A Grey Butcherbird and other wildlife at Callum Brae Nature Reserve
Grey Butcherbird
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 200, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/500])
I hadn’t been to Callum Brae Nature Reserve for a while but that Sunday morning in mid-March was just so nice that I had to get out photographing. I like Callum Brae because it is less than 10 minutes drive from my house but there are no houses around it, so it is normally very quiet. I always seem to find something to take my interest and that morning I found a Grey Butcherbird that let me approach reasonably close. It had just eaten a juicy dragonfly and was probably searching for its next meal. My Mum really loves this species because she would often hear its call in the backyard, which she always found relaxing. Just that memory means this bird always has a special place for me. I hope that you like the photos below.
Crimson Rosella
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 800, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/500])
Almost as soon as I walked through the gate at Callum Brae I came across a beautiful Crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans) perched on a branch lit by the morning sun. These are very common birds but I always feel that they need to be lit properly before I will photograph them. I love their simple red and blue, and the sun really brings out the richness of their plumage. These birds eat a variety of food from seeds, to pollen and even insect larvae. They are happy to graze for food in trees and on the ground. They are also very talkative, and can often be heard before their red colour gives them away.
Rainbow Lorikeet
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 2500, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/500])
I am always a sucker for a brightly coloured Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus). This one was keeping a number of much larger Sulphur Crested Cockatoos from approaching its roosting spot. I don’t think it had a nest in a hollow, it just seemed to have become possessive about a branch. These lorikeets seem to have no fear and will take on much larger birds like cockatoos and magpies. They will do it on the ground or in trees. It is almost comical to see a lorikeet draw itself up to its full height, repeatedly squawk loudly in an upbraiding tone, while advancing on a larger bird. Often the larger bird looks slightly confused as to why this smaller bird is being so aggressive and cedes the space to the lorikeet.
Magpie-lark
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 1250, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500])
Three Magpie-larks (Grallina cyanoleuca) were high in a tree, although it looked like two were chasing one away, although not in an aggressive way. This is a female in the photo, because her face is white, the male has a black face. A pair of Magpie-larks will sing in a duet, although it is very hard for a human to tell because they sing alternating notes, as if only a single bird was singing. Scientists believe that the duet singing is a way to guard territory because the duet becomes more enthusiastic when an unknown bird responds.
Grey Butcherbird
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 200, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/500])
The movement of this Grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) descending quickly from a tree caught my attention. The bird, landed briefly, then flew back up to a branch with a dragonfly in its mouth. It hit the dragonfly a few times on the branch, before it turned the insect headfirst and consumed it. Unfortunately, I was not in a good place to photograph that, but the bird stayed on the branch long enough to allow me to move around to photograph it with the sun behind me. It was a beautiful looking bird with its sober monotone plumage. Butcherbirds get their names from their behaviour where they will store prey on the ends of broken branches or use it as a hook to help it tear the food up, just as a butcher may store meat or cut it on a meat hook.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Zoom [ISO 1250, 500mm, f/8.0 and 1/2500])
There were a number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in the reserve and I always enjoy photographing this iconic animal.
It had been a while since I had wandered around Callum Brae but that Sunday morning was wonderful. I walked further than I planned, just enjoying being out in nature on a beautiful sunny morning. I felt that the morning started well when I saw the Crimson Rosella in a nicely lit tree and it also finished well when I encountered the Grey Butcherbird in nice light. It was an awesome morning.
