Striated Pardalote

STRIATED PARDALOTE Pardolutus striatus ssp ornatus

 

Nanny's Creek crosses under the Nanny's Creek Road,  the road between Kilmore East and Sugarloaf Creek Road. 

This creek carries just a little water for most of the year, a little more in the wet months, although there is always some water there to attract a population of birds.

 

 

 

At any time of the year, one can be assured of finding pardalotes around and under the bridge. 

During the late Winter and Spring, these birds make use of the abandoned mud nests of fairy martins to raise their own young.

 

Approaching the bridge, the calling of the pardalotes, announces their presence, They call constantly to each other, particularly during their courting times. The  highly pitched 'witta, witta, wittas', sometimes with an upward inflection on the final 'witta' fill the air.

 

 

 

 

The females signal their readiness for mating by calling from a branch, whilst crouching with their heads down and wings extended. 

 

 

 

Whilst pardalotes are known for their nesting in little tunnels scratched into the banks of creeks and cuttings, this community seems to nest exclusively in the mud nests made by fairy martins.  

Do the fairy martins leave their old nests or could it be that the pardalotes push the martins out of their homes and take over?

 

 

Brown-headed Honeyeaters

BROWN-HEADED HENEYEATER Melithreptus brevirostris 

 

 

I was watching a group of these small honeyeaters at Lake Eppalock last week. There, they were very busy feeding amongst a small forest of young red gum saplings. I could not see clearly, but they appeared to be feeding off inswcts on the leaves of the young trees.

 

 

 

They are small birds with beautiful olive backs, a distinctive white band spreads around from the back of the neck, contrasting with the deep brown head. 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst I was watching them feeding on insects, they also feed on nectar and pollen from the flowers on trees.