Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday - The thrill of another lifer . . .


More birds from the Port Augusta
Arid Lands Botanical Garden

If you take the trouble to hike out in the blazing sun 
to the bird hide on the hill
you will be rewarded by a nice breeze cooling you down
through the viewing slit
as well as sightings of some uncommon birds


female Zebra Finch

Zebra Finches are a common enough sight 
near inland waterholes


here a female is playing leap-frog
over a male


for me however, this was the big thrill,
a tiny White-winged Fairy Wren

the female, above is much like that of the 
Superb Blue Fairy-wren except for the lack of the red eye ring

but the male is a superior being of iridescent blue
with startling white wings


difficult to photograph with all the grasses hiding him
as both he and his little hen bathed 
in a palm sized puddle


I was lucky enough to also capture an immature male,
obviously their offspring.

The fairy wrens are on my bucket list, 
I have three colourful ones to my credit 
with this lifer

but time is running short . . .


Linking with Stewart's


31 comments:

  1. how wonderful! and i like seeing zebra finches in the wild, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. How lucky you are to see and photograph that beautiful little wren. I got a distant glimpse of one a few years back when I was out west but nowhere near enough to photograph! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are so lucky. Such gorgeous birds including those common Zebra Finches. Sweet birds and good luck on your goals!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loving these little birds !
    The Blue fairy Wren is amazing to look at.
    I have never seen one before ~ beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Fairy Wren is a colourful little bird.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the little zebra finches, but that wren was stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, these little ones are SO beautiful!! And mostly new to me!! Thank you so much, Arija!! Such wonderful captures!! Hope your week is going well!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Zebra Finches are so cute, but Fairy Wrens, JACKPOT! Lucky you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Simply stunning. A sight to make your heart sing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh wonderful Arija! Congratulations on your lifer! So the male White-winged Fairy Wren is also blue! And what a capture of the juvenile. Love the Zebra Finch especially the wonderful opportunity you had getting that shot of the one leap frogging the other. Have a wonderful day. Blessings Jo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fairy Wrens are 1 of my favorite little birds from Aus.. These shots are wondderful iritelittle b

    ReplyDelete
  12. The only Zebra finches I have ever seen are 1] captive pair here on Lopez Island, Washington state, USA 2] aviary FILLED with them in eclectic shop on neighboring island. Their chatter is endearing, captivating. Cannot but imagine seeing them in native habitat, what JOY! for me, anyway. I will echo "worth the hike" !!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love the wrens, they're adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello Arija, I love the cute Zebra Finches and the Gorgeous Fairy Wren. Always a neat sighting to see these birds in the wild. Congrats on your lifer. Awesome shots, have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I need to spend some time in these arid areas - I'm in the Grampians for few days, and its not been very arid!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Halls Gap!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Goodness, those are such pretty birds Arija. I remember coming across an artist's illustration of a male and female fairy wren, thinking I had never seen anything so exquisite. The zebra finch is a delightful little bird too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The male White-winged Fairy Wren is such an amazing colour. Dark glasses required to view that in the sun perhaps?

    Retsina no - Mythos beer - yes!

    ReplyDelete
  18. how speciel the birds are except the wren which we have here in europe too ,very very good fotos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bodil, Both Europe and N> America have wrens, only Australia has Fairy Wrens as well as any number of other less colourful varieties.

      Delete
  19. The brilliance of the colouration of the birds that live in your land, are so striking and your shares this day are absolutely sublime, they are so wonderful Arija. Hugs dear heart~

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh my gosh that little blue guy is the cutest little thing I've ever seen. I love all the fairy wrens (only known from pictures sadly) but this is the prettiest ever.

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are all great shots of the birds. The blue fairy wren is amazing. I don't think I've ever even seen a picture of them.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am so happy that you got to see these cuties and congrats on the lifer. The tail is so interesting and the sweet faces... Cute.. cute... hugs to you... Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful birds. Love their color combinations.

    ReplyDelete
  24. What beauties! I always enjoy seeing the different birds in your part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great shots of the fairy wrens. They are the cutest birds.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh my....these birds are incredible. Each and every ONE for me would be a 'lifer'. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow, the blue male Fairy Wren is stunning. How good you got photos to share with us here.

    ReplyDelete
  28. gorgeous birds both species. I did see the Fairy Wren when I was in Queensland but did not get good shots of them. And the Zebra finch I did not see. But about 30 years ago I had a couple as pets.

    ReplyDelete
  29. As a lover of nature and Australia, I do love your blog. I'd love to have you visit my Author,s View entry in the flower view meme.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin