Pardalote Holt: That was February

As I write this, at the end of March, the dry period has finally broken, but in February it was still very dry. Summer in Queensland is supposed to be hot and humid. Violent thunderstorms and massive downpours supposedly characterize the season and it's a time when the tanks and dams fill again and the soil builds its reservoir of moisture to survive the months to come. However, here we are in February, the last month of summer and there's been no appreciable rain. I've had to bring in water as the tanks would have run dry and the dams were probably 4'-5' below their normal levels. Summer is the time for me to plant new stuff in the gardens as the seasonal rains gives it a good start, but not this year. The bush is crackle dry under foot and I'm very wary of fire risk.


The chook's shade shed

The shade shed I built for the chooks last month has proved a success and on the really warm days the birds have had somewhere to hid from the sun during the worst heat of the day. Flushed with my success with my new skill of carpentry I made a quantum leap of confidence and decided to build a new pullet house. Put together with wood from the bargain bin at Bunnings (Australian equivalent of B&Q) and with a roof taken from the remnants of the hail damaged roof after the builders had done, I put together my new pullet house and I'm pretty proud of it.


A pullet house built to survive the storms.

I've used treated timber for the frame, paneled the walls and roof to keep the worst of the heat out and inside there are perches sufficient for a dozen birds.

Rear view showing the nesting boxes.

It comes with ventilation, a slide down entrance and nesting boxes, although seeing it's for pullets the nesting boxes weren't really needed. Talking about the chooks, our friendly breeder Cat Wainright replaced our losses with a new cock and some hens to get the breeding going again. We're trying to breed Blue Faverolles, but it is the nature of the breed that we also get Cuckoo, Black and Splash Faverolles as well, so meet the team...

The new gang comes together

Teddy, the Cuckoo Faverolle Cock, is a really teddy bear of a bird who is quite happy to have a cuddle.

The Black and Cuckoo Faverolle hens.

A Splash Faverolle Cockerel, Susanne's favourite.


and here's Charlotte, a Blue Faverolle Hen and exactly what we are trying to breed.

We collect the eggs and take them over to Cat at Hinterland Poultry who puts them into her incubators. Once the chicks hatch we collect the newborns and bring them back to raise them in our brooders, pullet runs, and once full grown back to Cat's for sale. Sometimes when we pick up the chicks an odd extra gets mixed in, but it's all good fun.


A mix of 3-week old chicks including a Buff Sussex, a Sussex Faverolle cross and a Cuckoo Faverolle enjoy a day out of the brooder in the chick run.

Still, enough about chooks, onto the wild birds...

Regulars (Seen at least 5 times a week)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Bronzewing

Male Common Bronzewing

Dusky Moorhen
Galah
Magpie Lark

Magpie Lark

Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Ducks & Dusky Moorhen

Rainbow Lorikeet
Purple Swamphen
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
Wood Duck

Common (Seen at least twice a week)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Blue-cheeked Honeyeater

Blue Cheeked Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater
Grey Butcherbird
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Olive-backed Oriole
Pale-headed Rosella

Pale Headed Rosella

Pied Currawong
Spangled Drongo

Spotted Turtle Dove
White-throated Gerygone
White-throated Honeyeater
Willie Wagtail

Willie Wagtail

Uncommon (Seen 2-5x per month)

Brown Cuckoo Dove
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Dollarbird
Double-barred Finch
Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike Thrush
King Parrot
Laughing Kookaburra
Leaden Flycatcher
Little Friarbird
Rainbow Bee Eater
Red-backed Fairy Wren
Striated Pardalote
Welcome Swallow

Rare (Seen only once)

Cicadabird
Little Pied Cormorant
Rufous Whistler
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet