Dear All,
We have had a marvellously WET Christmas with 155mm in my rain gauge
over that 5 days. It hardly rained from 30th to 1st but today we've had
22mm and now the sun is out again and the humidity rising fast.
Birds have reacted with heaps of activity, many feeding fledglings
(Dollarbirds, Red Wattlebirds, Silvereyes, White-browed Scrubwrens,
Superb Wrens, Yellow Thornbills, Eastern Spinebills, Galahs,
Yellow-tailed Black Cockies), with juveniles feeding themselves - after
the delightful sighting of a juvenile Black-eared Cuckoo on 8th Dec, a
juvenile Leaden Flycatcher flitted around the garden yesterday and
seemed a bit confused at how to wag its tail, up and down or side to
side, should it be spread or tight?
A pair of Koels flew in this morning straight to my neighbour's fig tree
where the figs are just beginning to ripen. They made comforting soft
noises to each other while feeding, a change from the usual cacophony of
the female in particular.
Down on the Avon Wetlands with the river up to the top of its banks but
not overlowing although all drainage lines are full, at 3.30pm yesterday
1.1.10 saw two Latham Snipe and two Black-winged Stilt along with lots
of Grey Teal and Black Duck. No Hardheads or Shovelers. I guess the
snipe are back as the new landholder of this area has had it slashed
with fresh drainage ditches cut out and the rain has turned much of it
to sludge with cattle cutting it up more. Before this it was metres high
in grasses and reeds with no mud showing at all. We also have 4
White-necked Herons in the valley but no sign of the Chestnut-breasted
Mannikins.
Happy birding and Happy New Year to all birding-aussers.
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