FW: [canberrabirds] Flower species identified - nest walk at Campbell park

["Geoffrey Dabb" <>]

Yesterday provided such a shining morning that I joined Jack’s rather large flock for a while at Campbell Park, where the vegetation was in splendid condition.  Not a GREAT variety of birds but the air was full of the tinklings of gerygones and the complaints of leadenish flycatchers.  Sandra Henderson easily won the ‘find the triller nest’ competition.  Jack pointed out a quite unusual nest of a pair of Willie Wagtails, perhaps some special strategic consideration determining its location in this predator playground.  Some people, quite properly, eschew the once-popular practice of nest photography but when 28 people are pointing binoculars at a range of 20m the clicking of a camera shutter from the same distance does not seem all that significant.   Bearing in mind the kb limitations I shall not inflict the series on you but the presumed female on the right was attending the nest when the male on the left arrived from the farm dam bearing two blue damselflies.  Somehow it managed to get just one into the mouth of the nestling on the left, when the female parent seized the other and applied it to the nestling on her side.

 

 

 

From: Jack & Andrea Holland [
Sent: Sunday, 11 November 2012 6:39 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Flower species identified - nest walk at Campbell park

 

Thanks Matt, but I can’t take the credit for finding the flower I’m afraid.

 

Glad you came and hoped you enjoyed it, it was nice to put a face to your postings on the chat line.

 

And lovely to see such young enthusiasm, and many thanks to your dad for encouraging it!

 

Regards

 

Jack Holland

 

From:

Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2012 2:48 PM

To: m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");" title="">

Subject: [canberrabirds] Flower species identified - nest walk at Campbell park

 

Hi All

For those of you who did the walk at Campbell park this morning, you may remember someone (Jack?) holding up a pale peach/purple flower and asking what species it was.  I believe no one at that time new the answer, but I have since found it in a book.  It is a LESSER BROOMRAPE, Orobanche Minor.  A quick Google search will come up with some pictures of it.

Regards, Matt.