Summer rains arrive...

 December comes and so does the rain, the heat and the storms, but overall we didn't do too badly.  The storms were relatively mild and the rain heavy enough to give the parched soil a good drink. The wallabies certainly appreciated it and throughout the month we were graced by a number of Red-necked Wallabies grazing on the fresh shoots on the dam wall.

Red-necked Wallaby trying out the fresh grass on the dam wall.

and trying out a bit of vine growing through a Bougainvillea.

One area of fascination for me was the family of Pacific Black Duck that appeared on the dam on the last day of November.  Initially there were ten ducklings, but within a couple of days that dropped to seven. I have no idea what got them, but the list of possible assassins is long. Snakes, Lace Monitors, Hawks, Falcons, Harriers, Kookaburras and foxes are but a few of the potential killers. Towards the end of the month Mom and the seven ducklings disappeared for a week and when they reappeared there were six.  Within a couple more days they were down to four, but now, a month later the remaining four would appear to be large enough to be able to fend for themselves and I've been watching them flapping their wings in preparation for flight.

The original ten.

By now at a week or so, down to seven but gaining in confidence.

2-weeks and growing fast.

At 3-weeks. A favourite spot was a bale of straw I'd put in the dam to lower the algae levels.

Still young enough to get under Mom.

Even if it was a bit of a squeeze.

I loved watching them dabble in the shallows.

By week 4 they were growing fast.

A wave of ducklings picking up the clearings beneath the feeder.

Still only half the size of Mom, but now  looking like the real thing.

New years day and we have 5-ducklings left.

Of course, it's very sad that so many didn't survive, but that's nature for you.  Those that have survived have given me great pleasure and I'm looking forward to seeing them fly, although when they do I probably won't recognise them when and if they return.

Whilst the ducklings have been growing the Purple Swamphens have continued their laborious nest building. They eventually built 5-nests, but have returned to the first, which they are now focusing a lot of effort on.

No wonder my dam wall is looking so bare.

No leaf too large.

The Swamphens have been real troopers. In January we had a a lot of rain and at one point the dams began to overflow.  Throughout the 48-hours or so whilst the water levels were rising one of the Swamphens was sitting on the nest, so the other just kept beavering away trying to keep the nest above the surface of the water.  Its efforts were enormous and I was greatly relieved that when the water levels finally began to fall it had been successful and the nest was still dry, albeit with an 18" climb to get into it!

It's that time of year when a lot of juveniles begin to appear, especially amongst the parrot population and so we've been treated to visits from juvenile Cockatoos, Galahs, Pale-headed Rosellas and King Parrots.  The Wallabies appear to be carrying young as well, so it's obviously the time of rebirth for the land as the rains come and provide the necessary growth for the wildlife to flourish. It's also the time when a lot of interesting mushrooms and toadstools appear.

Pink and shaggy

Virgin white

Soft ochres

Forests of toadstools on a mulch heap.

Bright orange fungi growing from the bark of fallen branches.

This was taken at about 8 am, interesting collar.

By 4pm it was twice the size and had umbrella'd out.

Still, enough about fungus, onto the monthly bird round up.

Regulars  (seen at least 5 days in the week)

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

Family of Galahs with a juvenile in the centre.

Little Corella

Little Corellas in the Silky Oak

Olive-backed Oriole
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Ducks on the water.

Purple Swamphen

Water off a duck's (or in this case a Purple Swamp Hen) back.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet

Spangled Drongo

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the Silky Oak.

Torresian Crow
Variegated Fairy Wren

Male Variegated Fairy Wren in the Bougainvilleas.

White-throated Gerygone
White-throated Honeyeater
Wood Duck
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
 
 Common (Seen at least twice a week)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike

Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike Thrush

Grey Shrike Thrush with a Cicada in beak.

King Parrot
Laughing Kookaburra
Little Friarbird
Magpie Lark
Noisy Friarbird
Pale Headed Rosella

Family of Pale-headed Rosella, juvenile in the middle.

Pied Butcherbird
Red-browed Finch

Uncommon (Seen two to five times during the month)

Crested Pigeon
Dollarbird
Eastern Yellow Robin
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Pied Cormorant
Noisy Miner
Red-backed Fairy Wren

Juvenile male (above) and female Red-backed Fairy Wrens

Swamp Harrier
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Welcome Swallow
White-headed Pigeon
White-throated Treecreeper
White-faced Heron

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Rare (Seen only once)

Azure Kingfisher
Brown Cuckoo DoveCollared Sparrowhawk
Eastern Whipbird
Leaden Flycatcher
Mallard

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Willie Wagtail

Which tots up to 56-species.A drop of four species from last year, which is surprising as the land has now fully recovered from the hail storm on Nov 2013.