A very long curved beak and a habit of hovering in front of flowers assist in identifying the eastern spinebill, one of the smaller members of the honeyeater family.
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It visits many gardens in Ballarat, where it is attracted to flowering fuchsias, correas, salvias, grevilleas, kangaroo-paws and other plants. Local sightings are of single birds or pairs.
Most Ballarat home gardens have an eastern spinebill or two as short-term visitors, rather than residents.
This is due to the bird’s need for flowers, which many gardens do not supply year-round. However, some property-owners report that spinebills are present in their gardens all year.
Restlessly active, with rapid, darting flight, the spinebill’s colours can be hard to see. A white throat with a dark central patch is a feature, as well as an orange-tan breast. The outer tail feathers are tipped with white.
As well as nectar, the acrobatic spinebill feeds on small insects, and it is also a frequent visitor to bird-baths or pools of water. In flight its wings make an audible “flip” noise, and shrill, high-pitched piping notes are often given.
In local forests, the spinebill is widespread, but present in small numbers only. There it feeds from flowers such as heath, mistletoe and correa, as well as eucalypts.
The spinebill is one of those relatively few native birds that makes itself quite at home in city gardens, even if only for a short time. It visits any suitable flowering garden plants, even in the very centre of Ballarat.
Fortunately, this favourite little honeyeater can be fairly easily attracted with appropriate fuchsias in summer, salvias in autumn and correas in winter. But not every sort of these plants will attract it. A percentage of our local population seems to leave in the colder months, probably moving to milder coastal parts of the state or perhaps up the east coast.
An eastern spinebill is said to weigh slightly more than a 20-cent coin. The slender, curved beak is 25mm long.
FULL YEAR
Visits to Enfield, Illabarook, Narmbool and the Bellarine Peninsula will be among the highlights of the forthcoming year for members of the Field Naturalists’ Club of Ballarat.
These and other monthly outings will examine the plants, insects, birds, geology and other natural features of the places visited.
Planned topics for some of the monthly meetings include fungi, local geology, native bees and other pollinating insects, foxes, and the tawny frogmouth.
Visitors are welcome to attend any of the club’s meetings or excursions. For more details, phone 0433 344 287 or check the club’s website.
