With most of the native flowers finished the nectar feeders are working hard for a feed, though the seed-eaters are enjoying a time of plenty. Blue Banded Bee (Amegilla cingulata) feeding on lavender nectar. I was absolutely delighted to observe this green-eyed beauty - first time in a decade of hoping to spot one. Blue Banded Bees perform a special type of 'buzz pollination' essential for some of our native flowers to reproduce.
Bit of a surprise for me and this Ewing's Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii) as I was filling the bird bath and it popped out of the watering can spout. Measuring less than 5cm they're also known as Brown or Whistling Tree Frogs and dine on insects - although their tadpoles are herbivores. True to its name this frog soon exited via the closest tree.
Have a happy and safe holiday and I'll see you next year on the block.
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The Crimson Rosella is a favourite of mine - apart from when the juveniles are snipping the stems of seedlings just to have fun. I've probably said this before - it saddens me greatly to see the live trade in these and other Australian parrots. They don't do well in aviaries and, in my view, should never be kept in captivity. A Common Bronzewing Pigeon causes low tide in the bird bath. The juvenile Magpies are still persistently chasing their parents about begging for food, although they're getting the knack of finding their own. A Frilled-neck Lizard basking on a tree-stump - my presence turned it into an attractive lizard statue... Nectar from the flowers of the Green Kangaroo Paw is a favourite of the Little Wattlebird. This male Common Brown Butterfly pawses in his pursuit of nectar.
On the next page (to spare the arachnophobes) two Australian Garden Orbweaver spiders take advantage of the front verandah fluoro with great success.
As one Little Wattlebird baby moves toward independence - -there are two more in the nest. and a few days later they're almost ready to leave it. A less conventional nest is made by a tiny bird that spends most of its life high in the tree-tops. The Spotted Pardalote digs a tunnel and makes a nest there. Here are my four favourite insect pics for the month. Plenty of these Swamp Wallabies about as well as Grey Kangaroos. Both species hop over the rabbit fence in search of tasty new leaves from the garden. Always a joy to see though.
A new baby Little Wattlebird fresh out of the nest is keeping mum and dad busy. A Willie Wagtail has commandeered the back verandah - these confident birds with their scolding chatter also have quite a lovely repertoire of songs, as do the bird bath regulars, the Golden Whistlers. Quite a few Crimson Rosellas around taking advantage of plentiful grass seed and there's one pair that run the gauntlet of a very touchy father wattlebird to visit for a daily munch on lavender flowers. Spring also brings a variety of tiny flowers These Wax-lip Orchids (Glossodia major), also known as 'parson-in-the-pulpit', are a native orchid that emerges here in September. They are reputed to be quite fragrant. The wattles have all but finished flowering now but there are a few late bloomers. Dense acacia shrubs provide a safe haven for small birds, especially those with defences such as the Knife-leaf Wattle and Prickly Moses. There's been a good amount of rain this month which is great for the block as we move toward the hotter weather. With nearly everything in bloom, (the Callistemons are always last to flower), September is my favourite month here.
A frosty night after a week of wind and rain. The foxes are about and, under a sliver of moon, a vixen is screaming. If you've heard that sound you'll know how disturbing it is. Quite late into the night the intrepid blue wrens are having a taste of the nocturnal and partying on the verandah right in front of me - risk-taking seems to be a part of their nature . While I haven't been able to get out with the camera much due to the weather, I did get lucky on my one expedition to see what was happening at the bird baths - It's a Rufous Whistler and, while they're fairly common and widespread across mainland Australia, this is the first time I've seen one here. They are arboreal feeders and accomplished singers. A heart-warming and colourful end to winter.
There's something special about a sunny day in winter, I think. The sky is intensely blue and the sun surprisingly warm if you're in it. A clear day brings frosty mornings, but they're light enough here and it rarely dips below zero. The wattles are starting to flower. This Cootamundra Wattle has been a-buzz with hundreds of bees. Here's a Common Hoverfly with a taste for Golden Wattle nectar. July on the block - a month for growth, colour and celebrating life.
I was fortunate enough to witness a Red Wattlebird performing a courtship display before his intended the other day. He was 'singing' and bowing, wings flapping rapidly. She looked half-interested, but then he took off in pursuit of an intruder. Easily distracted, those wattlebirds. It's that time of the year. The next few months will be times of growth and plenty for life on the block. Birds are busy finding a mate or renewing bonds. A profusion of native blooms offers up nectar for the honeyeaters and attracts insects for other birds. They'll just need to keep an eye to the skies for birds such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle (a pair of these are nesting somewhere nearby) or Collared Sparrowhawk that are after a more substantial meal. If you want to enjoy many months of colour you really can't go past Grevillea and there are an astonishing 360 varieties to choose from. Most of the Grevillea here are native to Western Australia, which produces tough, drought-tolerant plants that grow quickly and flower generously - even in very poor soil, as long as it's free-draining. Another of my favourites is Correa - hardy, beautiful and no work at all. 11 species and 26 subspecies of this delightful native shrub with bell shaped flowers. A cultivar - Correa pulchella 'Orange Glow' - that I got as tube-stock has flowered for the first time and what a lovely colour they are. There's a large, spreading Correa in front of the verandah and I can observe bold visitors to its flowers. The New Holland Honeyeaters are at the edge of their comfort zones being a metre away from me, but it is the impeccably dressed Eastern Spinebill who dares most and is completely hidden by the shrub once inside. Fortunately bees are more accommodating for the camera. Next it will be the turn of the Bottlebrush to flower, and the Wattle.
Winter in Australia - bloomin' marvellous. Am happy to report 40mm of rain over the past week, though decidedly chilly. This has been accompanied by a splendid burst of flowering amongst the native plants - the Pincushion Hakea and Grevillea in particular are loaded with blooms. If you're looking for a drought-resistant, flowering native shrub up to 3 metres tall it's hard to go past Grevillea 'Flora Mason'. It blooms generously and long - a feast for all nectar lovers (and those that feed on them), such as this Black-scaped Bull Ant (Myrmecia nigriscapa). Bull Ants feed on nectar and honeydew, but their larvae are carnivores. Another Western Australian beauty is the Oak-leaf Dryandra (Dryandra quercifolia). A member of the Protea family, this shrub has unusual flowers and rather stiff leaves that resemble Oak leaves and give this plant its common name. All of the moisture and cool dampness has led to an eruption of fungi. I don't think I'll be frying up either of these for dinner though - I took advantage of a few hours of sunshine to check out the action at one of the bird baths. The Striated Thornbill is tiny but feisty. It's the only small bird I've seen that submerges itself in the water - a very good flea drowning strategy I should think. The Silvereye and Eastern Yellow Robin are a little more conservative and tend to go for multiple quick dips. It's more of a free-for-all where the New Holland Honeyeaters are concerned. As the land turns green, plants flower profusely and birds return for the feast it is a very rich and varied time of plenty on the block.
Not much rain so far this month - around 10mm - but the autumn bloomers are starting to add some colour, along with a good supply of nectar for bugs and birds alike. The Swamp Bottlebrush (from Western Australia) flowers long and prolifically, as do the more standard varieties - this young tree is flowering for the first time. A Grevillea also has some of the sweet stuff available, at a stretch. Always a treat to watch an Echidna going about its business. This hapless Badge Huntsman spider has been paralysed by a Zebra Wasp and will now be placed in the prepared burrow to be food for the wasp's young. As the bowl of this birdbath got redesigned - and the pieces scattered for two metres by marsupial or marsupials unknown - a terracotta pot on the ground has proved very popular with the smaller birds - here the Brown-headed Honeyeaters remain unworried by a bossy New Holland. Finally, a lone Fan-tailed Cuckoo (am tempted to write 'the lone', as a single bird visiting and calling is an annual event but, of course, I have no way of telling if it's the same one each time.) It is, however, a very curious bird that visits each year and often follows me around as I work in the garden. Like other cuckoos, these lay an egg in another bird's nest - this species particularly favours the Brown Thornbill's - a tiny bird that would be working overtime to keep up with the demands of a hungry cuckoo chick. And last night 43 of these moths sheltered from the wind and drizzle on the verandah. I thought they were rain moths, but no. Those have become a rare sight these past few years.
Lovely to see some colour at last - but have the birds returned? Decided to set up the wildlife camera for 24 hours near a traditionally popular birdbath to see who visited. The results - Several ubiquitous New Holland Honeyeaters, Eastern Yellow Robin, A White-eared Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin and Red-browed Finches. Then, after dark, another thirsty customer - Hmm - another marsupial descending from his tree was the dominant male koala- He seemed to be on a mission - and was headed in the direction of the place he met up with the female koala last time - albeit briefly. I thought it polite to withdraw at this stage. |
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December 2020
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