And yours too please Penny.
Chris
www.licole.com.au
Sent from my iPhone
> On 21 Aug 2018, at 12:41 pm, Penny Brockman <> wrote:
>
> Dear Wim,
>
> Thanks for your update on things Arctic. I can almost smell the flowers and
> the cold sea. Here in the east of Oz land, particularly NSW and Queensland,
> we are suffering an appalling draught and are dreaming of rain, unfortunately
> still only a dream. Where I live in Gloucester, just north-east of Barrington
> Tops, we are fortunate in that our rivers run from the Tops hanging swamps
> and to date (as far as I know) have never run dry. The Gloucester, Barrington
> and Manning Rivers are all low but still flowing and the river flats are
> green when shaded from wind and frost by trees and are busy and noisy with
> birds. Rain is falling but mainly in the south of the continent.
>
> We have had frost in low lying areas nearly every day since mid July,
> anything from minus 1 to minus 4c., and around Gloucester (100 asl) shrubs
> and small trees such as syzigiums, acacias, ficus and some rainforest
> species planted on the river banks in town have been burnt and look rather
> sad. Hopefully they will sprout once the days get longer and warmer, although
> not too warm please.......like last year's heights of over 40c.
>
> The most exciting bird event here has been the presence of a juvenile
> Black-neck Stork. It has been seen on its own or with a parent or two, Dear
> Wim,
>
> Thanks for your update on things Arctic. I can almost smell the flowers and
> the cold sea. Here in the east of Oz land, particularly NSW and Queensland,
> we are suffering an appalling draught and are dreaming of rain, unfortunately
> still only a dream. Where I live in Gloucester, just north-east of Barrington
> Tops, we are fortunate in that our rivers run from the Tops hanging swamps
> and to date (as far as I know) have never run dry. The Gloucester, Barrington
> and Manning Rivers are all low but still flowing and the river flats are
> green when shaded from wind and frost by trees and are busy and noisy with
> birds. Rain is falling but mainly in the south of the continent.
>
> We have had frost in low lying areas nearly every day since mid July,
> anything from minus 1 to minus 4c., and around Gloucester (100 asl) shrubs
> and small trees such as syzigiums, acacias, ficus and some rainforest
> species planted on the river banks in town have been burnt and look rather
> sad. Hopefully they will sprout once the days get longer and warmer, although
> not too warm please.......like last year's heights of over 40c.
>
> The most exciting bird event here has been the presence of a juvenile
> Black-neck Stork. It has been seen on its own or with a parent or two,
> feeding in the Avon and Gloucester Valleys many times since January, but I
> really can't state 100% for sure that it first saw life in our valley as the
> nest has yet to be found. It is possible the family flew in from the
> Bulahdelah area (over 60km away and nearer the coast) where storks have bred
> successfully for many years, but when I first saw the juvenile at a large dam
> south of Gloucester on 3rd January it had a very fluffy brown neck and looked
> too young for long distance flight. At my next sighting at the same dam on
> 26th March its neck was blackish/brown and no longer fluffy. During this
> sighting it caught 3 eels within 15 minutes, taking 5 minutes each time to
> catch, minipulate to a suitable state and swallow an eel. After this
> substantial meal it walked up onto the dam bank and settled down to digest!
> Since that time storks have been reported many times either in pairs or
> singles at dams up and down the valley, and we saw an adult yesterday flying
> over town.
>
> Higher up in the valleys conditions are happier being sheltered from frosts
> and drying winds. At Woko National Park on the Little Manning yesterday it
> was a different world - green grass, no frost damage and busy bird life.
> Driving there and back the pasture lands were sere, often grazed flat. Many
> farmers have reduced or sold all stock and a dry spring is predicted.
>
> With best wishes, Wim, and keep up your interesting and varied reports from
> the far north.
> Penny
>
>
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