Quite a few Crimson Rosellas around - this adult was demonstrating bathing techniques to a juvenile - The Superb Fairy-wren males are in their breeding colours - While the female Little Wattlebird has been catching lots of bugs - hmm, wonder why she needs extra protein...? Finally, Old Man Banksia has taken a bit of a beating from frequent Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo visits to feed. The male here (males have the pink eye ring) has been appointed look-out, so while the others munch away he keeps an eye on me as I watch from the verandah. A sudden move on my part, he'll sound the alarm and they'll be off - very nervy for large birds with nothing much to fear except land clearing.
2 Comments
For me, one of the great joys of living in the bush is being able to watch the birds as they go about their birdy business and, through the camera lens, bringing them closer still and being able to share those images.
Here are some images that make me smile in August: This pair of Crimson Rosellas has developed a fondness for Rosemary flowers and have been visiting daily to feed.
You've met the Striated Thornbill - now meet a relative - the Slender-billed Thornbill They weigh just 6 grams (0.2oz) - I still find that astonishing - and eat centipedes, spiders and all manner of bugs. Thornbills - small wonders indeed.
Bluebell creeper (Billardiera heterophylla) is native to Western Australia, but elsewhere has become an extremely invasive weed in woodlands and forests. The climber smothers native plants by out-competing them for sunlight or strangling them with their twining stems. Bluebell creeper also contains toxins that can irritate the skin and cause nausea. Here on the block the creeper is bristling with seeds (well, they're actually berries with seeds inside). It's a good time of the year to remove it, though - less snaky in winter and the ground is soft from the rain. It's quite a job though - the creeper twists round and round the branches of its host and the root system is extensive. There are hundreds of plants on the block, so removing the ones on the garden's boundaries will be the priority. Be good to see the trees again.
They are often overlooked, but Australia is one of the carnivorous plant capitals of the world with nearly 200 species. They do well here because they don't rely on the nitrogen that's frequently missing from our impoverished soil. Instead they make their own by capturing and digesting insects. Here on the block there is a member of the Sundew family of carnivorous plants - the Scented Sundew (Drosera aberrans). Below you can see one insect freshly trapped by the sticky 'sundew' and another in a late stage of digestion. These are quite widespread and grow on very poor soil. Carnivorous plants can be tiny and easily missed - so remember to look down.
July is the month for wattles and the block is studded with yellow. While the garden is vibrant with all of the colours of Grevillea blossoms against the grey skies. The damp conditions give rise to quite an array of fungi - nothing that I fancy nibbling on though - So, for winter colour in your garden, plant Australian natives - for you and the birds.
First opportunity to get out and check the garden for damage - in particular branches that might have fallen on young plants. All in all not too bad. Then the obligatory game of pick-up-sticks. Two of these trailer loads for the fire. Spotted this rather large roo grazing in the paddock behind the block. Looks like a Red Kangaroo but it's very close to the coast for them.
I think the LW nest might have succumbed to the extreme weather - haven't heard the female calling from there, she's just out and about as usual. There'll be plenty of nectar-yielding flowers soon, along with the usual competition. The block is the grip of a vigorous cold front and the camera's been inside for a few days, but this blockhead ventured out today to do some weeding between showers and found another creature out in all weathers - a native bee. While the Western Honey Bees are all tucked up warmly in the hive with plenty of stored tucker, the native bees are obliged to fly out for food. The majority do not live in hives, as such, although may share communal nesting areas. I think it was a type of Leafcutter Bee I saw today. The only two native bees I've managed to photograph here (and have identified) are this Green and Gold Nomia: and this Blue Banded Bee. With so many honey bees the natives are hard to spot.
If you're in Australia and interested in finding out which native bees live near you - or maybe you fancy buying/building a bee hotel - try the Aussie Bee website. |
Archives
December 2020
|