Birds of Genesis Novel Pastures and Agriculture

At Genesis Novel we are privileged to have a diverse range of wildlife. Our bird life is particularly is very impressive.

This particular bird is magnificent and can be seen diving the dams for fish or drying his feathers. It could be mistaken for a type of Heron.

Though actually he is an Anhinga novaehollandiae or Australian Darter. Often after a hard day of chasing (stealing) my fish, it is common for this guy to be sleeping along the dam bank completely bliss with the world and not concerned about us walking around.

We have quite a few different types Heron visit us. Especially when our dams are starting to dry or empty. This White-necked Heron is quite glorious and a great fish catcher.

We also have plenty of varieties of Babbler's. This Grey-Crowned Babbler looks stunning and frequently appears hoping around our treed areas chasing insects.

We usually refer to these amazing looking birds as Pee Wee's though they are called a Magpie-Lark, (Grallina cyanoleuca) They often nest on my tractors or end-loaders steering wheel or seat. Alternatively, they can be found nesting in the orchard in the Citrus Trees.

Often I have to put my work on hold, waiting for the babies to leave the nest which always seems to be in the way.

I don't mind though. They are amazingly cute chicks and I love them choosing to call the farm home.

Royal Spoonbill or Platalea regia Threskiornithidae. Whilst their spoon bills makes them look unusual they are usually seen by them selves except during breeding season when their crest can look quite amazing trying to attract a mate.

Another bird often seen waiting for insects or other pray to fly by, is this glorious Sacred Kingfisher. Though small in size he is a stunning package of beauty and is always a pleasure to watch.

These large, noisy Yellow Tailed Black cockatoos bring the promise of rain. Their presence always brings hope and encouragement to keep trying. They are amazing creatures to watch and the excitement of the imminent rain always brings a smile to my face.

Its hard to understand how our fish and blueclaw population can be sustained with the constant flow of different water birds fishing for dinner. This dainty little bird is Black-winged Stilt and also loves stealing the fish and blueclaw when the dam levels are low.

This white faced Heron is another thief hunting for blueclaw and fish. They are majestic looking and great at walking through the weeds hunting for unsuspecting pray.

At Genesis Novel we have many species of Heron frequent our dams. This White-necked heron is a wonderful specimen and while not hunting (stealing) my fish they often can be seen relaxing in the trees,

Obviously Parrot's are very common in Australia and we get our fair share at Genesis Novel. These Lorikeet's are cheeky buggers always stealing stuff from the orchard.

Green Grass Parrots are also very common and love the nectar from the native gums.

Also Ducks are very common and we often have several varieties hanging around at any given day.

It is so refreshing to see the beautiful little ducklings following mum and dad around the ponds and the struggles mum and dad endure keeping all the babies alive brings my struggles to proportion.

We have two families of Magpies hang around. The front paddock couple and the back paddock couple. We always offer chicken hearts and keep on their good side to avoid attacks.

Swamp hens are wild and plentiful running around the paddocks. They are amazingly quick and have huge feet. Generally more comfortable running around than than flying. They are another wonderful bird which always manages to bring a smile to my face.

Swamp hens are so plentiful around the farm we often get called upon for baby sitting duties to give mum a break for awhile from the adventurous chicks.

Chicken Hawks often hunt in the skies above. Sometimes catching ducks, swamp hens or rabbits etc. They are magnificent hunters and always intimidating and are known to attack our dogs to steal bones. After getting peaked by these birds are dogs remain cautious with one eye continually on the sky.

Kookaburras are also a favorite and regular guests on our farm. They always seem to laugh at me and I am sure they consider human business quite hilarious.

Corella's also like to let everyone know when they arrive. They are noisy but very welcome and often visit to steal our seeds.

Periodically, when our dams are full and fish and creatures in the dam are plentiful The Pelicans often come and spend a few days. With their big bills and relentless en-devours to catch all my fish these guys often only take a few days to clear all the fish life from my dams before moving on.

The King Parrot often only comes for our nectarines. They don't hang around for conversations or courtesy calls, they only appear to steal all our fruit in our orchard and are only ever seen as the fruit is ripening.

Blue faced honey eaters love our Banana Garden. They try and get into all the blossoms of the banana trees.

They seem to also enjoy our Aloe Vera flowers or any other flowers they may pop up.

They are beautiful, friendly birds and often just sleep in good numbers on the top of the banana tree leaves.

White-winged Choughs are a scary type of heard bird that seems to hunt in packs. Their Red eyes seems to look straight through you and even look like they are considering eating your eyes. They frequent our farm is packs off up to 20 quite regularly. Here we have an adult and a baby.

Similar looking to a Heron this is the Snowy White Eastern Great Egret. Like Herons and other water birds they love walking around in the shallow water hunting for fish and blueclaw.

These Plumed Whistling Duck often visit in large numbers. They are noisy and decimate our fish populations quickly. Though they are easily forgiven due to their beauty.

These photos where taken within the boundary of our farm in the Lockyer Valley by Jody Reeves and only represent a small percentage of the bird life that we spot each and every day. Do you know the birds that live in your area?