One of the many joys of retirement is – sometimes –
the ability to seize the moment. This morning being a potentially propitious
moment (ie not too hot) we two old ladies pottered out to see what we could
find in the red stringybark section of our local nature park. Highlight of the
morning were the Leaden Flycatchers – lots of them, many calling loudly, and
one male still sitting on a neat but fairly exposed nest. The Dollarbirds had
left, but the pardalotes (both species) had come into their own again and were
both vocal and visible. Loads of thornbills and weebills, Yellow-rumps feeding
young. Female Rufous Whistler carrying food. No sittellas that I saw; and
gerygones off site. I saw 35 species – and was bemused by a fellow walker
who opined, “You needn’t have brought your binoculars – there’s
nothing out today”. b
