Noisy Miners

Noisy Miner - an Australian native honeyeater

My wife and I recently spent a few weeks in Sydney. We travel the 1300 kilometres to Sydney several times a year. These visits usually now often coincide with the school holidays. We go to look after our two grandchildren. It is a trip we always enjoy undertaking, not just because of spending time with the children, but also so we can explore the country along the way, and on the return trip.

While in Sydney we often go out to nearby parks or national parks. It is fun exploring such places with the children. They are so eager to observe and learn about the natural environment. Naturally, they take an interest in plants and flowers which are my wife's main interest. I am also pleased that they are quite knowledgeable about our native birds. I wonder where that comes from?

On one of these visits to the natural environment near to their home, I took the above photo of a Noisy Miner. This is one of our many species of honeyeaters here in Australia. Their name is truly apt, especially if there is a bird of prey nearby. They certainly know how to create a noisy response to any danger.

Some Australian bird lovers do not really like this species. In some places, they are very common and bossy. Their belligerent attitude often forces smaller species out of gardens and parks. Species such as fairywrens, finches, pardalotes and thornbills move on to other areas, much to some people's annoyance.

For more photos and stories about Australian birds, please visit my other site Trevor's Birding.