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.
