I enjoyed the recent thread on favoured Black Cockie food sources.
We had Red-tailed Black Cockatoos here on Monday, and on Tuesday Glossy
Black Cockies were feasting in she-oaks just a few hundred metres from home.
The Glossy Blacks were feeding in Allocasuarina littoralis, which has a much
bigger seed-head than Casuarina cunninghamiana which is also quite common
around here. Allocasuarina torulosa is another local she-oak, and we've got
all three at Abberton.
Red-tailed Blacks get into the cunninghamiana sometimes, but I can't say
with certainty that I've seen them feeding. They mostly pursue the fruit of
the White Cedars. I'll watch with increased diligence, including keeping an
eye out for right or left-footedness, and report back.
A lot of raptors are about. A Whistling Kite took a Magpie-lark from the
side of the creek yesterday and retired nearby to enjoy the meal, and
shortly after we had the breath-taking sight of two huge adult Wedge-tailed
Eagles very low over the garden, just twisting about, looking around them,
and then eventually circling up above the house, above the trees, and
eventually above everything else in the valley - all without a single flap
of the wings. Peregrine Falcon, Hobby, Black Falcon, Brown Falcons,
White-bellied Sea-eagle, Little Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Nankeen
Kestrel and Black Kite - all around in the last week.
Our Autumn birds are now supplemented by several Grey Fantails, a very
welcome addition to the garden. Two Eastern Yellow Robins have moved in
recently, as they do at this time of year, and the occasional White-bellied
Cuckoo-shrike has been appearing. We are on standby now for Rose Robins and
Red-capped Robins, which usually make their first appearance in April.
Although they are resident here, and not seasonal, it was still a treat to
see five Speckled Warblers poking around in the litter yesterday.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at http://www.abberton.org
Email:
Ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111 Fax: (+61) 7 4697 6056
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