Pardalote Holt: 2015

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

November

It's one of those oddities in life, how memory plays tricks on you. We've had some really hot days this November, pushing past the 40 degree mark, and if you asked me at the time I would have said that summer had arrived early, but looking back on previous posts it was exactly the same last year. It was hot, the dams were low, and the chooks were suffering in the heat. Perhaps next year I'll check with my posts beforehand and then I can be a little more prepared.

With the warmer weather came the Dragonflies and I've begun to get a glimpse of just how many species there are and how beautiful some of them can be. In a moment of imprudence I splashed out on the CSIRO's The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia and am now beginning to get the hang of identifying them, I have to admit, it ain't easy. The guides' photographs are not always brilliant and the accompanying notes often refers to parts of the insects anatomy that I was completely unaware of. Still, they are beautiful beasties and can be quite obliging to the photographer as many will sit happily on a perch whilst I find my focus. Some species of Dragonflies prefer to sit on vegetation, whilst others prefer rocks or dry ground and only a few (thankfully) rarely stop at all. The first trick is to differentiate between Dragonflies and Damselflies. The former tend to be larger, have eyes that touch and sit with wings stretched out,

This Graphic Flutterer is a good example of a Dragonfly. Eyes almost touching and wings spread.

whilst Damselflies tend to have separated eyes and sit with wings laid back along the lengths of their bodies.

Whereas this little fellow is a classic Damselfly with separated eyes and wings held along the line of the body.

I will stress that these are general rules and certain species ignore them.

A Scarlet Percher - Dragonfly

This shot is a little unusual as the Scarlet Percher is one of those dragonflies that prefers to rest on rocks.

An Emerald Tau - Dragonfly

The Emerald Tau is one of those beautiful, but annoying Dragonflies that rarely seems to land.

Southern Whitetip - Damselfly

The Southern Whitetip is a Damselfly that ignores the normal rules and perches with it's wings spread, but still has the separated eyes.

Black-headed Skimmer - Dragonfly

Skimmers appear to prefer to rest on foliage.

Scarlet Percher - Dragonfly

A Scarlet Percher, where it should be, on a rock.

Blue Skimmer - Dragonfly

and a Blue Skimmer perching on a reed.

Billabongfly - Damselfly

These Billabongflies are mating, but have the classic separated eyes indicating they are Damselflies.

female Blue Skimmer - Dragonfly

It seems quite common that females appear in a yellow colour.

Yellow & Black Flutterer - Dragonfly

The Yellow & Black Flutterers are a common species and can often be seen in swarms riding thermals.

Fairy Wisp - Damselfly

Classic Damselfly, this Wisp has separated eyes and is sitting with its wings folded along the body.

Orange Threadtails - Damselfly

Orange Threadtails mating.

L-spot Basker - Dragonfly

and the unusually named L-spot Basker.

At which point we'll move onto the birds.

Regulars (seen at least 5 days in the week)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Bronzewing
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Double-barred Finch
Galah
King Parrot

Male King Parrot

Laughing Kookaburra
Little Corella
Little Friarbird
Noisy FriarbirdOlive-backed Oriole
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck

A group of Plumed Whistling Ducks taking it in turns at the water fountain on the pump raft,

Rainbow Lorikeet
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
White-throated Gerygone

Common (Seen at least twice a week)

Pale Headed Rosella
Noisy Miner
Spangled Drongo
White-throated Honeyeater
Wood Duck

Uncommon (Seen two to five times during the month)
Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Brown Cuckoo DoveBrown Honeyeater
Collared Sparrowhawk

Collared Sparrowhawk

Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike Thrush

The Grey Shrike Thrush - dull colours but an amazing voice.

Red-backed Fairy Wren
Welcome Swallow
White-faced Heron

White-throated Treecreeper

Rare (Seen only once)

Buff-rumped Thornbill

A Buff-rumped Thornbill

Common Mynah
Crested Pigeon

Crested Pigeon

Dollarbird
Eastern Yellow Robin

A pair of Eastern Yellow Robins that have successfully mated and now have two fledglings.

Figbird
Leaden Flycatcher
Satin Flycatcher
Southern Boobook
White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Which totals 50-species, well below last year, but I have been busy with guests and work so I haven't spent quite as much time in the garden. Let's see what happens in December.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Hot and sticky patches with more hot and stickiness to come...

October swings in again and as with last year its been a real taster of an expected hot summer to come. I noted that 12-months ago I was reporting temperatures reaching 38 degrees in the shade, and the same happened this year. I've learned how to handle the heat in regards to the chooks and now we rarely suffer heat casualties; however, it was a dreadful period for our flocks as in quick succession we lost Mathilde and Mandy to Eagles, Brutus to an escaped dog, Francois to old age and 'Ercule to a mystery wasting disease. To add the misery in regards to the chooks we've had a lousy year in terms of hatches with barely 10% of our incubator batches hatching. On the other side of the fence our birds have done a little better with the natural method and we currently have five chicks that have come out from beneath a chicken instead of a heat lamp. Hopefully things will improve.

Wee Em's three chicks.

Back at the house we've had the fun and frustration of playing host to Wonk, a mischievous Brush-tailed Possum that has taken to stealing into the kitchen after dark and helping himself to apples and bread. Now I've no concerns about providing a bit of tucker to one of our furry friends, but twice he's managed to turn the hot tap on as he left, almost draining our tanks. We've now solved the problem with a rubber band around the tap and leaving a chopped apple for him outside. I have to admit, he's a cute little beggar.

Wonk lurking under the kitchen table

Not happy with my presence he ambles over to the dishwasher...

and up he goes onto the working surface...

perhaps not as gracefully as he'd intended...

and then it's off into a hiding place...

...behind the mug tree...

Where I give him an apple for his efforts.

Outside the warm weather has brought the Dragonflies and Damselflies back with a vengeance. The Lap Swamp in particular appears "abuzz" with both Dragonflies and Damselflies flitting back and forth across the calm waters.

An Orange Threadtail

A Blue River Damsel

An Eastern Billabongfly

A Scarlet Percher

The very pretty Emerald Tau

and onto the birds

Regulars (seen at least 5 days in the week)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Bronzewing
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Double-barred Finch