July – White-headed pigeon

Happy July! It’s freezing here (says the Queenslander when it is 14 degrees Celsius), so I hope you are warm wherever you are reading this.

This month on your bird’s-eye view calendar we have a beautiful family of White-headed pigeons. This photo was taken from the deck of our accommodation at Bellthorpe Nature Stays last year. I chose to include it in the calendar because it showed off the front and back of these beautiful birds. If you’ve never seen one, they are larger than you might expect for a pigeon. They are found mostly along the east coast of Australia and they favour the wetter areas.

I didn’t realise I’d captured a family of white-headed pigeons until researching these birds for this little blog. Front and centre showing off her fabulous purple and green tinged feathers is a female. Either side of her are two juveniles. You can tell they are juveniles by the fading grey cap they both have on their heads. The final bird on the far left is the male. He is a very vibrant white, compared to the female who has a greyish tinge to her feathers.

Speaking of birds, it is that time of the year again where I tell you that the calendar for next year (2026) is available for pre-order. I know you’re as excited as I am! I am keen to show you the birdie delights in the 2026 calendar which covers birds from the Moreton Bay Region all the way to Ballandean (near Stanthorpe). Let me know if you’d like one or several – they make great gifts! ($25 AUD per calendar). Check out some of the calendar images below.

In non-bird business, pet portrait commission bookings for 2025 are now closed. Thank you to everyone who booked a portrait. If you missed out, I still have gift certificates for sale. Bookings will re-open again in January 2026.

Any readers out there? For the rest of the year, I’m going to share what I’m reading because I love reading and writing as well as taking photos and drawing. Maybe I will even work up the courage to do some book reviews. On my bedside table right now are ‘The Salt Path’ by Raynor Winn, which I recently finished, and I’ve just started ‘Art Hour at the Duchess Hotel’ by Sophie Green. After that, ‘Treasure & Dirt’ by Chris Hammer. I’d love to know – what are you reading right now? Have a great July, and happy reading and bird-watching!