Bird of the Week - Bernhard Schmitz Photography

Whilst I’m a fairly novice bird watcher, Suki the cat had always a great interest in birds for her own reasons. With the exception of cooked specimens, I tended to ignore feathered animals before I moved to Australia in late 2005 to join Mrs. Schmitz in Sydney. This changed soon after we settled in the suburb of North Bondi where the sheer abundance of colourful and exotic species sparked my interest in avian topics. I started to write down bird inspired observations which I put on this little weekly blog about Australia, Sydney and the feathered and not feathered locals.

Bernhard Schmitz & Suki the cat

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The Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) or Rotstirn-Schnäpper 2011/06/15

We encountered this specimen of the smallest of the red robins at our road trip to the dryer regions of New South Wales last autumn. Which brings me directly to the ever-puzzling topic of seasons in this wonderful country.

The Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) or Schwarzkehl-Krähenwürger 2011/06/07

The Pied Butcherbird inhabits drier forests and woodlands throughout the Australian mainland and is famous for it’s singing which sounds like a beautiful, melodious fluting. Mrs. Schmitz and me could hear this particular specimen pictured above before we could spot it just outside a motel in Dubbo with the promising name ‘Quality Inn Dubbo International’ on a rather frosty morning during our latest road trip to the New South Wales Outback.

The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) or Uferschnepfe 2011/05/25

Next summer when these threatened migratory shorebirds will arrive in New South Wales at their favourite wintering grounds they are likely to find a significantly changed environment due to a couple of weirdos called The Shooters and Fishers Party.

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