Decided to give LW the last word for June. Going back through the archives I see it was August last year that the diary started and he was very busy and territorial by then. Am wondering if I might keep following the Little Wattlebirds for another season or focus on a different species - any thoughts?
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Good to go beyond the fence and take a walk on the wild side occasionally - met up with an echidna late yesterday - - and enjoyed the sunset on the way back
Well after a very dry autumn state-wide there's been a bit over 50mm of rain here so far this winter (the pic above is an attempt to photograph the rain). The average is 500-600mm annually, depending on who you ask, so still some catching up to do. Most of it has fallen in the past week, so no outside pics possible. Still, the view from the verandah shows a little of the burgeoning greening. Still on the verandah and sheltering from the rain, 24 of these small moths that I have yet to identify. Two cold and clear days ahead before the next rain, so I'm hoping to get out and about with camera - there is much flowering, emergence of strange fungi and general rain-borne exuberance to be enjoyed and shared.
Spotlight mount - spots before the eyes ... I believe they are Common Spotted Ladybirds over-wintering. Here's a link to Gardening Australia fact sheet that identifies the four main types of Ladybird found in Australia. The first week of June yielded three glorious winter days in a row on the Limestone Coast with the inevitable cold nights (-1 C quite chilly for here) which, with a tenuous link with the winter/orange theme, equated to some lovely sunsets. They begin like this, The sun is very low, illuminating the underside of the treetops. There's a few more pics on next page.
The alarm call of a New Holland Honeyeater is a single, high-pitched whistle blast and I am often treated to it as I move around the garden. So I was surprised to hear that alarm call, amplified tenfold, as I sat on the front verandah, and was moved to investigate. What could be ten times more alarming than me? Just a LW, a baby at that, I suspect, minding its own business. Perhaps the New Holland was calling for back-up, though none arrived. One on one, the LW can easily muscle out a New Holland. Lumbering humans aren't very alarming at all.
It's been a dry autumn, but two lots of rain in May- about 15mm in each - have been enough to transform the dusty brown into the beginnings of lush winter green. June also heralds a time of plenty for the insects and birds - with a joyful explosion of buds, blooms and fungi. And there's nothing quite as intensely blue as a winter sky on a sunny day.
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