Just add water – Wonderful White-naped Honeyeaters at Glen Alice
23These White-naped Honeyeaters (Melithreptus lunatus) were filmed during an early August and mid September 2019 visit to the Capertee Valley (NSW). The exact location is a protected habitat property (with open forest and woodland) in the Glen Alice section of this stunning valley. As Glen Alice has a BOM weather station, our own observations about the ongoing drought are largely confirmed. For instance, the October to December 2019 period was the driest on record for this time of year (as revealed on the map in this article https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/the-sydney-suburbs-where-rainfall-is-at-it-lowest-on-record-20200107-p53pim.html ). Overall, the year was a particularly dry one but saved from a truly dire situation by an exceptional January, whereby almost 60% of the year’s rain fell then, filling the dams on this property. February however was unusually dry, followed by an average sort of March. Then a long dry spell set in.
As this rural property is an ex-working farm, the birds only had to share the dam reserves with other wildlife. But a lack of rain generally means less watering points as temporary puddles/ephemeral creeks are rarely available and shallow ponds or wetlands disappear. In this context, artificial ponds or bird baths are very welcome. And this is where we filmed the lovely White-naped Honeyeaters and many other bird species on BIBY TV. (Just after our September departure it rained again – a nice drop – before the aforementioned lean times and the now-under-control mega-fire.) Yet even when water is readily available elsewhere, we find that the two ponds near the house are often full of birdlife. (In this video you may hear Fuscous Honeyeaters, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds, Noisy Friarbirds, Willie Wagtails and Peaceful Doves. White-naped Honeyeater calls are highlighted in the photo introduction.)
Indeed, adding water to your garden is the best way to help these beautiful creatures and enjoy their presence. The antics of White-naped Honeyeaters with their bold orange “eyeshadow” is a particular delight. These little honeyeaters are usually difficult to see as they forage in the tree canopy for nectar, insects, lerps, manna and honeydew. Moreover, they are not always in the area as many honeyeaters are migratory and/or nomadic in their search for the highest quality food.
To see a bit more of this location and 2018 footage of White-naped Honeyeaters go to https://youtu.be/g3PaOG5XT8c To read more about these charismatic birds visit http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Melithreptus-lunatus (but note that the south-western race is now classified as a species called Gilbert’s Honeyeater).