IN FOCUS: THE AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)
FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS A MEDLEY OF MIGRATORY BIRDS SET UP HOME AT THE AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN EACH SPRING.
P
aper daisies and bright native flowers are not the only things that add a dash of colour to the Australian Botanic Garden each spring. Many of the migratory birds that arrive for the warmer months are also looking their best as they vie to attract suitable mates. One of the brightest is the Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta). You will normally hear these birds before you see them, but the best places to look are in Casuarina trees near the bird
12 THE GARDENS SPRING 2021
hide at the edge of Lake Nadungamba, in the Cumberland Plain Woodland’s gum trees, and across the Connections Garden and Banksia Garden. If you are near any of the main lakes at the Garden, keep an eye out for the Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii), which can be found hiding in the reeds or on the mud flats. At first glance you might think you have spotted a duck because of their body shape, but they have a long slender bill. The Latham’s Snipe is one of the more well-travelled
visitors to the Garden, in winter they migrate to Japan, returning to Australia in time for summer. The Garden also becomes home to the Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus), which looks like a smaller and more colourful cousin of the Kookaburra. You’ll find them near the bird hide along the lake, in the woodland near the Australian PlantBank, and around the small creek near the Banksia Garden. The Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) travels down to the Garden from New
Photos: Glenn Smith
PHOTOGRAPHER GLENN SMITH PROVIDES A FEW POINTERS ON WHICH SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR.
