Summers end

The Queensland summer ended on March 1st.  Summer in the sub-tropics is supposed to be hot and wet, well I'm not so sure about the hot, but it was certainly wet.  Following on the theme of big rains in January we were flooded in as the river overflowed at the Guanaba Creek Road bridge for three days this month.  In previous years we have been flooded in perhaps once or twice a year, but in 2012 we've been blocked for 8 days already. The upside of all this rain is that the landscape is green and the plants in the garden growing fast, so fast I've had trouble keeping up with the pruning and strimming. As we reached the last days of the month the rains have continued, although with less intensity and now the creeks, normally dry for most of the year, are happily gurgling their way down the hill.

The flowing creek

The hill is full of little rivulets

The creek sides bordered with Walking Stick Palms

With the increased water since the end of the drought one noticeable difference has been the spread of ferns that now fill the lower end of the main creek bed.  With the ferns has come Eastern Whipbirds and now we appear to have at least a pair that have become residents.

The fern fields

Eastern Whipbird

In the main garden the Grevilleas have started to pick up and are attracting a range of Honeyeaters including Scarlet, Brown, White-throated, Yellow-faced and Lewin's. Some of the fruiting bushes are doing well also, although they don't seem to be attracting many frugivores as yet.

Hairy Pittosporum

And now for the monthly bird lists:

Regulars (Seen x5 per week or more)

Australian Black Duck
Australian Wood duck
Bronzewing
Bar-shouldered Dove
Peaceful Dove
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Galah
Rainbow Lorikeet
Pale Headed Rosella
Noisy Friarbird

Noisy Friarbird

Torresian Crow
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Laughing Kookaburra
Double-barred Finch
Eastern Whipbird
Forest Kingfisher
Welcome Swallow
Brown Honeyeater
Yellow Faced Honeyeater

Common (Sighted at least x2 per week)

Brown Cuckoo Dove
Figbird
Grey Shrike Thrush

Grey Shrike Thrush in full song

Little Friarbird

Litte Friarbird

Bush Turkey
King Parrot
Spangled Drongo
Noisy Miner

Noisy Miner

Olive-backed Oriole
Scarlet-backed Fairy Wren
Variegated Fairy Wren
 
Uncommon (Seen 2-3 times per month)

 Lewin's Honeyeater
White Throated Honeyeater

White-throated Honeyeater

Willie Wagtail
Weebill
Magpie Lark
Mallard Duck
Little Pied Cormorant
Brown Treecreeper
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Wedge-tailed Eagle

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Collared Sparrowhawk
Pacific Baza
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Rare (seen once in the month)

Eastern Yellow Robin

Easter Yellow Robin

Litte Egret
Whistling Duck
Rainbow Bee-eater
Varied Sitella
White-faced Heron
Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Personally I think that 50+ species in the backyard is pretty good.  OK, my backyard is 19-acres, but the rule is I have to see them from the deck, the drive or around the dam.

In the bush there are a host of smaller plants flowering, you have to look for them but there are some real beauties.

Fan Flower with its single petal

Unidentified Orchid?

And in the garden the Gingers have been blooming, not only gorgeous flowers, but great scents at dusk.

Gingers provided by Neil

As we move towards Autumn hopefully things will dry out a bit more, but with climate change and El Nino's who knows, which is the joy of birding and gardening.