January 2020 and the Holt sighs in damp relief

Well we finally got some decent rains. The dams have almost filled and some of the shrubs I had frankly written off have surprised me by throwing out green "I'm alive!" shoots. We lost a couple of Tree Ferns, but some younger plants have sprung up in their place, and much too my surprise, the Lilly Pilly (which was doing an impressive impression of a piece of driftwood) has started to green again.

To my surprise the Nankeen Night Heron has stayed on and is still here now. The Great Egret just managed a couple more weeks, but still fun to watch...as the pair of them weighed into my fish stocks!

Gotcha!

Great Egret in mating plumage

Its the blue/green eye piece that shows  us that the bird is 'in the mood'.

Having a preen

Meanwhile our Nankeen Night Heron appears far more active than I have been used to birds of its species, flipping back and forth across the dam and even swimming like a duck.

Nankeen Night Heron has lift off

Stalking for a good hunting spot

Obviously not here..

Maybe act like a duck and the fish won't notice me.

There was also a quick trip up north which produced:

Red-winged Parrot

A Stink bug nymph

Rajah Shelducks

A Dingo bitch

And an Azure Kingfisher

But meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Regular (Seen daily)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater
Bush Turkey
Cicadabird
Common Bronzewing
Common Koel
Double-barred Finch
Forest Kingfisher
Galah
King Parrot
Laughing Kookaburra
Little Corella
Nankeen Night Heron

Nankeen Night Heron

Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Olive-backed Oriole
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Duck

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet

Scarlet Honeyeater
Spangled Drongo
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Honeyeater

Common (Seen Weekly)

Channel-billed Cuckoo
Common Mynah
Grey Shrike-Thrush
Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Uncommon (Seen occasionally)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Brown Thornbill
Crested Pigeon

Crested Pigeons

Dollarbird
Eastern Boobook
Figbird
Great Egret

Great Egret

Intermediate Egret
Little Friarbird
Magpie Lark
Masked Plover
Pale-headed Rosella
Pheasant Coucal
Satin Flycatcher
White-throated Treecreeper

Rare (Seen once)

Australian Ibis
Buff-rumped Thornbill
Little Pied Cormorant
Rainbow Bee Eater
Scaly Breasted Lorikeet
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

And this months Australian mammal is from the way up north, but you see them in the local area as well...

A Dingo

April 2019 and it finally dawns on me...

Every year I expect it to rain in Jan/Feb and every year it rains in April and if it weren't for being able to check back to previous posts I would probably be continuing to expect rain earlier,  As you can gather, April arrived and with it quite a lot of rain.  Great for plants, less great for photographing birds, but I did what I could.

The chooks are doing well, with this years generation rapidly approaching point of lay (and sale).  Here's some of my star pullets.

Gigi

Daphne

Ebony

Gigi again

Daphne again

Daphne and Penny Hen

Despite considerable interest from the Lace Monitors...

A young Lace Monitor

Yeah...I'm watching you.

Just keep away from my chooks!

and onto the natives....

Regulars (Seen daily)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater
Bush Turkey
Common Bronzewing

Common Bronzewing

Double-barred Finch
Galah
Laughing Kookaburra
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Corella
Magpie Lark
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Ducks

Rainbow BeeEater

Rainbow Bee Eaters

More Bee Eaters

Rainbow Lorikeet
Leaden Flycatcher
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Torresian Crow

Torresian Crow looking a little chilly

White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Honeyeater

Common (Seen Weekly)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Eastern Whipbird
Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike-Thrush
King Parrot
Yellow Faced Honeyeater

Uncommon (Seen occasionally)

Eastern Yellow Robin
Golden Whistler

Glamorous male Golden Whistler

Grey Butcherbird
Grey Fantail
Leaden Flycatcher
Little Friarbird
Rose Robin

A pert little female Rose Robin

Scarlet Honeyeater
Silvereye
Striated Pardalote
Welcome Swallow
Willy  Wagtail

Willy Wagtail

White-throated Treecreeper
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Rare (Seen once)

Brown Goshawk
Brown Thornbill

A tiny Brown Thornbill

Little Pied Cormorant
Olive-backed Oriole
Pale-headed Rosella
Scaly Breasted Lorikeet
Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Spotted Turtle Dove
Varied Sitella
White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Amid the deep winter

Let's start with something colourful...

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

This very beautiful butterfly appears each winter. It is rare and unusual in that it only breeds on the Richmond Birdwing Vine, which, as far as I'm aware, isn't growing at the Holt; however, a friendly council ranger has told me that they are growing in profusion in a reserve that is nearby, so we can presume we're getting the wanderers. I shall obtain some of the vines and see if I can get them growing to see whether they will breed here.

Enjoying nectar from a Grevillea.

Another small visitor that appears to be showing up on a regular basis, regular enough for me to declare them breeding residents are the Spotted Pardalote. These charming little birds are between 8 cms - 10 cms long and nest in holes in steep banks, just as their cousin the Striated Pardalote does (after whom we named the house).  This particular bird appears to have become quite used to me and will sit on a nearby branch to see what I'm up to.

Spotted Pardalote

and when I say "spotted"I mean....

The red rump adds a touch of fire to this small woodland bird

and there's nothing like a good stretch

and without further ado, what did we see in July?


Regulars (Seen daily)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Common Bronzewing
Double-barred Finch
Eastern Spinebill

Eastern Spinebill

Galah

Galah

Grey Butcherbird
Grey Fantail

Grey Fantail

Laughing Kookaburra
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Corella
Noisy Miner
Pacific Black Duck

Pacific Black Duck

Peaceful Dove
Pied Butcherbird

Pied Butcherbird singing its lungs out.

Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck
Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet

Restless Flycatcher
Silvereye

Silvereyes & Double-barred Finch (above).

Striated Pardalote
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
White-throated Gerygone
White-throated Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater


Common (Seen Weekly)

Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Golden Whistler

Female Golden Whistler

Grey Shrike Thrush
Noisy Friarbird
Rainbow BeeEater
Rose Robin

Female Rose Robin

Uncommon (Seen occasionally)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Brown Goshawk
Eastern Whipbird
Eastern Yellow Robin
Grey Shrike Thrush
Hardhead

Hardhead

Masked Plover
Olive-backed Oriole

Olive-backed Oriole

Rufous Whistler
Scarlet Honeyeater
Spotted Pardalote

Spotted Pardalote

Varied Sitella
Welcome Swallow
White-throated Treecreeper
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo


Rare (Seen once)


Blue-faced Honeyeater
Buff-rumped Thornbill
Collared Sparrowhawk
Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Fan Tailed Cuckoo

Figbird
Pale-headed Rosella
Red-browed Finch
Shining Bronze Cuckoo
Wedge-tailed Eagle
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Wood Duck

58-species, which is about all for now.

And for the Non-Aussie's here's a piccie of more of the burnt lands amazing fauna courtesy of someone or other (but not me)!

Pair of Eastern Quolls awaiting release