Dear all
This is perhaps the best time of year to be in Gloucester. The
Bottlebrushes are coming into flowers (little gum blossom as yet) and my
mulberry tree is heavy with unripe fruit. Rain over the past few weeks
has brought on all the growth, frogs are noisy, mozzies active and birds
everywhere.
The best sighting so far was yesterday 10.30am Sunday 3rd Oct when a
Channel-billed Cuckoo flew low over my garden closely pursued by 2
Little Raven - loud squawks from all three. I'd heard one at 8am but
this was a fantastic sight. A local sheep farmer tells me he heard his
first Channel-billed about 2 weeks ago in Barrington village area.
Other long time absences have been Scarlet Honeyeaters, back in the
bottlebrush flowers, and Pheasant Coucal calling from 26th Sept, Leaden
Flycatcher calling and a Shining-bronze Cuckoo flew into my neighbour's
window (dead) on 27th. Up to 15 green Satin Bower-birds visit the
birdbath everyday, along with Magpies, Lewin's Honeyeaters, Eastern &
Crimson Rosellas, green King Parrots, Red Wattlebirds, Spotted
Turtle-doves, Crested Pigeons and Noisy Friarbirds, and I have to fill
it daily with all the energetic splashing that goes on. Both Fantail and
Shining-bronze cuckoos have been very noisy.
A juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle has been around lately and a Little
Corella flew into a small wattle in my back garden on 26th and was
promptly seen off by a Red Wattlebird.
The two Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes that were building a nest in a nearby
gum have deserted. My 3 resident Magpies flew into the tree, one
landing beside the half-built nest. It looked at the nest but didn't
touch it and then flew off after the BFCS both attacked. I didn't see
any further nest building action and two days later I noticed the nest
was falling apart. Then a female Figbird landed beside it and removed
some of the material.
Spring has really sprung in Gloucester!
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
