We headed out early to try and arrive at Healesville Sanctuary as close to opening time as possible. Early morning at Healesville is always a special time, the bush is positively alive with the sounds of animals and there are very few human voices/sounds to disturb them. As an added bonus, we often find that we meet one of the keepers returning an animal to its enclosure after their morning enrichment, like when taking a dingo or a wombat for a walk. This morning was extra special though.
We had made our way to the Koalas exhibit and were snapping a few pictures when one of the males began to call loudly, very loudly. Koalas spend a lot of their time dozing in the tops of the trees, especially during the day, so hearing one calling practically at eye-level was a bit of a surprise.
But the best part was yet to come. One of the keepers was bringing a mum and her joey back to the enclosure (presumably after their morning weigh in and/or vet check). Like all of the keepers at Zoos Victoria, she stopped to chat to us, let us take a few close up pics and tell us the story of these animals. This tiny little joey is still to be named, but according to the keeper is likely to be called Storm in honour of having been born during a thunderstorm.
After such a special encounter, we headed off towards the Lyrebird enclosure in the hope of spotting the two male Lyrebirds foraging and displaying. Visiting the Lyrebird enclosure early is ideal as most of the birds in the enclosure are usually hoping about brazenly in the open. Once there are more than a few people in the enclosure, the birds tend to stay back a bit more from the path and getting a clear picture of them can be difficult — we’ve certainly experienced many times where a branch or similar spoils what would have been a great shot.
We certainly heard the Lyrebirds well before we could see them. Unfortunately, the male who was calling and displaying most vigorously had chosen a display area near the rear of the enclosure, right behind a big rock. Whilst we could see him, just, it was harder trying to get a photo as his display naturally involved a lot of movement, but there was only a tiny gap that provided a clear enough line of sight.
The difficulties of trying to capture the display were not enough to dampen the magic of seeing and hearing a bird that cleverly mimics the sounds it hears. At one point, the displaying male made a call similar to a Kookaburra and it sounded like a reply came from a real Kookaburra nearby.
Next stop was to visit the Dingoes. Like many dogs (and cats for that matter), Dingoes tend to be either hyperactive or somewhat catatonic. As we arrived, one of the Dingoes came bounding from one side to the other to visit a companion resting in the shade. Getting little to no response, this Dingo trotted back out towards a sunlit rock before lying down to sunbake, seemingly giving up on getting someone to play with at that moment.
Watching the Dingoes lazing about meant it was time to visit the Harvest Cafe and grab a coffee along the way to visiting one of the most active Australian native species. Australia has some pretty unique flora and fauna, but one of the most adorable, and yet bizarre animals, has to be the Platypus. The Platypus has fur like a mammal yet it lays eggs like a reptile, a bill that looks like it has come from a duck but it is rubbery rather than hard, and it feeds its young on milk but has no nipples. The Platypus, like the Echidna, is a monotreme, a unique classification of "egg-laying mammals". The Platypus is such an endearing animal that never seems to want to sit still in the water for very long, making photographing one in the water a real challenge. Healesville Sanctuary does provide a great opportunity though to get a closer look and the possibility of getting a clear photo during their "Tales from Platypus Creek" talk.
Following the talk we started making our way towards the Flight Arena for the "Spirits of the Sky" show. Along the way we met up with Twiggy the Tawny Frogmouth out for a walk with her handler. Twiggy’s beak was injured many years ago which has left her with a permanent notch missing, making her instantly recognisable. We have met Twiggy and her handler many times at Healesville, but every encounter is another opportunity to marvel at the beauty of this special bird. Her huge yellow eyes and the colouring of her throat are definitely sights to behold and she seems to have a cheeky side to her personality, just waiting for someone to show off to.
After a brief chat and a few close up pics with Twiggy, it was time to head into the Flight Arena. As usual we took a seat near the front on the left-hand side with a good view of the entire arena. By this stage, the sun was high overhead, the temperature was rising and there was virtually no clouds in the sky. Perfect weather for the birds to soar. First up in the show was Rusty the Australian Kestrel, weighing in at 140 grams, one of the smallest birds of prey in Australia. As James told us about him, Rusty swooped down around the arena showing off his acrobatic skills and how he could hover in mid-air to better target his prey.
After Rusty left the arena, next came Bernice the Black Breasted Buzzard. Bernice flew in over the arena and then picked a nice perch overlooking the display area. Bernice, although more than twice the size of Rusty, isn’t the biggest of Australia’s birds of prey, but does eat the eggs of Australia’s largest bird, the emu. Bernice showed off how she can crack such an egg as her finale but seemed to enjoy the applause so much that she wasn’t keen to leave the stage. After some gentle coaxing with mouse pieces by James she finally decided to perch on his gloved hand and finish her display.
Next up was the Eclectus Parrot. The male is a beautiful green with a vibrant red under his wings whilst the female is a vivid red with blue patches. As Shaun explained to us, this difference in colour led people to initially believe they were two different species. The male forages near the top of the canopy and so needs his green colouring as camouflage whereas the female stays lower down nearer the ground and needs her colouring so that the males can spot her to bring her food during courting.
Next up was meant to be another very colourful Australian parrot, the Major Mitchell Cockatoo, but he was either suffering a little stage fright or had decided it was too warm to show off and after making a brief appearance on the side of the arena, he headed back to his home perch.
James then brought in one of our favourites from Healesville, Millie, the Barking Owl. Millie chirrups happily and loudly as she flies around the arena demonstrating how her species gets its name. She is one of our favourites mostly because she flies so low and fast over the crowd while continually chirruping her happy sounds. Trying to photograph such a fast moving bird is always a challenge, but that’s why we pick a spot on the left.
Then it was time for the biggest of the Australian raptors and our stand-out favourite, Magra the Wedge-tailed Eagle. Magra weighs in at near 4 kilograms, roughly 28.5 times heavier than Rusty, yet her aeronautical skills are no less impressive. As Magra spread her wings and began soaring around the arena, we caught a glimpse of her huge talons.
With the distinctive wedge shaped tail and soaring talent, it is easy to see why this huge species is one of the most iconic sights of the Australian bush. These beautiful predators of the Australian skies hunt things like the rabbits, introduced by European settlers, and even sheep on occasion. Small children, however, are not part of their diet despite what some movies and tall tales suggest.
Following the show, we started heading for home. The day had begun to get a little too warm for us and it was feeling like it was time for a nap on the couch with our cats. On the way home we pulled over to the side of the road to capture a panorama of the hills we see every time we head up to Healesville. This single image is stitched together from 78 separate photos.
Another awesome day out with our Nikon cameras and a lot of Australian native animals, made all the more special by the lovely staff of Zoos Victoria.