While we are away in the Southern Highlands trying to keep warm and enjoying the bird species of that area I will share with you some of our local Broome birds.

One of the hardest of the Honeyeaters to photograph in our garden is the Rufous-throated Honeyeater. They are more likely to be diving into our water baths than just drinking and even when they do drink they are fast and a real challenge. The Brown Honeyeater can look similar from a distance, but the Rufous-throated Honeyeater does not have the little bit of white just behind its eye. The adult birds carry the rufous throat and it is often quite a bright colour. The yellow on the wing feathers is brighter than that of the Brown Honeyeater, but their size is similar. Both species are in the north of Australia, but the Brown Honeyeater is present over much of the southern area as well.

My attempts at photographing Rufous-throated Honeyeaters were stalled at this stage until recently……and you can blame the camera operator rather than the camera! Yes, that header photograph is bad!! These next two are as well, but isn’t that the whole point of not giving up!

Rufous-throated Honeyeater (5)

Rufous-throated Honeyeater (6)

Dodgy photographs of Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Finally everything lined up and I got some photographs of a Rufous-throated Honeyeater that showed the features you are looking for!

Rufous-throated Honeyeater (3)

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Rufous-throated Honeyeater (2)

I didn’t use any fancy “sport” programme, but just “winged it” and got lucky! Sometimes you just have to lie on the grass with the camera aimed and wait!

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!