FOR MANY OF US 2021 WAS ONE OF THE LONGEST YEARS EVER, WHILE FOR MANY OTHERS, INCLUDING BUSY BIRDERS, IT FLEW BY ALL TOO QUICKLY.
That being the case 2022 is here and BirdLife Australia has some good news for those of us who had to lockdown last year. Australia’s largest bird conservation charity is sharing some of Australia’s most beautiful birds with the world on their Birds on the Move 2022 calendar.
“For almost 10 years now, BirdLife Australia has been producing an annual themed bird calendar. All proceeds go towards our vital conservation work, helping protect Australia’s most threatened birds and their habitats through advocacy, targeted research, field work and monitoring. In 2022, we’re turning the spotlight on some of Australia’s mightiest and most threatened migratory bird species. This includes target species we’re working to protect, such as the Swift Parrot, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo and Eastern Curlew,” said BirdLife Australia.
“This calendar features some of Australia’s best bird photographers – of all ages, backgrounds and experiences. Once we’ve decided on a theme and what species we want to highlight, I find the photos for the calendar on social media, on image hosting services and from previous entries to our annual BirdLife Australia Photo Awards. This year’s calendar includes a record number of female photographers and people of color,” they went on to say.
JANUARY – PAPUAN PITTA
First off is the Papuan Pitta, one of the more mysterious rainforest residents. A small, ground-dwelling bird that migrates from New Guinea to breed in the humid rainforests of Australia’s Cape York Peninsula during the wet season. Despite their exceedingly bright plumage, these birds are more often heard than seen.
FEBRUARY – DOLLARBIRD
Dollarbirds are named after the large pale spot on each wing which tends to resemble the silver dollar. They arrive in northern and eastern Australia and breed from September, returning to New Guinea and Indonesia at the end of summer. These high-flying rollers are often seen on exposed perches like dead branches or powerlines, from which they launch in skilled pursuit of their insect prey.
MARCH – EASTERN CURLEW
Eastern Curlews are the world’s largest shorebird. Every year, they leave their breeding grounds in Russia and China to make an epic journey to the coasts of Australia, using the Earth’s magnetic field.
They are only found in East Asian-Australian Flyway. However, sadly the mudflats they depend upon are being destroyed.
APRIL – CAPE PETREL
The Cape Petrel is a regular visitor to south Australian waters during winter. Once here they roam the ocean in search of krill, fish, and small squid. These seabirds spend the rest of their time breeding in Antarctica and on subantarctic islands, nesting on cliffs or on flat ground. While nesting, they are extremely aggressive, using a foul-smelling stomach oil as a form of defense against would-be predators as well as an energy-rich food for their chicks.
MAY – ORANGE-BELLIED PARROT
The Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot is one of the world’s rarest birds, and one of only a few migratory species of parrots. Every year, these small parrots breed in south-western Tasmania during summer before making the long journey across Bass Strait to spend the winter in coastal Victoria and South Australia. Recently Orange-bellied Parrots were teetering on the edge of extinction ‒ their numbers had plunged to just 17 birds ‒ but today, through careful management, their population is steadily increasing.
JUNE – PINK ROBIN
If on a still day you hear the tik, tik, tik of what sounds like a twig snapping, you might be eavesdropping on the quiet chatter of the picture-perfect Pink Robin.
Pink Robins inhabit forests across south-eastern Australia, where they breed in dark, damp eucalypt gullies or cool temperate rainforest. In the winter, they often move into drier, more open habitats, including woodland.
JULY – CARNABY’S BLACK-COCKATOO
For Perth locals, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos wheeling across the city skyline are a familiar sight (and sound!) as they migrate to the Swan Coastal Plain from early summer. Then in July, these noisy flocks return to the Wheatbelt, searching for nesting hollows.
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos aren’t fussy eaters ‒ their powerful bills are perfect for crunching through banksia seedpods and gum nuts. They have a taste for pinecones too, and pine plantations provide an important feeding habitat. However, widespread land clearing, especially in the Wheatbelt, has caused their population to plummet by 50 percent in the last 50 years ‒ and they’re listed as endangered.
AUGUST – SWIFT PARROT
The Critically Endangered Swift Parrot is one of only a few migratory parrots in Australia. Twice a year, these remarkable birds cross Bass Strait ‒ one of the world’s most treacherous bodies of water ‒ migrating from their Tasmanian breeding grounds to south-eastern Australia.
SEPTEMBER – PINK-EARED DUCKS
Nicknamed Zebra Ducks, Pink-eared Ducks are easily recognized by their racing-stripe plumage. Their oddly-shaped bills allow them to suck water through the tip of their bill, then expel it through the grooves along the side, which filter out the tiny invertebrates they feed on.
Like many inland waterbirds, Pink-eared Ducks are nomadic ‒ they go wherever there is food and water, moving irregularly in response to rainfall.
OCTOBER – RUFOUS FANTAIL
The aerial acrobatics of the Rufous Fantail are a sight to behold. Occurring mostly in rainforests and wet forests, these dainty birds feed in the air ‒ diving and twisting about in a blur of colour as they catch flying insects.
These restless birds are constantly on the move ‒ and in the spring, they migrate to south-eastern Australia to breed, before heading back north in the cooler months.
NOVEMBER – BUFF-BREASTED PARADISE KINGFISHER
In November, the spectacular Buff-Breasted Paradise Kingfisher migrates from New Guinea to its breeding grounds in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland where they nest in termite mounds or rotting logs.
Despite their brilliant plumage, they are shy and surprisingly difficult to spot ‒ listen for their loud piping “chop” call, each note accompanied by a flick of their long tail streamers.
DECEMBER – CRIMSON CHAT
In most years, Crimson Chats are winter visitors to northern Australia and summer visitors to the south. But when drought hits hard and the saltbush stops fruiting, resulting in fewer insects, Crimson Chats irrupt ‒ arriving in large flocks in places they’re seldom recorded ‒ in search of food and water.
Down south, flashes of crimson among golden fields of canola may be a sight to behold, but it’s a worrying indicator of the severity of the drought they’re escaping.
