Fantail splashes

We had a visit from a pair of birds that we see infrequently as they are generally found norh of our area but do migrate to southern regions through summer. It is also found in a number of countries in the near north of Australia. This pair were around the garden for a short time in the morning and making the most of the bird bath for a drink and then a splash.

As you can see from the photo the name Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons is most appropriate and it is one of the small flycatchers. Its relative the Grey Fantail is one of the resident species on the property.

 

Bee shines

Posted a photo of this species some time ago but the photo today does show the iridescent colour better.

This large bee is one of the carpenter species Xylocopa (lestis) bombylans  Green or Peacock Carpenter Bee.

Found in eastern Australia they are solitary bees and as their name suggests work in wood, as the excavate a tunnel into the trunk of soft dead trees or the stem of grass trees to lay their eggs.

 

 

Too hot for whip cracking

Much of Australia is in the grip of severe drought and even here on the coast we have experienced the driest 11 months in 25 years. The hot dry conditions are also very hard on the wildlife and there has been a noticeable drop in the numbers seen around the property.

Water is important in helping the wildlife cope with the conditions and we have many water sources available for their use. 

One bird species that is quite shy and heard more than seen is the Eastern Whipbird Prophodes olivaceus and we have a resident pair that keep to the dense understory and only occasionally come close to the house. The calling voice of the pair is one of the quintessential sounds of the Australian bush as the Male produces a loud whipcrack with the female quickly answering with a sharp 'choo choo'  and the combined call is often mistaken as the call of the one bird. They range from the mid coastal forest of Queensland down through NSW to coastal eastern Victoria.

Today the hot start to the morning brought one bird to the bird baths first to drink at one then to another for a quick splash around.

 

Nest of pain

I realised when looking through my observations that there was one fairly common species found on our property that I had not recorded and I had been carefully avoiding getting too close to in the past few days.

Jumping Jack Ants Myrmecia nigrecincta have a nest not far from our front door in a garden

where I have been working. This species is one of the smaller Bulldog Ants of which there are some 90 or so species in Australia, but what they lack in size they make up with aggressiveness. If the nest is disturbed they will swarm out and attack any intruder delivering extremely painful stings, which for a small proportion people provoke an allergic reaction that for a few has proved fatal.  

 

This species is found in woodlands, open forests and rainforest along the east coast of Australia from north Queensland to Victoria.

Swallowtail and the river

We had a visit from a butterfly that I had not previously seen at our location, it was very distinctive with bright colouring but I didn't have the camera and didn't think to use my phone.

However I did look it up in my reference book and identified it as a Macleay's Swallowtail, although disappointed I missed getting a photo.

As chance would have it the following day I saw a butterfly on a bush near where I was working and dashed over to see if I was in luck. Very pleased to see that I was and I did think to use the phone this time managing to get three photos before it fluttered off.

Two were hopeless and one looked OK but the distance and blending in with the bush it was hard to see without heavy cropping.

 So not the best but enabled definite confirmation as a Macleay's Swallowtail Graphium macleayanus macleayanus. It is one of the smaller swallowtails with a wingspan of about 8cm in the PAPILIONIDAE genus of the 17 found in Australia. It is found from mid Queensland through NSW and Victoria to north and eastern Tasmania

Not far north of where we live is the Macleay River and I wondered at the naming of the butterfly and the river. My research found that both were named after Alexander Macleay who at the time of naming around 1814 was a world renowned entomologist and chairman of the Linnean Society of London.

He later emigrated to Australia together with his extensive insect collection which he used to found the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney where his collection is still. 

Pre-season bout

Very cold weather at present and  a a couple of male Eastern Grey Kangaroos together with a couple of females were relaxing in the sun out of the wind. Two males roughly the same size means tests for dominance are often called for and these guys had a short bout.

 Heads back away from sharp claws they push, grasp and kick, but apart from a glance the females show a lack of interest.

 

 

A final strong push and the bout concludes as the challenger gives way and decides perhaps another day when a bout might be more serious.

 
Back to relaxing and facing away so as not to offer another challenge today.

Power pole portrait

Sightings of the resident Wedge-tailed Eagles are quite regular at present and today I was fortunate to find one perched on one of our power poles and it stayed long enough for me to get a nice portrait.

 

Honey Gem for an energy boost

The Grevillea Honey Gem in the garden outside the office is very popular with nectar loving birds, due to the ample nectar supply. I have noticed that in the late afternoon it is a regular stop for many birds to get an energy boost for the night.

The honey eaters are the main visitors but wrens, thornbills and other smaller birds also visit.

Today Eastern Spinebills and Striated Thornbills made it their stop for the evening top up.

Divergent lacewing

As I went out to the garden a smallish insect on the garden hose caught my eye and required a closer look. At first glance I thought it was a slender moth but a closer look indicated a lacewing but unlike any I had seen before.

I took a few more photos after picking it up for a close look and to get better lighting to pick up the colours and patterns of the wings.

To identify what I had found I Googled lacewings and found lots of photos of lacewing species but none like this and all the reference sites that I use to check for insects had nothing like this.

Finally I found a photo and a name amongst the mass of lacewing images Porismus strigatus one of a family of lacewings Neuroptera:Osmylidae that  diverged from a common ancestor during the Late Permian before the break-up of the super continent Pangaea.

The family are called Lance Lacewings as their larvae have elongated lance-like jaws to impale their prey. Species are found on all continents other than in arctic regions although they do not appear to be commonly recorded.

I found a detailed scientific paper on the Phylogeny of the Family and the divergence on Google. 

Eagles in the backyard

The pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles that are resident in our area have been quite active with regular sightings as they soar around the neighbourhood. Today I noticed the pair had stopped for a break amongst the trees around our orchard which gave me a chance for a couple of long range photos. Unfortunately the amount of foliage and poor lighting didn't help with the quality and the pair took to the air after I had a couple of shots.

 Wedge-tailed Eagles are Australia's largest bird of prey with a wingspan of over 2m and a weight of around 4 kg ranking them high on the list of the world's largest eagles.

They range through most of Australia and southern Papua New Guinea and although they are not listed as a threatened species are totally protected. 

 We feel very privileged to have these majestic birds in our back yard to enjoy their aerial skills as they make the most of the air up-droughts around the hill.

 

unlucky bat

Yesterday when getting the holiday house ready for our family's visit we found an unlucky bat that had managed to get into the house at some point and then been unable to get out.

Being tiny it had dried out and was in good condition which enabled me to make the identification reasonably certain.

There are more than 60 micro-bat species in Australia but quite significant variations in appearance but the large ears or this genera are the identification key.

This one is Nyctophilus geoffreyi Lesser Large-eared Bat which is one of the most widespread of the micro bats.

They generally roost in tree hollows, caves as well as building roof cavities, sheds etc.

Borer result

This little moth was resting on a cushion next to me on the outdoor lounge and as it was one I hadn't seen before it was worth a photo.

The larvae of this species bore into the timber of the Casuarina tree species and the striped wings of the moth would help to hide it in the needle like foliage.

The moth is in the XYLORYCTIDAE family species Catoryctis subparallela with a wingspan about 2.5cm found in Qld, NSW and Victoria.

(almost misidentified, another is very close in appearance)

Out of the firewood

I found this Decora Longicorn Beetle Amphirhoe decora on a window inside of the house and guess that the most likely reason for it being inside is that it came out of the firewood stored ready for our winter fires. This species is known to favour Acacia species and there are quite a few logs of black wattle in the stack. The larvae chew their way through the timber, when mature and pupate and emerge to find a mate.

This beetle is approximately 18mm in length. It is predominantly dark brown in various shades of red and has a white stripe over each of its two wing covers. Its femurs are the largest of all longicorn beetles. As is typical for longicorn beetles, its antennae are extremely long - three times the length of its body.(Wikipedia)

Not a sting in the tail

Checking the pool this morning I found a couple of Water Scorpions or Toe Biters Laccotrephes tristis   in the skimmer box. The pool is not usually their habitat but they seem to fly in at night thinking it is a dam or pond. They look to capture tadpoles, frogs and aquatic insects using their modified forelegs. Once they have secured their prey they bring it to their proboscis and inject an enzyme to liquefy the innards for a slurpee meal.

The long tail which is responsible for the scorpion name, is not a sting but is actually a siphon to breath air, as they wait for a meal to come by, although they can remain submerged for a considerable time. The Toe Biter name comes from those who have had the misfortune to have one of these bugs grab hold and pierce a toe or finger etc causing quite a bit of pain but nothing serious.

 

Square-tailed flyover

On our verandah getting a bit of cooling breeze when a large shadow preceded a young White-bellied Sea Eagle which passed directly overhead but by the time I got back with the camera it had gained height in the updraft and circled out of sight. However as luck would have it a Square-tailed Kite came gliding in on the breeze and gave me enough time for a couple of shots before disappearing over the treeline.

I have previously posted a photo taken from a distance which lacked details of the markings that are good indicators for this species.