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Manfred and Rattana Ruff live a little west of Nagambie on a large plot of land they have owned for 25 years. During that time, they have worked tirelessly to restore it to its native glory. Now, they welcome guests to stay and explore. It is and incredible birding hotspot, with Box-Ironbarks across the property and the most amazing Grey Grass Trees
This was my second time visiting and while it was very different - post Covid, summer rather than spring, drying out after a lot of rain, it was still wonderful. The garden in front of the house is a mecca for birds and tired birders alike. The water baths and grassed lawn attract all sorts of customers. One of my favourites was the New Holland Honeyeater. The male would sit, perched and guard the territory. He would chase away any inappropriate interlopers and then return to groom and keep watch.
New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
Last time I visited, the Diamond Firetail was an occasional visitor to the end of the garden and I couldn't get a decent shot of them. This year, they have truly invaded, nesting in the nearby lime trees and coming in regularly to perch on the sticks and bathe in the bird bath.
Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata)
Out in the bush we saw them frequently too and they were obviously still breeding there as well. We saw numerous juveniles, easy to identify without the adult red bill.
The Red-rumped Parrots are common here and I always love seeing them. They are small and shy but very pretty and interesting to watch. I tried to photograph them to reflect that.
Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)
On the second day at the property, Manfred took me out to look for birds and animals and we had a great time. While looking for absent Barking Owls, we found some very photogenic Tree Martin.
Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans)Back close to the house, we saw an Antechinus and this time it sat still in the light for me. It was great to get a really good look at one. They are very cute.
Yellow-footed Antechinus (Antechinus flavipes)
Back in the bush after lunch we found a solitary male Gibert's Whistler. After chasing it around for a while, it was good enough to sit in a moment of sunlight for me. A very attractive and unusual whistler.
Gilbert's Whistler (Pachycephala inornata)Manfred and I spent a lot of that afternoon chasing birds with very mixed success. We heard a Diamond Dove and being only the second time he had ever recorded one on the property, Manfred was keen to find it. We eventually gave up, as we did with the Crested Bellbird who was incessant until we got too close. The Olive-backed Oriole was another. We got neck ache staring into trees looking for him with only a momentary glimpse as a reward. Luckily, later in the afternoon, one dropped down right in front of us.
Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus)Out in the bush, there were so many spider webs across the gaps between plants. Manfred took the brunt of them but I did get a face full once and there was a bit of shrieking. The spiders themselves were small Jewel Spiders and very beautiful.
Jewel Spider (Austracantha minax)
One of our best finds was the Eastern Shrike-tit feeding a couple of youngsters. Really difficult to photograph, I didn't get the shots I wanted but what a thrill to watch them feeding.
Eastern Shrike-tit (Falcunculus whitei)The next morning, I went to a dam on the property and just sat and relaxed. There were lots of birds and marsupials coming to drink and I ended up spending the night there as well. One of my favourite visitors was the Common Bronzewing. They are so shy that 9 times out of 10, they flew as soon as I picked up the camera. My van, complete with bug nets over the doors, was a great mobile hide but these doves were not fooled. Fortunately, on my 10th time, the bird carried on drinking while I shot him.
Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera)
In the afternoon, Manfred and I went Diamond Dove hunting for the third time. After a lot of running around, we could establish that there was definitely more than one bird but not much else. Our time wasn't wasted though as we found a couple of spots that were just full of interesting birds. My favourites were the White-eared Honeyeater which landed and sat right in front of me and a Black-chinned Honeyeater which was too busy grooming itself to bother with me. Both juveniles.
White-eared Honeyeater (Nesioptilotus leucosis)
Black-chinned Honeyeater (Melithreptus gularis)Just behind them appeared a Rufous Songlark, yet another young bird. It sang and sang.
Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi)Manfred and I were exhausted and went home for a beer.
The next morning, I woke before light at the dam. It was a full moon and it was wonderful to see it all big and orange.
At the dam the parrots came down and although they were wary, a couple of times they came a little closer. I have been trying to photograph Eastern Rosella for 15 years here and in NZ. I think I like this shot the best.
Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximus)And another vying for favourite status was a female Red-rumped Parrot having a bath. She kept her eye on me but kept on splashing about. The females are very dull compared to the brightly coloured males but she definitely stole the show at bathtime.
Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)
Last up, on my way out was a quick check for the Buff-rumped Thornbill. Right at the entrance to the property is where Manfred often sees them so I checked as I was leaving. I wasn't sure if I was hearing them, so I used a recorded call and this bird shot straight down to the bush in front of me and sang and sang. What a leaving present!
Buff-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza reguloides)
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