Yesterday morning the birds
around the Pegasus Riding School, Holt must have had some arcane warning, as
wild creatures often appear to, that a change of weather was imminent. I saw
several flocks busily making hay, or more to the point, garnering sustenance
while the autumn sun shone.
Over by the yards, a good 20
House Sparrows were feeding around the edges of a scattered heap of horse
apples, seemingly all female and/or immature birds. It’s been a few years
since I’ve seen this number of sparrows so far removed from Westfield
Shopping Town where they can usually be found. Further away 27 Red-rumped
Parrots were pecking on a short-mown sward. As I walked along a track I came
upon 12 European Goldfinches engrossed in a raft of seeding flatweed. I
wondered if there were Double-barred Finches present as they’re usually
thereabouts somewhere. Within minutes I noticed four dusting just off the
track. Twenty-five or so Yellow-rumped Thornbills peppered the ground beneath
eucalyptus regrowth while others, probably Brown Thornbills, accompanied by
Striated Pardalotes combed through the foliage. I saw two more Striated
Pardalotes loitering along guttering as if checking for a nesting site. Back at
the horse yards about 30 Welcome Swallows swooped and dipped while a Willie
Wagtail yo-yoed at a lower level. I could see myriads of midge-like insects
(maybe they were midges) rising in the sunshine. High above I was surprised
(should I have been?) to see c.12 Dusky Woodswallows circling.
As I returned to the car I
witnessed an amusing interlude. Some forty Galahs were feeding in a
paddock when I noticed one of the Pegasus cats, named Idlewilde (no,
don’t know why, could have forgotten to update his name to Kennedy
International J) slinking towards the flock. As he arrived 10m from
the birds they rose and circled calling stridently. Unfazed, Idlewilde
immediately set about digging a little latrine trench and squatted looking as
nonchalant as, well, a nonchalant-acting cat can look. The galahs retired
to spot 100m away while I’wilde, all in his own good time, filled in his
excavation and sauntered homewards. In the same paddock 40-plus Common
Starlings scissored their bills into the horse-cropped pasture. There’s
usually 2-3 Spotted Doves in the area but saw none yesterday. There were,
however. 14 Common Mynas present.
John K. Layton.
Holt.
