With a nice sunny day in the offing, we took to having a day looking at some of the red-caps.

A good start in the Backpaddock found a pair that had been evading or eluding us over the past couple of weeks, down along the fence line toward the creek there are a number of old blackwoods that are fallen over an make great robin perches.  As it turned out, he turned up to checked us out and then went back to hunting.  No sign of any young or nest activites from either of them.

Over the road we went and had a bit of time with the Male Scarlet, but he didn’t want to come to play, so we moved on to a tree full of Tree Martins, and their obviously recently fledged young. Much flying twittering (birds used to do it before the electronic thing, remember? – No , thought not) and for the young resting and feeding.  Looked great in the sunshine.

A gorgeous White-fronted Heron flew down to feed in the dam and really looked statuesque in the early morning sunshine.

Then across the paddock to where the young robins had been seen the couple of days previously.  A good cuppa, and a bit of a rest, and bam. There they were. Two young birds, one definitely moulting in a very copper top, and chest feathers.  He also has a good show of beginning black wing and back coverings as well.
The local territory male took exception to it feeding in his patch, and much scalding and tree flying and bumping forced the young ones to move on.   He sat in the quiet of a new tree and tried the redcap D’reet call. Got it a bit wrong, but practice as they say will give him the right notes. Nice to hear, and to partly recognise the notes of the call.

The local male is really starting to show the effects of a busy summer. No doubt he’s raised a few young. His feathers are now starting to show a lot of wear. He’ll moult out in just a few weeks, as March rolls round. How quickly the nesting season will come to an end.

Then on a whim we went back again toward the walk in track, and Will.I.AM Scarlet was waiting to greet us, and give us the benefit of his local knowledge of the quick paths through the trees and shrubs.

It is just on a year since he and his then consort a young female Red-cap turned up  See Jan 2012 here for details and photos. Amazing now to see him as beautiful dapper bird.

Hadn’t see him so vocal or relaxed for quite awhile. No sign of his lady, nor of any young.