Grey - Brown Robin .. Jacky Winter

Out Of The Fog

Kilmore has had several days of 'misty moisty weather.' That's how Doctor Foster from Gloucester might describe it. On Tuesday the fog did not lift at all, the moisture dripped out of the air all day. It was a real old fashioned Kilmore winter day.

Old Man Kookaburra

Yesterday was just a little better. I moved down the hill to the arboretum at Kilmore East. The arboretum which has, over the last few years, been planted out with a large number of locally sourced trees and shrubs, also contains a few old pine trees, many black and silver wattles, and a variety of eucalyptus trees. There is also much chinese scrub, Cassinia arcuata, growing amongst the trees and on the open ground.

 There was some movement amongst trees, little birds flittered about on the grass and up and down tree trunks. These small birds are so hard to catch on camera. They move far  too  quickly. 

 one bird sat and posed for me.This poor old kookaburra looks a little weather-worn, but he likes sitting on this post. No matter what time of day or night I go past, he is there. He sits and watches all the goings on of Kilmore East. The people of this small community are lucky to have such a beautiful bird watching over them.

I watched this bird for quite a while. It was up and down the tree branches and on the ground collecting grubs.

At first I was a little unsure of just who he or she is.
Perhaps she is a hooded robin. The colour seems to be right and my very old Gould League book number 7, describes the robins as liking  'wattle savannah' country. That also seems to be right. The male is much more black and white than the female's grey and white.

Grey-Brown Fly-Catcher

Is she, or he a Brown Fly-catcher?  My books say she, or he, should have a white eyebrow. I can't see it. And this bird does seem very grey for a brown flycatcher. However the Strath Creek Landcare Group have published a fine little booklet Birds of the Lower King Parrot Creek and it describes the Grey-Brown Flycatcher, Jacky Winter. That seems more like this little bird. The publication says, 'It often hovers and takes insects in flight before returning to a low perch, twitching its white-edged tail from side to side.


I think that is who he or she is, Jacky Winter, a Grey-Brown Robin.