Wood Ducks

NESTING TIME  Australian Wood Ducks 

There are many wood ducks (Chenonetta jubata) preparing and settling on their nests at the moment.
They are sometimes called a maned duck or maned goose, although they are of course, a true duck,  often found around damp farmlands, urban parks, coastal inlets and woodlands.


Around Kilmore they can often be seen around the sewerage ponds of Willowmavin, to the west of the town. They do seem to prefer to hunt for food on land so are often seen around dams and are common around the urban areas where there are lakes and waterways.

 

They nest in tree hollows. The pair pictured were busy inspecting the hollow in the tree they perched upon. At first he male sat above whilst the female had a good look. They then changed places so the female could have a look. I could almost hear him asking, "Is this one all right dear?" He probably was asking just that; sounding just like a long suffering husband. It is thought that these ducks mate for life, so that might explain the attitude.

The male and female are very similar, both with a striking mottled breast. The female mottling seems to be more  marked than that on the male . The female also has white stripes above and below her eyes.

Superb Fairy Wrens

 SUPERB BLUE WRENS COMING OUT OF WINTER

Like most of southern Victoria, the weather in Kilmore this week has been wet and very cold. While traveling to Melbourne on the train yesterday, I could see see snow on the slopes of the Old Sydney Road south of Wallan.

With just a little sun,  the small birds come out to forage.

These Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) – were in amongst the dried out furze and wattle saplings at Kilmore East, up and down between the ground and the scrub, searching for small insects. Research has suggested that ants and shield bugs make up a large proportion of the wrens' food intake.  

I assume these to be young males, born last season and just beginning to show some colour. The vivid blue breeding colours come after their first year.

 

Hedge Wattle

Acacia Paradoxa, (Hedge Wattle, Prickly Wattle, Kangaroo Thorn)

Something's Coming..

It makes me a little cross when I hear people say, "Isn't it a dreadful day!" Sometimes this is said when it is cold and wet. Sometime this is said when it is hot, when it is windy, humid, dry, foggy or anything other than a mild spring day.

My father-in-law used to start a conversation with the words, "It's a great day!" Such a lovely expression.

Ants on Black Wattle

Acacia Ring-In ??

It was a great day yesterday in Kilmore, a real Irish day, with water dripping from the air and from the trees. The air was still and crisply cool and there was plenty of mud under my feet. Already there was a scent of wattle blossom in the air. I had to look hard to find a few early blooms. Even then I could not identify what it was. I think it was a ring-in from a tree planting day a few years ago.

Blackwood Wattle with caterpillar & psyllid

But there were many trees full of buds, ready to burst open. 

Acacia Pycnantha, Golden Wattle (?)

One of the great pleasure of the bush, and of gardens, is the promise of things to come. On the bleakest of days, there are always signs of growth, flowering, fruiting, seeding and germinating. The wattles are almost ready.

It is only the second week of July, but such a promise of Spring. What a great day!

Blackwood Wattle last season's seeds ready to drop.

"Hey it’s July and the winter sun is shining
And the Cootamundra wattle is my friend
For all at once my childhood never left me
‘Cause wattle blossoms bring it back again" 
(John Williamson)

 

Tree Creepers

Tree Creepers

I saw these tree creepers behind the Kilmore Cricket Club the other day, feeding upon insects under the bark of a very dead tree.

They are  little hard to tell apart from the sitellas. They are a little larger and in this case, the orange spot on the neck or cheek tells me that this is a White-Throated Tree Creeper. (Climacteris Leucophaea) 

You can sometimes pick them out as they make their way up tree trunks as they feed. That seems to be peculiar to these little birds. These were certainly very intent on their hunting and I was able to get quite close.