Tunnelling time

The first Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus has arrived and is busy tunnelling a nest site and when he is taking a break he perches on a nearby branch, giving distinctive loud calls to attract a mate to check out the nest site.

I am not so sure that he has chosen a good site for the nest as it is in an area where the lace monitors regularly hunt through the summer months and eggs are a favourite food. However I will be interested to see if he finds a mate and they use the site.

Night and daze

A loud bang on a window interrupted our TV viewing last night and on investigation we found a dazed Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides perched on the verandah railing. It was probably swooping on a moth and did not see the window, a problem we often have with birds during the day but this was our first night occurrence.

A few minutes rest and it was off again on its silent hunt for insects, moths, frogs and other night time creatures. They range throughout most of Australia and are often seen in car headlights as they swoop in after their prey and unfortunately many are road kill victims.

During the day they can be seen if you can spot them roosting in a tree looking very much like a broken dead branch.

A Spring arrival

Our unseasonably warm weather has flora and fauna a bit confuse thinking spring has already arrived and today we had a migrant fly in and sing in full voice looking to attract a mate. It didn't give me a clear photo opportunity being content to stay amongst the mistletoe foliage where it blended in to the background.

 The visitor is a Olive-Backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus  which has a range from New Guinea and northern Australia where they are year round residents down through eastern Australia and as far as Adelaide being migrants in the southern parts.

Gigantic Lily's first diner

About twenty years ago we planted what we thought was a Gymea Lily, Doryanthes excelsa but as it grew larger we thought that maybe it was the cousin Doryanthes palmeri Gigantic Lily. The range of this plant is north-east NSW and south-east Queensland where as the Gymea Lily is south-east NSW

 We have been waiting for a flower spike to to appear and this year our first flowering has occurred with a spike about 4m long and the individual flowers are just starting to open. The first to try the  nectar of the flowers was a Lewin Honeyeater.

We also have Gymea lilies in the garden and after only about five years we have a flower spike developing and expect it to be in full bloom in the next month or so.

A sip of nectar

Our wet weather has reduced the opportunities for photos, but a break in the weather today saw butterflies make the most of the opportunity, to feed and try and attract a mate. At this time of year we have large numbers of Common Jezabel butterflies Delias nigrina, busy mating and laying eggs on the new leaves of mistletoe for their lavae to feed on in spring.
You can't miss them when they are on the wing, as the white upper wings contrast with the predominantly black under wing, seemingly flashing on and off as they fly.
A Coastal Banksia Banksia intergrifolia has lots of flower spikes out and they are probing to be a real magnet as feeding stations.

A male flies in to take on nectar that is in plentiful supply from the mass of flowers and shows the brilliant white of the upper wings.

Once on the flower spike it wastes no time before it is sipping its fill and a honey bee also gets in for its share.