There were extensive opportunities in the grounds of the Thala Beach Lodge for bird photography and bird watching.
The following are the stories behind just three of these species:
Large-billed Gerygone
A pair of Large-billed Gerygone had built their nest hanging from a branch over one of the small rock swimming pools at the Lodge This species has an amazing nest of grass, leaves and spiders web that hangs by a very thin thread usually over a stream helping to protects it from tree snakes etc. The birds were constantly taking food into their nest to feed their young.
Following is a picture of one of the birds moments before it enters the nest:
Here is a picture of the nest and if you look closely at the lower left hand side you can see one of the birds passing on food.
Nesting Osprey
Thala Beach Lodge has its own pair of resident Osprey. The Lodges resident bird expert tells a great story concerning these birds. The Osprey have nested in the lodges grounds for many years, originally in a dead tree but more recently atop a power pole. A couple of years ago the male disappeared, what happened no one knows. The female found a new mate who turned out to be a much younger bird her “toyboy” as referred to by the birding guide. Unfortunately in their first year the male, being inexperienced in such matters as nest building, allowed the nest to deteriorate so that the eggs laid fell through and were broken. This year everyone is hoping for a better result. The following was one of the images I took of the nesting pair and perhaps a fitting caption would be – “nothing gets done properly around here unless I do it myself!”
Double-eyed fig parrots
Literally stumbled across this pair doing what fig parrots do best – feeding on figs. I was following some Bee-eaters at the time and happened to look up and notice these two. Understand they are not so common so privileged to get quite a few shots. Had to be patient and wait for them to emerge from the shadows and foliage onto this particular cluster of fruit.
The following species were photographed during our stay in the second week of June 2011:
Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides),
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater (Meliphaga notata),
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater (Meliphaga notata),
Yellow Orial (Oriolus flavocintus),
Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi),
Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis),
Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus),
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus),
Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus)
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae),
Satin Flycatcher (Myiagra cyanoleuca),
Varied Triller (Lalage leucomela),
Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris),
Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis),
Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus),
Spotted Turtle-dove (Streptopelia chinensis),
Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca),
Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata),
Mistleltobird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum),
Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx russatus) male,
Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx russatus) female,
Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diphthalma- race macleayana) male,
Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diphthalma- race macleayana) female
