29.12.04
Female Mistletoebird - Lovely observation on this day of the bird
gathering plant-down from the branchlet of a eucalypt directly above
my head. Vocalising steadily, she gathered the fluff-strand/s to her
beak rather in the way that carnies used to spin fairy-floss away
from the mass and onto a stick.
1.1.05
Maned/Wood Duck - The pair presently living on our place have had
seven ducklings. We've been watching them closely, as last year's
brood of 14 were all predated. However, these parents seem to have
enough nous to keep the chicks under cover, & never stray far from
shrubbery. They also keep a longer distance from us than when it's
just the two adults alone.
An unexpected sight on this day, though, was -- we came
around the corner of a row of cypresses, unintentionally catching the
whole family of ducks by surprise. Immediately, the nine birds
pressed themselves to the ground & became startlingly cryptic. The
parents lay with necks extended, & eyes large & alert. The seven
youngsters were grouped, at an apex to the parents' two pointing
beaks, & around the father's head; indeed, one was under his neck &
another lay almost beneath his shoulder. Though all birds were
absolutely still, the father emitted a steady, low 'murmuring'.
As they were in shade with a little dappling, the patterns of
the parents & stripes of the chicks, & the overall pattern/speckle of
the group, as well as the still postures & 'uncharacteristic' pose of
the parents, made them almost invisible. Certainly they couldn't be
seen from the sky, either, as they were under a low-slung tree.
We continued walking & took to gardening some distance off.
We worked our way further & further from them. But they did not move
a muscle until we were 'out of sight'.
J
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judith L-A
S-E Qld
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