Early Morning Outing (Willie Wagtails) – SOLD

Natalie’s Inspiration: “Three little fledglings,  accompanied by their parents on an early Autumn morning.  I love these little birds,  they are so full of personality!  They are constant visitors to my property in Vacy.  I chose to use my artistic licence to create this painting.  The wagon wheel featured in this scene is from Coolamine Homestead in Kosciuszko National Park (photo reference kindly given to me by John Lechner – my print manager). My daughter, Kasey took the photos of the baby Willie Wagtails.  She spotted one on the ground at a farm we were visiting at the Upper Allyn (on the way to Barrington Tops National Park), the parent birds are from my own  reference photos.  This painting is definitely an amalgamation from a number of sources, and was so much fun to put together”.

Willy wagtails are very hyperactive and very curious. They are daring birds and they like to tease cats by flying over they’re heads. Australian Nightingale, Black and white fantail, Black and white flycatcher, Shepherds Companion, Morning Bird and Frog-bird are all other names for the Willy wagtail. The scientific name for the Willy wagtail is “Rhipidura eucophrys” and the scientific family name for them is “Morarchidae”. Willy Wagtails breed between June and February. The nest is small and it is about 70mm wide and 40mm deep. Willy wagtail eggs are cream-brown to yellow with brown-grey or blue-black spots.  There are two types of Willy wagtail: The Australian Flycatcher Which wags its tail side to side. The Northern ‘Motacillid’ which wags its tail up and down. Willy wagtails have a very musical voice that sounds like whistling words ” sweet pretty creature”. They have many colours like grey, white, yellow, yellowtail. Willy wagtails are found everywhere in Australia except in Tasmania. There’re length is 200mm and the upper parts of there’re body is black besides the eyebrow. The lower part of the body and the eyebrow is white. Willy wagtails are known as fearless garden birds. They like to spend a lot of time on the ground jumping from spot to spot looking for food. They are always on the lookout for insects and spiders to eat.

The Willie Wagtail’s nest is a neatly woven cup of grasses, covered with spider’s web on the outside and lined internally with soft grasses, hair or fur. The soft lining of the nest, if not readily available, is often taken directly from an animal. The nest of the Willie Wagtail may be re-used in successive years, or an old nest is often destroyed and the materials used in the construction of a new nest. Nests are normally placed on a horizontal branch of a tree, or other similar structure. The cream-coloured eggs, speckled with grey and brown are incubated by both sexes. The young birds stay with the parents until the eggs from the next clutch start to hatch. At this point they are driven away. If conditions are favourable, the couple may raise up to four successive clutches in a single season.

 Original artwork by Natalie Jane Parker.