Redcapped Robin – Page 4 – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

Update: Redcapped Robin young

January 24, 2012January 27, 2012Posted in Redcapped Robin, Scarlet RobinTagged Red-capped Robin, Scarlet Robin1 Comment

Went back to check on the Scarlet Robin, and was pleasantly surprised to hear her early morning call in the forest. Despite a lot of looking, I was not able to locate her, as she was moving about in among the denser grey box undergrowth.

I continued on to an area I have reported on ealier, where a Redcapped Robin male went to a lot of trouble to convince me there were not nests up in that area. See here

After locating a small flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills, I was settling to to photograph them when off to my left a Redcapped Robin male, turned up. And in a few moments a very young juvenile. All lovely striated waiting to be fed.

It didn’t take the male to long to fulfil that request, and then the young bird was left in a dead, fallen wattle, and the male disappeared. The young one amused itself taking food off the ground and generally exploring the branches. After about 10 minutes the male returned and offered up a nice looking orange coloured bug. Then they both flew over my head, and away. I scouted round for a few minutes and then found a second juvenile, this one seemed to be a bit more advanced. The male turned up, shared some food, and then gave a call and the two juveniles followed him across a clearing. And so did I. There was another old wattle there and again he left them and disappeared, coming back occasionally with food.

He seemed to have a scheme on feeding as the first young on the scene did not get the goodies, but he seemed quite particular about which one should be fed.

Then with another call they followed him to the next tree, and a third young one joined them! So they have had a very successful time. Now he was as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger as he tried to keep them together, find food and move them about the clearing. No sign of the female. Perhaps she was off shopping? Or perhaps she has taken the challenge of another clutch. Time will tell.

There are a few more photos from the event here.

Juvenile Redcapped Robin Woodlands Park Jan 2012 — A lovely little redcapped robin, one of a family of three

Well, the process does work. Redcapped Robin Juvenile

January 4, 2012January 4, 2012Posted in Redcapped Robin, Superb Fairy WrenTagged Redcapped RobinLeave a comment

I was woken this morning by a clap of thunder, and looking out – the sky could only be described as dark and gloomy. But, I had planned a trip to Woodlands, and I started to get the gear into the car and rain fell. Not that pitter patter raindrops of the songs, these were great big blobs, that went not gently on the car, but sounded like hail. And created great big pools where they landed. “Might put the rain jacket in,” I thought.

As I drove toward the park, it started to rain, not drizzle or occasional shower, but serious-soak the ground-rain. And it didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon. By the time I got to the last roundabout near the park the road was awash. But I pushed on.

At the park it wasn’t much better and the idea of sitting in the car was the go. Twenty minutes or so and it let up, and the sky just looked leaden. No point in coming all this way and not at least having a look.

The park along the road is very quiet at the moment, hardly any bird activity, and I wanted to go down through the fenced off “Back Paddcok” to have a look a kilometre or so in as last year many of the fledged robins ended up down there for awhile.

By the time I got into the area, the rain was over, the sky even looked like it might clear up, and so I found a spot near a likely feeding area and waited.

A few freshly fledged Willie wagtails kept me company and amused with their chasing games antics. A flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills fed their way through and a large group of Weebills all chattering away. And about then the sun emerged and so did all the young Superb Fairy Wrens, so they have had a good year, I stopped counting after about 10, and mostly because I had lost track of who was who.

Then to my complete surprise and delight, a whirr of feathers and a juvenile Redcapped Robin landed on the branch about 5 metres away. All in is lovely striated white, brown and grey. It was completely unconcerned by my presence or the shutter going crazy. And then the sun came out.

It also had a friend, and they preened and fed and did bird things on the bush for about 10 minutes and then it was all over. The news from all this of course is that all the hard work of the past few months has paid off for the robins and mum and dad can take a well earned rest knowing they have done their bit for the species.

Rather glad the weather improved.

D200, 500m F/4, ISO400, F/4.5, 1/250, WB Auto

And a very busy little Fairy Wren. I think it wanted to show off its catch more than anything else.

D200, 500mm F/4, ISO400, F/4.5, 1/1600, WB Auto.

Territorial Disputes

December 30, 2011December 30, 2011Posted in Redcapped RobinTagged Male, Mt Terrick Terrick, Redcapped Robin, Woodlands Historic ParkLeave a comment

Out in the forest this morning and came across a mixed flock of wagtails, thornbills and a number of redcapped robins.

First time I have been able to locate them all together since the nesting season. Two males were particularly interesting as one smaller one, seemed to want to try its luck on the larger (older) bird. Where they were was sort of at what I think is the border of two territories. And while it is hard to tell who is who, I suspect that the larger bird is the male of the territory. He was in the company of the only female present a bit earlier.

There is an excellent series of article on the net. Papers by Damien K. Dowling, of Melbourne University. And in the paper “Breeding biology of the red-capped robin”, AJZ 2003,51,533-549 he describes the behaviour of males in territorial conflict. His work was done around Mt Terrick Terrick Park, and is a great read on details of nesting and behaviour and success rates.

Today’s males preformed lots of dancing back and forward on a branch, it looks a bit like it is choreographed, and they seem to know their parts well. In the end, one did the fly away, by slow retreat and in the eventually I lost sight of it completely. Hopefully it will find a reasonable amount of space in the forest, and at least one new territory will be established.

The pair in the area seem to have finalised this year’s breed. Both birds are beginning to look worse for wear feather wise and the moulting probably is only a month to six weeks or so away.

Red-capped Robin males in territorial discussion. Dominate male in rear.

Male Red-capped Robin territory dispute resolution

No nests here I’m telling you

December 19, 2011December 30, 2011Posted in Redcapped RobinTagged Redcapped Robin, Woodlands Historic ParkLeave a comment

Found this little fellow out and about looking for tucker. He was in an area that has not been a redcap territory for a couple of years. However I think the rain, and the long grass is the large open areas has made his hunting a bit difficult on the ground and he has moved operations into the lighter grey box forest areas where there is quite a bit of open forest floor. Once he spotted me, we went on a bit of a round circuit of the area, so I am pretty sure his lady has a nest in the area as well.

But to assure me that there were no nests he did a lot of elaborate cleaning and constant moving about. His feathers seem now to be getting a bit worn for wear and he is looking a bit on the scruffy side.

Be interesting to see if he maintains the new territory or moves back when the grass dies down over summer.

80-400mm ISO800 f/8 1/800th.

Red capped Robin Male — Male Redcapped Robin in cleaning mode.

He’s back

December 16, 2011December 17, 2011Posted in Redcapped RobinTagged Swamp Wallaby, Woodlands Historic ParkLeave a comment

Well he actually hasn’t been away, just been busy with nesting duties I suspect.

Also haven’t able to get into the Fenced off Backpaddock because of “Park Maintenance Operations”. But today the gate was unlocked and I sallied forth.

This is the Map shelter bird. He has been conspicuous by his absence – or lack of showing- the past 5-6 weeks, but he seemed to be on food duty today, and I found him about 3 times, so that was good.

In this shot he has just helped himself to a rather large bug and after beating the stuffing out of it, he flicked it down in one gulp. I think he is licking his beak with his tongue.

One of the things the Parks folk have done is re-set the fence line up near Gellibrand, taking it right through some Swamp wallaby territory. The little wallabies are now on the outside of the secure fence and open to predators and what not. All except this little one, who seems to now be cut off from its family in the rocks on the outside. Not sure how many are affected.

So, there you are!

December 9, 2011December 9, 2011Posted in Redcapped RobinTagged Redcapped Robin, Woodlands Historic ParkLeave a comment

This is a female Red-capped Robin on her nest. I have been trying to find some sign of them over the past few weeks, without much success. Which is probably a good thing as they have been busy at work.

By a little bit of chance I heard the distinctive call of the male, and followed up to find both male and female on the side of a track, and he was feeding her. It stopped me in my tracks, and as it happened the nest was in the tree next to where I stopped.

It took me a few minutes to work out that she was trying to get back into the nest, and then I moved away about 50 metres. She immediately settled down on her clutch.

This is her second brood this year, and she successfully got 2 chicks off in late October.