The merry month of May and winter nips

Other side of the world and everything is reversed. May in the UK is when we expect the promise of summer, whilst May in Queensland offers the dry nip of winter.  It's the beginning of my favourite season with warm dry days and cool nights that sometimes get chill enough to warrant wearing a jumper.  The locals take a more extreme approach and start wearing scarves and long coats, but despite having been here over 15-years now I haven't acclimatized to that extent...yet.

Not only does the weather become more comfortable for someone of a northern root, but the birding gets really interesting. This is when all the SBJs appear in numbers. Grey and Rufous Fantails, Silvereye, Eastern Spinebill and Rose Robins arrive in force. As the migrants come in some of the residents become more vocal and the Golden and Rufous Whistlers are the most prominent of these. Not only does this bring some variety, but a splash of colour as well.

Grey Fantails are very busy birds dancing on the breeze in search of insects.

Grey Fantails are just incredibly active. They are one of first birds to join the dawn chorus and as soon as the light is up they can be seen swooping, fluttering  and flitting from tree to tree, catching insects on the wing.

Just as busy, but usually within the embrace of a Black Wattle or similar bush is the Rose Robin.

The Rose Robin is as active as the fantails, but these small birds are searching for grubs, caterpillars and other crawling insects in the trees. The Rose Robins at the Holt seem to prefer the Black Wattles and can be frequently seen busily hopping around in the branches, frustratingly from the camera's point of view, rarely stopping for more than a second or two and often staying in the shadows of the leaves.

Rufous Whistler in the Brush Box.

Golden Whistler

The whistlers, Golden and Rufous are birds of the mixed flock, often following (or leading) mixed flocks of White-throated and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, White-throated Treecreepers, Grey Shrike Thrush and Silvereyes. If there's a flock moving though you can almost guarantee a pair of these inquisitive birds will be accompanying it.

Silvereye

Thought that some of you might like a clearer idea on what Paradalote Holt looks like, so here's a map. Below is an aerial view of the Holt with the house edged between the two dams in the top right. Yellow lines are boundaries and blue intermittent creeks (i.e. they flow when it rains). The spot where the inner boundary is nearest to the top of the picture, just above the driveway, is my 'hot spot' where a lot of birds continue their journey up the intermittent creek that runs across the top of the map. Instead of following the creek into the dam they follow the boundary along the road, over the saddle, and into the next valley.

The dam on the left is at the back of the house and is the one that I look over when sitting on the back deck with my morning cup of tea, it's also the dam preferred by the Plumed Whistling Ducks.

The dam to the right is affectionately known as the "Lap Swamp", as you can swim laps of it as it's about 50 metres long. It's more shaded and less popular with the ducks, but very popular with the various cuckoos and fantails, and the creek leading up the hill from it (down on the map) is a really good spot for Spotted Pardalotes, Whistlers and Rufous Fantails.

The total area of the property is about 19-acres and most of it is largely left to the wildlife. The large area to the left of the dam is rarely visited by anyone but myself on weed hunting or birding expeditions. It's white mahogany sclerophyllous woodland, which means its a mixed bunch of gums, and wattles.  The woodland floor is carpeted by Blady Grass, Kangaroo Grass, Australian Broom and a variety of small flowering plants include orchids and Spade Flowers. There are a healthy amount of vines present, including the Barbed Wire vine, particularly in the creek beds and plenty of Mistletoe.

This is part of a band of woodland that skirts Mt Tamborine and hosts a variety of interesting wildlife including a rich colony of  Richmond Birdwing Butterflies on some neighboring council land.

Regulars (Seen daily)

Australian Magpie
Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Common Bronzewing
Double-barred Finch
Eastern Spinebill
Galah
Grey Fantail
Laughing Kookaburra
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Corella
Noisy Miner
Pacific Black Duck
Peaceful Dove
Pied Currawong
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Duck enjoy breakfast before the Guinea Fowl push in.

Rainbow Lorikeet
Restless Flycatcher

Restless Flycatcher grabs a snack

Striated Pardalote

Spotted Pardalote scampering around in the deep shade

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Torresian Crow
White-throated Gerygone

The shy White-throated Gerygone

White-throated Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Common (Seen Weekly)

Eastern Yellow Robin
Grey Butcherbird
Little Corella
Rainbow BeeEater
Silvereye

Silvereye

Welcome Swallow
Willie Wagtail

Uncommon (Seen occasionally)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Blue-faced Honeyeater

Juvenile Blue-faced Honeyeater

Brown Goshawk

Brown Goshawk

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Golden Whistler

Golden Whistler

Grey Shrike Thrush
King Parrot
Little Pied Cormorant

What flippers you have Sir...

Noisy Friarbird
Pale-headed Rosella
Pied Butcherbird
Rose Robin

female Rose Robin with distinctive wing pose

Rufous Whistler
Scarlet Honeyeater
Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Shining Bronze Cuckoo - about the size of a sparrow

White-throated Treecreeper

Grey Fantail following the White-throated Treecreeper

Rare (Seen once)

Brush Cuckoo
Collared Sparrowhawk
Leaden Flycatcher
Little Black Cormorant

Little Black Cormorant hunting my fish!

Little Egret
Little Wattlebird
Olive-backed Oriole
Masked Plover
Rufous Fantail
Spangled Drongo
Spotted  Pardalote
Straw-necked Ibis
Tawny Frogmouth
Varied Sitella

Varied Sitella

Whistling Kite
White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike
White-faced Heron
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

64-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!

...

A Feather Tail Glider (get these at home).

Peak everything season - September

September is always a great month for wildlife at the Holt and this year was no different. It's times like these that I really wish that I was retired so that I could spend more time at home just watching the great range of birds and critturs that we get here.  Every night the male Koalas have been growling, the Fruit bats squabbling and the Mountain Brushtail Possums...well my vocabulary isn't up to describing the sound they make, but my nickname for them is 'Squealing Kangarillapigs', which might give you a clue.

Young male Koala

Just dozing in the sun.

I attended a bird/animal box course run through the local Land for Wildlife offices and now have a new nest box placed. This one is focused on the Owlet Nightjar...a bird that I have never seen, but could well be here, so why not give it a try?  I'm confident that even if the Owlet Nightjars don't see the for rent sign, something will.

Owlet Nightjar nesting box

I was really pleased to see a Richmonds Birdwing Butterfly here again. These gorgeous butterflies used to be common in the region, but are apparently less so now. They are really Rainforest butterflies, but this one seemed to enjoy the Jasmine.

The male Richmond's Birdwing Butterfly.

On the wing the green is quite stunning.

Feeding on jasmine.

Everyone seems to have young at the moment, including the Red-necked Wallabies. This one comes down to the bird feeder each morning and grabs a snack of grain.

Red-necked Wallaby and joey.

Dad? keeping an eye out.

And onto the bird lists...

Regulars (Seen daily)

Australian Magpie

The noble Australian Magpie

and sitting on her nest.

Bar-shouldered Dove
Brown Honeyeater
Common Bronzewing
Double-barred Finch

Double-barred Finch

Galah

Galah - crest up.

King Parrot

Juvenile King Parrot

Laughing Kookaburra
Little Corella

Little Corella - crest raised

Noisy Friarbird
Olive-backed Oriole
Pacific Black Duck

Just love those scapulars - Pacific Black Duck

Peaceful Dove

Peaceful Doves - probably one of our most common residents

Pied Butcherbird
Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Duck

Preening and dozing

Pied Currawong
Rainbow Lorikeet

The raucus Rainbow Lorikeet

Scarlet Honeyeater

Scarlet Honeyeaters are present in numbers

Female Scarlet Honeyeater on the Fire Sprite

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Portrait of a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Torresian Crow
Welcome Swallow
White-throated Gerygone

Common (Seen Weekly)

Eastern Spinebill
Eastern Yellow Robin

The adult Eastern Yellow Robins are getting run ragged feeding their young...

Who are getting plumper by the day..

Forest Kingfisher
Grey Shrike Thrush
Golden Whistler
Lewins Honeyeater
Little Friarbird

Little Friarbird

Magpie Lark
Noisy Miner

Noisy Miners in the Silky Oak

Silvereye

Silvereyes are still busy

and still very cute.

Striated Pardalote
White-throated Honeyeater

White-throated Honeyeaters

Willie Wagtail
Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Uncommon (Seen occasionally)

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike

Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike

Blue-faced Honeyeater
Brown Cuckoo Dove

Brown Cuckoo Dove

Brown Goshawk

Brown Goshawk

Brown Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill

Buff rumped Thornbill

Crested Pigeon
Eastern Boobook
Figbird

Figbird

Grey Fantail
Leaden Flycatcher

The beautiful female Leaden Flycatcher

I just love these birds

and the male.

Little Pied Cormorant
Pale-headed Rosella
Rainbow Bee Eater
Sacred Kingfisher

Sacred Kingfisher way up the old gum tree.

Shining Bronze Cuckoo

A shy Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Spangled Drongo

Spangled Drongo

Wedge-tailed Eagle
White-throated Treecreeper

Rare (Seen once)

Black-faced Monarch

Black-faced Monarch calls

Channel-billed Cuckoo
Grey Butcherbird
Little Shining Bronze Cuckoo
Masked Plover
Pale-headed Rosella
Restless Flycatcher
Rufous Whistler

The charming female Rufous Whistler

Spotted Pardalote
Varied Sitella

Varied Sitella

White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike

White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike

White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-headed Heron

White-headed Heron imitates a Wedgie and scatters everything

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

Which is about all for now. See you next month.