White-plumed honeyeaters, Maitland, NSW.

A shy White-plumed honeyeater, Lichenostomus penicillatus, Maitland, NSW May 2015

I was enjoying the late autumn sunshine during my lunch break on Tuesday this week, and absorbed in the thrill of learning how to use a new camera.  The chirping call of a Honeyeater managed to make it through the raucous cacophony of the Grey-headed flying fox camp in the garden .

A couple of lip-squeaks soon had several birds dropping down together from the canopy, 15 metres above to investigate my presence.  They were quite shy, and tried their best to keep foliage between us.  I struggled to get a clear image.  They were White-plumed honeyeaters, Lichenostomus penicillatus - a common species here in the Hunter Valley. They checked me out briefly and left, satisfied that I wasn't competition or a threat.  

All too soon my lunchbreak was over and I was back at my workstation once more, absorbed into the responsibilities and team work of my role.      

Yet another Welcome swallow update

It is no secret that Signora Ayre Jr and I have a passion for our lovely Welcome swallows.

We have been delighted to see that a pair of them have been roosting, snuggled up together in the frames of our carport roof, within a metre of the nest.  Because we do not want to disturb them, we tend to look for them after 9 pm when it is well and truly dark, and they are settled in for the night. They are gone every morning when I head off to work.   

We are unsure if it is the adults that bred here earlier this year or a pair of fledglings that have returned, but for the past six weeks or so they have been roosting here every night,  within 50 cm of the empty nest.  We had a particularly mild evening on Friday night, and I was thrilled to see that both of the swallows were actually roosting together inside the nest.  

If I observe this again, I will try to take a photo to post on the blog.  They are just sooooooo sweet.