Little Wattlebird;
• Noisy Friarbird;
• Little Friarbird;
• Blue-faced Honeyeater;
• Noisy Miner;
• Bell Miner: surprisingly hard to get good views of;
• Lewin's Honeyeater;
• Mangrove Honeyeater: seen in mangroves (as expected?);
• Fuscous Honeyeater;
• Eastern Spinebill;
• Scarlet Honeyeater;
• Eastern Whipbird: heard more often than seen, but we had great views as well;
• Logrunner: seen running along logs (as expected?);
• Eastern Yellow Robin;
• Pale-yellow Robin;
• Rufous Fantail: a really neat little bird;
• Leaden Flycatcher;
• Spectacled Monarch;
• White-eared Monarch;
• Spangled Drongo;
• Olive-backed Oriole;
• Australian Figbird;
• Paradise Riflebird: a brilliant bird we saw high in the rainforest canopy;
• Green Catbird: a very weird call;
• Regent Bowerbird: seen at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat;
• Satin Bowerbird: seen at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat;
• Varied Triller: an unexpected surprise, we initially thought it was a White-winged Triller;
• Pied Currawong;
• Double-barred Finch: my only new finch for the trip;
• Bassian Thrush;
• Russet-tailed Thrush;
• Common Miner.

These take my Australian Bird lifelist to 327.

Sanitised Ticks

Having only ever birded in Western Australia, I had a few birds on my life list that were a little dodgy.  A recent trip with Martin Cake to Queensland (SE QLD in particular) cleaned a few of these up:

• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - a small population exists near Lake McLarty and a single bird hangs around the river near Midland;
• Rainbow Lorikeet - common in the Perth metropolitan area (and spreading, unfortunately);
• Red-browed Finch - there are established groups of these in the hills area.

I had good views of all of these on the QLD trip.  It was nice to see them in their natural habitat and not have the nagging thought that I'm ticking an escapee...