Sad events that happened in NSW over the holiday period, but certainly nice
to hear nature now fighting back and re-growth should only help with the
birds getting even more abundant.
Have fun spotting
KA
on 15/2/02 9:46 PM, Carol Probets at wrote:
> Six weeks after the bushfires and the bush is bursting with new life.
> Blackened trunks clothed in fresh green epicormic foliage, masses of new
> growth sprouting from underground lignotubers, leafy new waratah stems
> already a metre tall, tiny banksia seedlings...
>
> Walking in burnt heathland near Wentworth Falls today, everywhere I looked
> amongst the blackened stems and branches were all kinds of woody seed
> capsules opened up and releasing a multitude of seeds. Banksias, isopogons,
> petrophiles, hakeas, allocasuarinas... you could pick any branch at random
> and pluck out dozens of seeds - seeds already peeking out of gaping
> capsules. I shake a branch of a mallee eucalypt laden with nuts, and tiny
> seeds rain onto the ground below. A real smorgasbord for seed-eating birds,
> so it was not surprising to find Crimson Rosellas and Red-browed Finches
> abundant in the burnt areas. There were also Beautiful Firetails here and
> there and at one stage it was a delight to have a Red-browed Finch and a
> Beautiful Firetail together in the same binocular view.
>
> After looking closely at the allocasuarinas it's easy to see why there have
> been a few reports of Glossy Black-Cockatoos turning up in unburnt areas
> where they are not usually seen. Their specialised feeding habits would
> make things difficult for them in the burnt areas (unlike the finches who
> can just pluck the seeds out of the opened valves). Most of the
> allocasuarina seeds seem to have already fallen out of the cones and I
> think the ones that haven't would soon fall out when the bird tries biting
> into it, which I suppose is why Glossies usually feed from unopened seed
> cones.
>
> Apart from the seed-eaters, there is no shortage of Brown Thornbills and
> White-browed Scrubwrens within the burnt areas, and White-throated
> Treecreepers, a Pilotbird and a Superb Lyrebird could be heard calling
> today. The odd unburnt Banksia serrata is obviously providing enough
> flowers for a few honeyeaters.
>
> Late this afternoon I stood on top of the rocks enjoying the solitude on
> Kings Table and a small group of about ten White-throated Needletails
> whooshed past my ears, heading east towards Sydney.
>
> Cheers
> Carol
>
>
> Carol Probets
> Katoomba
> Blue Mountains NSW
>
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>
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