Pardalote Holt: Dry.....dry....dry...Cyclone Debbie!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Dry.....dry....dry...Cyclone Debbie!

March and the wet season was still absent without notice, at least until the very end of the month when the tail end of Cyclone Debbie twitched it's tail over the mountain and we got 410 mm of rain over 36-hours! Wet, yes, very, very, wet, but great for ducks...speaking of which! For the last few years we have had a family of Plumed Whistling Ducklings appear on the dam and this year was no different. So despite me being absent at work for much of the month, may I present to you my monthly cuteness collection...

They are a source of pleasure and fretting, as each morning I would anxiously await the ducklings appearance and count them to ensure they all survived. There's all sorts of predators at the Holt, including Lace Monitors, Carpet Pythons, Brown Goshawk and Collared Sparrowhawk, Magpies, crows, Currawongs and eagles. It's a wonder that any clutches survive, but as I write this in early May I am pleased to say that five of the six have almost reached full maturity.

Meanwhile back in the shrubbery we were graced with a new visitor, a Striped Honeyeater. Not only new to the Holt, but a lifer for me, and it's appearance set my scurrying back to the bird books to work out what it was.

A Striped Honeyeater comes to visit.

and for those of you who are less interested in our feathered friends....

A female Eggfly catches some rays.

The common Blue Percher is a regular on the edges of the Lap Swamp.

Gecko love!

Sydney Snake the Carpet Python has taken up residence in the gutters...at least until the Big Wet hit.

Scarlet Percher

Native Paper Wasps

and back to the birds....

Regulars (seen daily)

Australian Magpie
Brown Honeyeater
Common Bronzewing
Double-barred Finch
Galah
Grey Butcherbird
Pacific Black Duck