Let me make it clear from the outset that I’m not suggesting this as a new
thread, but I did see some really good birds while I was having my hair cut
yesterday.
My hairdresser is Eileen at Chez Jolly, on the back verandah at Abberton, and
she doesn’t mind if I keep my binoculars handy throughout, just so long as I
don’t move my head too sharply without warning. Which did prove somewhat
difficult during my four o’clock appointment yesterday afternoon.
The first interruption was a Grey Goshawk, which was causing an evident stir
along the creekside before flying into a big wattle right across from us. I
usually take my camera to the hairdresser’s too, and I got off a couple of
shaky shots before being snapped back to position in the chair. Four pm is a
good time of day for action in the birdbath, and both the bath and the adjacent
rockpool were simply buzzing with birds, often four or five species together
including Variegated Fairywrens, Speckled Warbler, Striated Pardalote,
White-throated Honeyeaters, Scarlet Honeyeater, Rufous Whistler, Yellow
Thornbills, Yellow-billed Thornbills, Double-barred and Zebra Finches, a couple
of recently returned Grey Fantails, plus various finches – lots of garden
passerines.
A boldly barred Shining Bronze-Cuckoo dropped into the eucalyptus behind the
birdbath, but didn’t venture down to the water. All up, more than 30 species
from the verandah during the course of the haircut. A great diversion during
one of life’s tedious but necessary tasks.
On Wednesday afternoon we had a couple of Black Falcons doing circuits here
with a Peregrine Falcon above. An Australian Hobby and White-bellied Sea-eagle
were here on Tuesday. We presently have one, sometimes two, Southern Boobooks
roosting in the garden, and today, Friday, a brightly coloured immature
Black-faced Monarch is around the garden, as they often are in August, and a
Brush Cuckoo is calling loudly and persistently.
Also on Tuesday, a late-ish Latham’s Snipe locally, Azure Kingfisher, and
elsewhere in the valley two groups of Ground Cuckoo-shrikes, Black-necked Stork
and Swamp Harrier.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
(27º 34' 21" S; 152º 08' 21" E)
Visit our website at www.abberton.org
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