Super sunrise

A cold front moving across the continent brought overcast sky and one of the best sunrises we have seen this year. It made the loss of our perfect winter weather worthwhile.

Wattles before Wattle Day

As Australia's national flower the wattle is celebrated with a National day on the 1st of September each year, however many of our wattles are coming into flower now and will be finished flowering when their day comes around. So seems appropriate that they should get featured now as they also herald that Spring is just around the corner. We have a number of wattle species native to our area and we have also planted others for their colourful display. There are over 1200 species of wattles, Acacia ranging from small shrubs to large trees and the green of the leaves and gold of the flowers are celebrated in our National sporting colours.

Serious business

An Aussie icon the Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo gigas has a serious side and that is when hunting is top of mind. For the best opportunity to scan for prey a high vantage point is a preferred site and the cross member of a power pole is ideal. This character was busy checking the ground below and just after this photo opportunity dived into a shrub and plucked a tasty caterpillar off a leaf.

The largest of the Australian kingfishers gets its descriptive name from its rollicking laugh that is heard on virtually any film that is set in the Australian Bush. They range through eastern Australia around to South Australia and have been introduced into Western Australia and Tasmania.

House hunting

It is now the time for many birds and animals to start their search for suitable housing to raise next seasons young. Tree hollows created by termites or the termites nest itself are the preferred site for cockatoos, kingfishers, many of the owls, marsupials such as possums and gliders as well as micro bats.
Sites are always in high demand often causing squabbles to breakout between prospective tenants and the pecking order usually sorts out who gets possession. The type and size of the hollow often determines the likely occupants and a site that suited a small parrot may get enlarged as a limb falls and then become more suited to a larger animal. A large eucalyptus in our front paddock had a small nest site that was used by Eastern Rosellas but a recent storm broke off a large section and now it is of interest to a pair of Galahs who were busy inspecting the site today. 

The male checks out the nest potential

Galahs Eolophus roseicapillus are one of the smaller cockatoos and the most widespread, ranging throughout mainland Australia and straying into Tasmania. 

The female keeps a watch on the proceedings

Noisy Friar-bird

Often seen in flocks as they move throughout their range mainly following the flowering of eucalypus trees but today it was just a solitary bird that gave some raucous calls to let me know what tree it was visiting. The Noisy Friar-bird Philemon corniculatus is one of six Friar birds found in Australia and part of the honeyeater family, all are distinguished by the bare black or dark grey skin covering their heads giving them a vulture looking appearance and is responsible for the "Friar" in their common names.

 

The loud raucous calls that are heard whenever they are around are responsible for the 'Noisy" part of the name and the other distinguishing features of this bird are the prominent knob on the forehead and the throat hackles.