Pardalote Holt: Hot and sticky patches with more hot and stickiness to come...

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