Fig loving lorrikeet

sallysetsforth sent me this wonderful photo of a Scaly breasted lorrikeet feeding on figs in her Melbourne garden.

Normally scaly breasted lorrikeets are found further north than Melbourne, in coastal areas of NSW and Queensland, Australia. But according to Pizzey and Knight Field Guide to the Birds of Australia the Melbourne colony was established from some aviary escapees.

Here in Perth we see the Rainbow Lorikeet which was somehow introduced and is fast expanding its range. But that's another story.

Lake Joondalup, late summer

As the hot summer of 2010 drags on, many Perth wetlands are drying out. So waterbirds are moving to those lakes that still contains water.

Lake Joondalup is a haven for waterbirds all year round. In February Birds Australia members counted around 40,000 waterbirds on the lake.

It's a fabulous spot for bush birds too and approximately 69 species have been recorded here.

White cheeked honeyeater

White Cheeked honeyeaters used to be a rarity in our garden, but they seem to be breeding in the area, as this young one appeared recently.

They are much shyer than the similarly coloured New Holland honeyeater and don't form such loud raucous groups. You can easily tell them apart as the NH has a white eye, and a much smaller white cheek.