Pardalote Holt: October 2014

As far as birds go this has been an exciting month for me as on several days I scored in the mid-forties on the birding list, but although the lists were different every day I couldn't quite get the tally up to fifty. Having said that I had immense fun trying! September is a good month for birding around here. A lot of birds are mating and the summer migrants such as Drongos, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Dollarbirds and Pacific Baza are beginning to appear. At the same time the Grevilleas are in full bloom, so there wasn't a day when you wouldn't see them busy with honeyeaters, especially the beautiful Scarlet Honeyeaters and Eastern Spinebills. The critters have been active as well. The mob of Red-necked Wallabies that live on our hill have been very visible and there's been hardly an evening pass without the growl of a male Koala rumbling out of the bush.


Koala sitting on a She-Oak, but holding onto a gum (you can see the claw marks)

Red-necked Wallaby on the dam wall.

Whilst it's a great month for birding, it's the time of the year to sit back and enjoy the gardening. The ground is too dry to cut the grass and it's too far away from the wet season to consider planting much, but its the time of year when the flowers really beam. The Grevilleas are at their peak providing much welcome nectar to the honey-eaters and pollen to the lorikeets, whilst the Bougainvilleas are flowering for all their worth, adding swathes of colour.


Bougainvilleas on the dam wall - spot the duck!

Lilies on the Lap Swamp

A Wattle, David's Tree is just full of blossom and buzzing with native honey bees.

More lilies on the Lap Swamp.

For those of you who remember the last post, one of our Blue Faverolle hens, Emily, was attacked and gored by a Wedge-tailed Eagle. It was touch and go whether she would survive, but after a lot of iodine and TLC she has recovered and is now laying again. One of her wings is injured and she'll probably never have the full use of it again, but hens aren't much on flying anyway.

Emily on the road to recovery in the chick nursery.

And so, onto the birds...

Regulars (seen at least 5 days in the week)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Bronzewing
Double-barred Finch

Double-barred Finch

Eastern Spinebill

Galah

Galahs in a romantic moment

King Parrot

Sparky the King Parrot

Laughing Kookaburra
Little Corella

Snowy the Little Corella

Little Friarbird
Magpie Lark
Noisy Friarbird

Olive-backed Oriole
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove

Peaceful Dove skittering through the leaf litter

Pied Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck
Purple Swamphen

Rainbow Lorikeet
Scarlet Honeyeater

Female Scarlet Honeyeater

Striated Pardalote
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Welcome Swallow
White-throated Gerygone
Wood Duck
Torresian Crow

Common (Seen at least twice a week)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Dusky Moorhen

Dusky Moorhen

Eastern Yellow Robin

Forest Kingfisher

Forest Kingfisher & Blue-faced Honeyeaters

Grey Butcherbird

Grey Butcherbid

Grey Shrike Thrush
Leaden Flycatcher
Noisy Miner

Noisy Miner

Pale Headed Rosella

Pale-headed Rosella

Red-backed Fairy Wren

Red-backed Fairy Wren in full song

Silvereye
Variegated Fairy Wren
Wedge-tailed Eagle
White-throated Honeyeater
White-throated Treecreeper
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Uncommon (Seen two to five times during the month)

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater
Crested Pigeon
Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Fan Tailed Cuckoo

Figbird
Golden Whistler

Lewins Honeyeater
Mallard
Rainbow Bee Eater
Red-browed Finch


Red-browed Finch - great brows!

Rufous Whistler
Spangled Drongo
Varied Sitella
White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike

Rare (Seen only once)

Black-faced Monarch

Black-faced Monarch

Brown Cuckoo Dove
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Whipbird
Little Egret
Pacific Baza
Pheasant Coucal
Red-rumped Parrot

Red-rumped Parrot

Straw-necked Ibis
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-headed Pigeon

Which gives us a grand total of seventy species. You know, at the time I was convinced it would be more, but I know that there were a heck of lot more birds about in general, so that's probably the reason. I shall leave you with my favourite photo of the month...