Quite a drab bird and hence difficult to identify sometimes, the Brown Honeyeater is a common bird around Pickering Brook. They love native flowers.
The New Holland Honeyeater is the most prolific bird in my garden and is common at least through the southern areas of Australia. These guys are also aggressive. Many is the time I have had another type of bird in the viewfinder just to see it chased off by a New Holland Honeyeater.
One of the identifying features about New Holland Honeyeaters is the white eye shown clearly in the picture at right.
But the White-cheeked Honeyeater, seen at left, is almost identical. The two distinguishing features are the white cheek (which is part of the bird and not part of the plant) and the fact that the eye is black and not white.
On
the right is a relatively rare bird, the Western Spinebill, which only occurs
in the South Western Corner of Australia. At right is a female (photographed
brightened because she was back-lit). Isn't that bill magnificent?
Below is the male Western Spinebill. Seeing him around the garden makes me wonder if this is the garden of Eden. I managed to get this picture of the first one I saw and have never taken a better picture. I guess you get lucky sometimes.
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