Red-browed Finches

RED-BROWED FINCHES






Saturday morning was a late summer morning with a feel of autumn in the air.










I am constantly surprised by the difference in bird numbers from one day to another. Some days there is hardly a sound or a movement in the air or on the ground.







The next, activity and movement every which way.

Saturday was busy at the creek crossing on Moore's Lane. The banks of this small, often dry creek, are covered in small wattles and large clumps of prickly gorse bushes. In amongst the bushes there are patches of short grass sheltered from the wind. Lots of sunny, quiet hidey holes, for birds, foxes, rabbits and the horses.

 Horses graze in and around theses clumps, leaving plenty of seed filled droppings.




Yesterday the area were full of red-browed finches, feeding. Groups of a dozen were scratching amongst the grass and droppings. Every now and then, one or more would fly up to sit on top of a gorse bush to see what was going on.



Among the finches, were numbers of fairy wrens and what I think were European Greenfinches.




It was a very pleasant Saturday morning out in the paddocks with the birds.

Where Song Began

Where Song Began

Australia's birds and how they changed the world

Here is a wonderful book with so much information.

A wonderful reference and such an easy and  enjoyable book to read.

 

 

 

Owl Southern Boobook

SOUTHERN BOOBOOK OWL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We  rarely see owls and now I have had three sightings in the last two weeks, in different areas. 

 

On Sunday these two young Boobooks were sitting in a camphor laurel tree outside our bedroom window. 

 

 

 

They sat there all day, eyes shut, or one eye shut,  for most of the time.

 

I assume they are a young pair, recently out of the nest

Ring-tailed Possum

RING-TAILED POSSUM 

Another creature coming out after the warm summer weather.

This ring-tailed possum was sound asleep on a branch, enjoying the early morning sun after a cool night.









Notice the prehensile tail, free of hair at the tip, to enable a good strong grip as he os she moves around the trees.

It is quite unusual to see them about during the day. This fellow, must have had a big night!










There were also plenty of kangaroos about. They have become very cheeky of late, and will simpley move a few paces out of the way when they meet an early morning walker.

Unfortunately they are not so good at moving out of the way of motor cars on the road.

Kangaroos, friends of motor repairers/.

White Throated Tree Creeper

TREE CREEPER WHITE THROATED

I have spoken about the drought of birds in this area over the last few months.


The weather has been very hot on some days, 40+ degrees but cooler and damp on other days. It is hard to explain the lack of birds on weather.

Others from the area have made the same comments. There have been similar experiences from bird watchers  in areas a hundred kilometres away.

But things change. Whilst sightings are still not what they have been, there has been a significant rise in numbers since February began.

'The birds are back!' Dianne  said he other day.

 I went for a walk in the bush on Monument Hill yesterday and there were birds about.

I watched a number of these White-throated Treecreepers. I saw six and more feeding, climbing tree trunks as they went.

They are a small greyish bird, sometimes difficult to see on the greyish tree trunks. But as they climb, pecking at the bark as they go, they slip in and out of the sunshine.

They are quite beautiful, with a brown chest streaked with white. The small rufous spot below the ears is an easily recognizable sign of who they are.

This final photograph, poorly focused as it is, shows this bird climbing a tree trunk, as fast as a sprinter, all feet off the tree.

Owl

SOUTHERN BOOBOOK OWL

It has been  very quiet time for birds in the district. The weather has been very hot high 30s and low 40s.











A number of people have commented on the lack of bird sightings for about the last twelve weeks. The bush is very dry although there is plenty of water in the dams and still some in the small creeks.









Today is cool, 18 degrees with patch cloud cover, a little rain has fallen after a very hot week with lots of smoke in the air from bush-fires in Gippsland, Tasmania and towards Daylesford.









This morning still quiet, few birds, nothing close enough to photograph.



I was just about to come home when a movement in a tree above my head showed three young boobook owls. Two moved off quickly and silently, this one remained long enough for some pictures.







These are quite common around Kilmore, more often heard than seen. Their calls can be heard on still nights, 'Boobook, boobook' or as some people hear it,'Mopoke, mopoke' Hence the name.