Yesterday 12 August, I saw a Buff-banded Rail in my back garden, on the
edge of Gloucester town - the 125th species seen or heard from my house.
It must have flown in during the night and was running up and down the
back wood fence trying to find a way out.
What else has been happening nearby? The recent hot days and increased
daylight has many bird carrying nesting material, from Yellow-rumped
Thornbills building in my neighbour's callistemon, to Bar-shouldered
Doves,White-headed and Crested Pigeons breaking off twigs and carrying
them away to nearby trees. The host of green Satin Bower-birds, with one
adult black male, raid my orange tree and have taken to standing on
branches pecking into the fruit hanging in the tree, since I pick up all
fallen fruit. The two small pools and bird bath bring in many species to
bathe morning and mid afternoon, the regulars are Crimson and Eastern
Rosellas, King Parrots, Magpies, Pee Wees, Yellow, Yellow-rumped and
Brown Thornbills, White-browed Scrubwren, Grey Fantail, Superb
Fairywrens, Red Wattlebirds, Kookaburras, Yellow-faced and Lewins
Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebills, White-headed and Crested pigeons,
Spotted Turtle- and Bar-shouldered doves, the aforesaid Satin
Bowerbirds, an occasional Figbird, Grey Shrike-thrush, Olive-backed
Oriole, Pied Currawong and Pied Butcherbird, once a Collared
Sparrowhawk, and in summer, Sacred Kingfishers. It is hard to get down
to any work when there is such a floor show continuing throughout the
day. Drawbacks are the attacks on newly planted lettuce, stripping
yellow flowers off a newly planted grevillea (made attractive presents
for the female bowerbirds), and a continuing supply of privet and
camphor-laurel seedlings under favourite perches.
Birds that I have missed seeing recenlty are Drongos, usually I see one
or two around town over the winter months. A few Restless Flycatchers
have called, and a Rufous Whistler paid a visit 3 days ago; Golden
Whistlers are still present and Bush Canaries (White-throated Gerygones)
and Shining-broze Cuckoos are calling frantically.
In two weeks my garden will be opened to the local garden club when I
have to give a talk to encourage locals to plant more natives so that
they can also enjoy these riches. It is not only the delight of the
birds that planting a mainly native garden brings but also, once
established, no watering (except my small vegie patch) and very little
grass mowing. Of course I am living in an area that has been blessed
with a lot of rain since September 2008, and all our rivers are flowing
well wiht dams full, not like about three quarters of the rest of NSW.
All for now
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