A couple of great things about the Commonwealth of Australia's coat of arms is that it features native flora and fauna (the former unofficial to the authorised design, the latter integral) and secondly that the kangaroo and emu are both edible. (Try finding a unicorn, and you really, really don't want to try lion or eagle...)

Australian passports. The left hand example, issued in 2001, has differently shaped arms than the 2011 example on the right. The logo below the word 'Passport' actually refers to the fact the document has an electronic chip, and isn't a monochrome version of the Aboriginal flag, although exactly the same layout. The smaller arms on the 2011 issued wallet at the top (back) is different again.

Again the contrasts between Canada and Australia are intriguing in this area, as Canada's arms are essentially a British design with some Canadian additions, while Australia's is so appropriate it actually doesn't use traditional heraldic beasts.

When the Australian arms were approved in 1912, in Parliament, MP William Kelly said:

"The emu and kangaroo are so built that they hardly fit into the heraldic atmosphere, and I think we make ourselves ridiculous when we endeavour to carry on the traditions of the Old World with some of the wild creations of our Australian fauna."

I doubt anyone in Australia would suggest more traditional (and therefore non-native) heraldic animals would be a better alternative nowadays. However, making a full size example of the arms smacks somewhat of the chimps' tea party, but didn't stop Museum Victoria:

In contrast of course, Australia's flag, so vehemently defended by certain conservatives is 25% someone else's anyway, while Canada opted for its own flag in 1965. The contrasts and similarities are worth, I think, noting. Australia's flag can be easily mistaken for any of about a dozen similar designs, and when folded or draped, for that of the United Kingdom. But no-one would mistake the coat of arms as belonging to any other country than Australia. Conversely Canada's coat of arms is distinctive only in its details (maple leaves etc.) while the Canadian flag gets 100% recognition in tests.

Heraldry, eh?

James

Wagtailettes

Like most of Australia, we have a very active Willy Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) which regards our house and the surrounds as 'his' territory, and regularly poses in camera range as seen before here. No-one really seems to know why they waggle their tails as they do (when perched, or on the ground) but from observation I think the usually advanced explanation of it being a bug attracting trick is highly suspect.

A while ago we noticed that rather than the one Wagtail, there was a pair about, chattering at us and sweeping their tails just as their name is derived.


They were also VERY clear that the barn was out of bounds to us (as above) and anyone else, such as the magpies which were getting harassed (usually it's the magpies harassing everyone else). Wagtails are pretty fearless and didn't mind dive-bombing us if we got too close.

A couple of weeks ago, after all the activity, we were getting ready to go out for dinner at a friends when we noticed that there were two black and white fluffballs on the side and roof edge of the barn - the Wagtail chicks were out, and having a look at the wide world!


Our departure was delayed while I grabbed some images on a rather grey day. Above - chick on the left, watching parent on the right.


"Oo are you?"


A fw days later, after a bit of careful exploring while the barn was clearly not under guard, revealed the nest, on a beam, anchored by a a piece of abandoned wire.


The chicks have grown quickly, since, and it can be hard to tell the juveniles from the parents at a glance, but it's clear the little ones haven't developed the tail-feather muscles properly yet, and the waggle has a training-wheels feel about it.


There's also the fluffy baby feathers, with brown tips, as seen above, even though the Edward Heath eyebrows have receded to a more normal proportion. Mature Wagtails are fully black and white with a dash of yellow, and the sexes seem to be indistinguishable.


Sometimes mum or dad is around, and there's still quite a bit of learning going on. One of the juveniles flew into the house's lean-to and (confused by all the windows) was unable to get out, until I captured it in my hands and released it outside. It was like holding a mouse wrapped in a tiny umbrella, the feather's shaft feeling like the umbrella's ribs.

The Wagtail parental advice and home are wound-up as soon as the next clutch is laid, and the current kids are given the heave-ho.

Bev had one of the adults snatch a bug out of the air less than a couple of feet from her face. They are very aerobatic, and have a very varied flight pattern.

They are nice to have around, and make good companions in the garden.

James

Ductacular

Sometimes you've just got to stretch and beat the wings...

Pacific Black Duck

James

Passing Magpie

They have a certain aerodynamic elegance, I think...

... and also have a scary beak and red eyes!

James

Willie's on the ball

One of out smaller neighbours was having a fly around the front of the cottage on Thursday. One of a few nice portraits of Willie Wagtail from the session.

James

Passing Eagle

We've seen a pair of Wedgetails flying around the area, but this was a solitary example - he managed to climb a terrific amount in the thermals from a few hundred feet when NW of us to between 1,000 - 2,000 ft a kilometre to the south. As the Wikipedia link states:

Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy.

One up on the glider pilots!

James

Sunset at the Year's End

Actually taken on the 29 December, it stands well enough for the end of 2011. The duck family should be pleased as they seem to have navigated the majority of the ducklings to full size.

James

Annoying juvenile

There's been a persistent loud keening whining noise around (mostly) the Eastern side of the cottage. It's a juvenile magpie trying to harass its parents into handing over the food.


They are noisy. While the normal adult magpie's song is one of the most pleasing and characteristic sounds of the Australian bush, as the Wiki article says:

Fledgling and juvenile magpies emit a repeated short and loud (80 dB), high-pitched (8 kHz) begging call.

(85 dB over time needs hearing protection for humans.) I can see why magpie parents go off their offspring, but with a beak like that, I'm surprised we don't find more young magpies 'Stabbed in the garden with a mystery sharp object'.

Of course to most Australians, magpies are a more personal threat, magpie swooping in the breeding season is something that can be a real challenge. It's worth noting that the Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen) has nothing to do with the European bird, and is yet another example of a creature getting named by homesick immigrants. A good article on magpie swooping and the background here. Mostly, though they are no trouble - a lot less to us than we are to them, and they are a great bird to have around.

Just avoid the juveniles.

James

Kestrel

Although not much chop as a photo, here's a shot of 'our' local kestrel, as it was buzzed by another smaller bird who was obviously not impressed at the turf the kestrel had chosen.


I'd been watching it as it hovered, in a stiffish breeze, and for seconds at a time, it didn't flap the wings at all. That's an amazing effort, balancing the four forces* so perfectly. (It's equivalent to a person walking on a medicine ball while it rolls down a bumpy hill - blindfold (you can't 'see' air, remember?).) Despite all the much vaunted capability of modern aircraft, fly-by-wire computers, variable geometry et al, we don't have anything that can do this without a lot of pilot skill or using a lot of energy - a lot more than muscle power for certain.

James

*Lift, Thrust, Weight & Drag - here.

Huuffffffffffff.

Melbourne Zoo, by James.

I used to work with someone like this. Do you?

I was going to try and tell you what kind of a pigeon this chap is, and logged onto the Melbourne Zoo website to look up their list of birds. But they don't have one (or I can't find it - which if I can't find it means it may as well not exist). Obviously they don't do information or learning any more, it's all about the 'visitor experience'.

Perhaps he's their PR consultant?

Birds of BC

On the trip, one fascinating aspect has been meeting up with friends (old and new) and family, and gaining insights into their interests, expertise and hobbies. Pam, Bev’s mother, has been a keen birder for some years now, eagerly seeking out birds wherever in the world she finds herself. For this guest spot on the blog, we asked Pam to present a selection of some of the birds of British Columbia, as we’ve enjoyed discussing some of the sightings and work she’s undertaken, including helping compile data for the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas. (For more see The BCBBA website).

Notably, and as mentioned in the captions, some shots were taken by positioning the digital camera behind the bird spotting telescope (known in the family as ‘the bun gun’) as an extemporary telephoto lens; a tricky, but sometimes remarkably successful technique, (known as digiscoping).

-Over to Pam!

Thanks, Bev and James, for the chance to share some of my bird photos on your blog! Photographing birds is a challenge, but has added a new area of interest to my birding passion. I took all these photos over the past three years, all in British Columbia and many in our own back yard. I hope you enjoy them.


This is a female Belted Kingfisher, taken through the spotting scope; she was perched on a dead branch, and diving for fish in the lake. Note the murderous fish-spearing beak! Interestingly, the female has two ‘belts’, while the male has only one, an unusual variation of gender-specific plumage.

This California Quail pair (with the male left, female right) are drinking at their favourite small dish on Jim’s wall. They come nearly every afternoon and bring the kids when they’ve hatched. Day old chicks are like ‘walnuts on toothpicks’, to use Jim’s phrase, and are able to forage for themselves and even fly a little.

One of Canada’s smallest diving ducks, this is a male Hooded Merganser, elegant and crisp in spring plumage on a brightly lit local pond.

This male Northern Flicker, also taken through the spotting scope, was taking his turn at sitting on the eggs in the nest hole. The Northern Flicker is an abundant woodpecker, large, colourful and easily observed across Canada.

This juvenile Osprey (taken through the spotting scope) was perched very conveniently at eye level on pilings near a wooden jetty where I was standing with other birders. Earlier, we had enjoyed watching the parent birds teaching both their young how to fish.

A Pygmy Nuthatch is a very endearing little bird and rare in Canada, being found only in the Okanagan Valley and south Nicola Valley. A tiny nuthatch, it nests in Ponderosa Pines and feeds on insects in the bark. Obviously, it also likes the occasional seed to vary the diet! Here one is seen at our bird bath, which they visit nearly every day. They remain throughout the winter and liven the winter scene with their communal roosting and feeding. They are acrobatic feeders, especially favouring chunks of beef fat in an old onion bag hung outside our sunroom window.

This is a rufous morph Red-Tailed Hawk, very reddish-brown (taken through the spotting scope). The species varies from very pale to very dark, but all have the characteristic belly band and unmarked ‘bib’. This is probably the most abundant raptor in Canada, magnificent when soaring and hunting on the wing.

This young Rufous Hummingbird is seeking nectar from the flower basket planter I hang from a large pine tree each summer. They love pink tubular flowers especially, but also love the lobelia. Rufous Hummingbirds migrate south along high mountain pastures, where they can find flowering nectar-bearing plants late in the season, long after those in the valleys have finished blooming. (James adds: The hummingbird's amazing wing 'design' is, I think one of the most under-rated pieces of nature's remarkable engineering - notice how the wings are moving so fast they have almost disappeared in the photo. The hummingbird can fly backwards, and hover, as well as all the 'usual' avian maneuvers, and the energy-demand 'spike' this flight creates probably also explains why it needs to run on sugars!)

And lastly, one of our largest water birds, related to the European Divers, is the Loon. Its eerie call is evocative of the Canadian north. This bird, like the kingfisher, has a murderous fish-spearing beak. It cannot walk on land, but is a superb swimmer and diver. When seen face-on, its head is completely spherical, perfectly streamlined for deep and prolonged hunting in the water. Somewhat surprisingly in view of their size, loons are very difficult to photograph well! This bird was photographed through the spotting scope.

Pam