Even drier November

The November and December reports have been delayed, partly due to my laziness and partly due to Christmas and extreme weather events (Cyclone Oswald) so I apologise, but hopefully today I'll put things back on track.

This year (2012) Novemember was dry, really dry, following the theme set in October. The only gardening that I was able to do was a little tidying up.  Cutting the remains of the grass would just kill it off and it's pointless planting anything as I'd be forever watering it to keep it alive.  Some of my newer plants have already turned a crispy brown and will need replacing when the rains come.

Despite the dry there have been a lot of Cane Toads about, perhaps anticipating the wet season to come.  At night they seem attracted to the lights of the house, presumably because the lights attract insects.  The other frogs have been noticeably quiet on the dams.

Cane Toads under the Cumquats.

In the henhouse things have moved on after our tragedy in October.  Joy and Isha have shared their eggs and the result is our first hatching, six lovely little chicks.  They are cross breeds of course, mums are Silver Sussex and the father (Pierre Le Coq) a Salmon Faverolle, so we have no idea as to what they'll turn out like when fully grown.  The chicks are black like the Sussex, but some have the extra claw and feathered legs of the Faverolle so it will be interesting to see how they develop.

Joy taking care of two of the new arrivals

Mum and the chicks in the chick house

We ordered new Salmon Faverolle chicks, and they arrived at the end of the month.  Unfortunately the individual who sold us the brooder also supplied sawdust for the floor and this turned out to be unwashed sawdust and full of fine dust particles.  We discovered to our horror that the dust particles caused respiratory problems and within 10-days all of the new Faverolle chicks had died despite my best efforts to save them.  It was one of the most gut wrenching periods of my life, nursing the chicks almost hourly and watching another die each day.  The last in particular fought for so long to stay alive I was devastated when it finally died.  I suppose that if you are going to keep chooks you just have to toughen up and expect these things to happen, but it was sad nonetheless.  We ordered another brood from Cat the chook lady and have taken steps to ensure this doesn't happen again.

On to the birds of the month...


Regulars (seen at least x5 per week)

Bar-Shouldered Dove
Bronzewing
Brush Turkey
Double-barred Finch
Galah
Magpie Lark
Mallard Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Currawong
Rainbow Lorikeet
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Immature Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Torresian Crow
Welcome Swallow
Wood Duck
Yellow Faced Honeyeater


Common (at least twice a week)

Australian Magpie
Dollarbird
Forest Kingfisher

Forest Kingfisher

Laughing Kookaburra

Little Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird
Pale-headed Rosella
Spangled Drongo

Uncommon (seen 2-3 times in the month)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Brown Cuckoo Dove
Brown Honeyeater
Eastern Whipbird
Grey Shrike Thrush
King Parrot
Olive Backed Oriole
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scarlet-backed Fairy Wren
Spotted Turtle Dove
Variated Fairy Wren
White-throated Honeyeater

White-throated Honeyeater

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Rare (seen only once)

Australian Ibis
Leaden Flycatcher
Little Black Cormorant
Noisy Miner
Pied Butcherbird
Scarlet Honeyeater
Wedge-tailed Eagle

Wedge-tailed Eagle which I snapped from a Hot Air Balloon

White-breasted Treecreeper
White faced Heron

 Which is 46 species, not a great month in terms of variety, but still plenty of birds for me to enjoy watching.