Pardalote Holt: A dry winter month...at last!

After all the rain in the first quarter it has been quite a relief to have a dry month, which is the way that it's supposed to be at this time of year (Winter) in Queensland. Overall we've had warm dry days with the temperatures rising to the mid-twenties and cool evenings with the thermometer reading down to 7 degrees, which although freezing to your native coastal Queenslander is still mild to a Pom like myself.

Winter is an interesting time of year for the garden here as most plants slow their growth whilst others burst into bloom. It's a period when I actually feel as if I'm winning the battle against the Kangaroo Grass and the Blue Billy Goats weed as I spend long hours with the brush cutter on the weekend. But the real bonus at this time of year is the Grevilleas coming into flower and several plants fruiting, which brings in a host of small birds and keeps the possums happy.

Grevillea

There are a huge variety of Grevilleas, but they all share the same traits of being highly attractive to Honey Eaters for their nectar and to Lorikeets for their pollen. For those of you who are thinking of planting Grevilleas the good old Honeygem is hard to be beaten as reliable and popular with the birds, but the two that really attract and retain the Honeyeaters are the Marmalade and Firesprite Grevilleas.

Another favourite amongst the Honey Eaters are the Banksia's that, like the Grevilleas, come in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes.

Banksia flower

Banksia seed pods

Banksia bush

The candle like flowers on this Banksia grow to almost a foot long.

Banksia flowers

These gorgeous 'Roman Candles' give a Christmassy feeling to the garden.

Poison Peach

A native that a range of birds adore is the Poison Peach, which is apparently poisonous to cattle, but adored by Honeyeaters and in particular Lewin's Honeyeaters are over this bush constantly. Other fruits that ripen at this time of year are figs, which are much loved by the possums, and each morning there's a fresh pile of half munched fruit beneath the trees.

Possum chomped figs

On the ornamental non-native front (rare in my patch) the gingers are dying back, but this Costa Rica Beehive Ginger has decided to go against the season and bloom anyway.

Beehive Ginger

On the birding front its the time for the small birds. The Honeyeaters are busy in the Grevilleas and we see mixed flocks of Varied Sitella, Rufous and Gold Whistlers, Silver Eyes and Thornbills. A good set of bino's is handy as most of these small birds flitter about at the treetops, but I have been very gratified to see that my planting has been a success and increasingly we are seeing more at shrub level near the house.

The 'shrubbery' below the deck.

This months birds....

Regulars (Seen at least x5 days per week)

Pacific Black Duck
Wood duck
Mallard Duck
Bronzewing
Bar-Shouldered Dove
Peaceful Dove
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Rainbow Lorikeet


Let's just cuddle up...


...or if there's food involved...

Galah
Eastern Spinebill
Brown Honeyeater
Lewin's Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Double-barred Finch
Noisy Miner
Noisy Friarbird
Grey Fantail

Grey Fantail

Torresian Crow
Australian Magpie

Australian Magpie

Pied Currawong
Pied Butcherbird

Immature Pied Butcherbird

Butcherbird (Dad!)

Rainbow Bee Eater
Magpie Lark
Laughing Kookaburra
Bush Turkey
Welcome Swallow
Willie Wagtail

Common (Seen at least twice a week)

Brown Cuckoo Dove
Eastern Yellow Robin

Eastern Yellow Robin

Pale Headed Rosella
Brown Cuckoo Dove
Eastern Whipbird
Golden Whistler

Golden Whistler

Rufous Whistler

Female Rufous Whistler

Male Rufous Whistler

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Black-faced Shrike Thrush
Grey Shrike Thrush
Variated Fairy Wren
Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Uncommon (Seen x2 - x3 per month)

Grey Teal

Grey Teal with Pacific Black Duck

Grey Teal

Glossy Black Cockatoo
King Parrot
Pied Cormorant
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Silvereye
Spangled Drongo
Varied Sitella
Weebill

Rare (Seen once in the month)

White-bellied Sea Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Mistletoe Bird
Satin Flycatcher
Little Egret
White-faced Heron


White-faced Heron

Straw-necked Ibis
Scarlet Honeyeater
White-headed Pigeon

Which is 55-species seen in May, not bad for one back yard!

So as the sun drops down over Mount Tamborine and the last rays of light graze the tips of the Kangaroo Grass under the gums...