Not Cleaning Up the Block!

Many landholders like to have a spic and span property- dead trees removed, sticks and leaves raked up and dead branches turned into firewood. Very nice the property looks then - to our eyes anyway but to our often-unseen neighbours, homelessness is the result.

The loss of many of our species- birds, reptiles, butterflies,insects and small mammals can be sheeted home directly to loss of habitat. The rarely seen Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops sp) has been captured on film here on a covenanted (Trust for Nature) property at Carapooee where all creatures are accorded a home. Here is the adult Blind Snake- head downwards.

And here is the juvenile that had taken up residence in the kitchen- taking Land for Wildlife a bit far perhaps!

Blind snakes live on ant eggs, pupae and larvae as well as ants themselves.

They are vocal at times, non-venomous, lay eggs and produce 3-5 young. According to the Field Guides we have 3 or 4 possible species here-

Can anyone help with identification of these facinating reptiles.

Insect-Eaters

Warm, sultry overcast weather with storms.

The farmers hate this weather- too late for rain to do any good and it spoils the hay!

However, strange things blow in with a north-east weather system. Large flocks of White-browed Woodswallows hunting for insects over the treetops. Pair of White-browed Woodswallows

Photo G. Cheers

Then a weird metallic trumpeting, muttering and cackling call and 2 Dollarbirds appear on the scene.

Magpies, Striated Pardalotes and Red Wattlebirds get a run as do the Woodswallows.

Dollarbird at Carapooee West

Photo A Hughes

A quite large and chunky bird with a most distinctive flight pattern and a white circular patch on each wing- the eponymous dollar. Checking on the distribution in the Birdlife Atlas, these are rare visitors to our region.

This is the first sighting I have had of this species in our region in 37 years- so a new species for our BIrd List.

Nesting Time Again

Birds are nesting everywhere at present.

While doing my Birds on farms Surveys last week, I came across this one, unexpectedly, as this species usually nests high in the trees in Yellow Gum Woodlands.

This Grey Butcherbird has built her nest in a River Redgum right in the creek- not that there is any water to be had but at least the food supply is probably better here than out in the very parched woodlands. Many other birds are nesting in the same area- Weebills, a pair of Spotted Pardalotes, White-browed Babblers and Restless Flycatchers and none seem concerned by this ferocious predator in their midst.