Well it's creeping toward 36 degrees under the shade of front verandah roof this afternoon on day two of a projected mini-heatwave. The babies woke from their siesta quite insistently hungry, while the male LW had been busy the whole time, mainly with some persistent parrots. He'd ousted the Ringnecks but some Crimson Rosellas were deep in centre of the she-oak. The LWs don't need to protect the babies so much now - although the currawongs still alarm them - but they do need to guard the nectar supply. Even the third 'helper' LW is no longer welcome (though she keeps trying). The LWs territory many nectar producing plants though and there are flowers for most of the year. The babies have just about cleaned up this banksia - the one right in front of their nest tree. ...but the tree a few metres away has plenty of flowers still Apart from competing for food the parrots, Crimson Rosellas in particular, can be quite damaging to young shrubs and trees because of their habit of snipping off entire flowering branches and then eating them on the ground (holding them like lollipops). I think the babies are moulting - this one looks a bit bedraggled do you think?
1 Comment
Geraldine Anders
12/11/2017 06:08:35 am
Exquisite story of Little Wattlebirds' emergence, with just the slightest menace intimated in the form of the Currawong, One holds one's breath for the first autonomous flight of these beautiful birds. Thank you dear eco-artist.
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