Here’s a little competition about bird species (for non-birder people, so butt out if you are an expert). If you can identify please add via “comment”. I am in the Northern Territory, Australia, so they may be a bit different from what you are used to. All the photos taken by me over the last 3 weeks. I have an interest in just how much we know about our own Australian species. Most of these are fairly common. I will add some more unusual species in a later post. Please share, and kids welcome!
SLOW-BOIL A FROG 
Hi Peter,
Please find below my scholarly answers to your quiz…
1/ This is the “Famous Northern Australian Green Yellow Black and White Honey Eater” whose fame spreads far and wide.
2/ This bird, of course, is the “Northern Big Black Crow with Dangerous Looking Hooked Top Beak”…male I suggest.
3/ Naturally, this is a “Peregrine Falcon” visiting northern relatives because it’s so fucking cold in southern Australia right now.
4/ This is the “Coy Kingfisher”, female, showing off the left-side of her face and its chiselled cheekbones of which she’s so proud.
5/ “Azure-backed Kingfisher” of course, as everybody knows.
Hey Peter, how did I do?
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Great to hear from you Julie! Love your ‘scholarly’ answers. We are in Mataranka NT slumming it in the hot springs waiting for Central Australia to warm up. Hope you are both well. Re competition.. probably best forget your aspirations to become a twitcher of note. 10/10 for trying though.
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Hi Peter!
a Finnish guess, please feel free to laugh 🙂
1. Rainbow Bee-eater?
2. Black Butcherbird?
3. Black Kite?
4. Blue-winged Kookaburra?
5. Forest Kingfisher?
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No laughing here Arja, all correct. Do you see rainbow bee-eaters in Finland? Great to hear from you. Ian will be in Finland in a month doing some doctoral (musicology) work.
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Oh, now I’m proud of myself😊. A different species of bee-eaters, Merops aplaster, is a rare visitor in Finland. I’ve never seen it. I’m coming to A in Oct. Maybe you could give me some hints where to go? Is Kangaroo island worth visiting or just a tourist hub, for instance? (On the other hand, melbournian parks are exotic enough for me!)
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Hi Arja, Kangaroo island would be a great place to visit in Oct (mid Spring) . I haven’t been there but would love to go. It does have a tourism industry but it would be nothing like here (NT) in winter. The Northern Territory is packed to the eyeballs right now. I would add the Coorong and Glenelg Nat Park to the list which are on the way from Melbourne travelling west.
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Here’s a link to my Artist’s Diary Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/artlikker/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
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