Dragonfly Dusk

According to the Australian Government we live in a Sub-tropical zone and therefore we don't have the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter of the temperate zones down south. Instead we simply spit the year in half with a roughly 6-month Wet or Monsoon Season from Nov - Mar and then a Dry Season from April to October. Unfortunately the weather hadn't been included in the memo about this and February was just bone dry. Funnily enough I opened with the same comment about the seasons in February's blog last year, but then we had rain, this year we didn't and the dam levels are still low and I've been keeping a careful eye on the tanks.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of rain, as last year we were hosting huge clouds of butterflies, but this year it was slim pickings. The same species could be seen, but largely as lone individuals rather than flocks.  It's difficult to tell whether this had an effect on the other insects, but certainly there was plenty of evidence of the various varieties of stick insects as the birds seem to be catching them, and one of my favorites, the Pacific Baza that feeds largely on stick insects were certainly seen dancing above the canopy.

One of a family of four Pacific Baza.

Noisy Friarbird beats a stick insect into submission.

The Dragonflies, that have been so rich in numbers and variety over the Christmas period, have started to diminish in number, and the clean up crew of Garden Orb Spiders have been casting their massive webs to pick-up the remaining few.  The Garden Orbs will build webs between trees, sometimes 5 metres or more in diametre, but being very thoughtful spiders they tend to wind them in after sunrise so you don't have to get caught up in them.

A Scarlet Percher in a Garden Orb Weaver's web

and a Tau Emerald going the same way.

An L-spot Basker remains free

Whilst the Red Arrow stays clear of the webs on the shore and enjoys resting over the Milfoil.

An Australian Tiger on a Woolly Frogmouth.

A Garden Orb Weaver dozing through the day in the eaves of the house, until darkness falls and work begins again.

With the grasses going to seed it's been a great time for finches. We only see two varieties at the Holt, but we see plenty of them. I'm particularly pleased at the regular visits from the Red-browed Finches that have been dropping in numbers nationally due to habitat fragmentation.

A Double-barred Finch finds 'Happyland'

A pair of Red-browed Finches at the feeder.

Close-up on a Red-browed Finch.

One afternoon I was making my way up the driveway when I notice a commotion going on at the base of my Elders. At first I could see finches, but it was a White-browed Scrub Wren that was making most of the noise, and what was it all about, well read on...

The Finches were obviously unhappy about something.

They were chattering away...

and glaring down into the grass below...

led on by an extremely vocal White-browed Scrub Wren, and the focus of all this palaver..

Hissing Sid, the Carpet Python.

 At which point we'll move onto the birds

Regulars (Seen on at least five days each week)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Common Bronzewing

A female Common Bronzewing keeping a watchful eye on a Lace Monitor.

Double-barred Finch
Galah
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Plumed Whistling Duck
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red-browed Finch
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
White-throated Gerygone

The White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Honeyeater

A family of White-throated Honeyeaters

Common (Seen on at least two days each week)

Channel-billed Cuckoo
Cicadabird
Laughing Kookaburra
Leaden Flycatcher

A female Leaden Flycatcher

Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Miner

A Noisy Miner just hangin'

Pacific Baza

Pacific Baza dancing over the canopy

Pale Headed Rosella
Pied Currawong
Spangled Drongo

The Spangled Drongo

Striated Pardalote
Welcome Swallow
Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Uncommon (Seen two to five times in the month)

Black Faced Cockoo Shrike
Blue-faced Honeyeater

A Blue-faced Honeyeater scolds the kids...

The kids (they have green eyes).

Crested Pigeon
Eastern Whipbird
Eastern Yellow Robin
Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike Thrush

Grey Shrike Thrush

Feeding junior!

King Parrot
Little Corella
Little Friarbird
Olive backed Oriole
Pied Butcherbird
Rainbow Bee Eater

Rainbow Bee Eater

Red-backed Fairy Wren
Rufous Whistler
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
White-bellied Sea Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle putting the frighteners onto the ducks!

White-throated Treecreeper
Wood Duck

Rare (Seen only once)

Australian Grebe

Although common in the local area this is a very rare sighting of an Australian Grebe at the Holt.

Australian Ibis
Black-faced Monarch

A juvenile Black-faced Monarch

Brown Thornbill
Figbird
Grey Butcherbird
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Wattlebird
Magpie Lark
Rufous Fantail
White-browed Scrubwren

The tiny (but noisy) White-browed Scrubwren

White-headed Pigeon
Willie Wagtail

Which is 61-species, a little down from last year, so perhaps the lack of rains has had an effect. We shall see next month.