Day: January 6, 2013

The Australian bush has once again shown its full fury, hot weather, wild winds and fire storms. Sometimes it is so easy to forget, just for a moment, the power that can be unleashed.

We wander about in the bush, little realising that in a short time fun can be turned to disaster.

Bravo to the all the firey’s chopper and plane pilots and organisers both on the line and in support roles who have placed their lives and risked so much to try to save people’s homes and livelyhoods from the devastation. Thank you to all those who have put themselves aside and sought to help with evacuation, support and a shoulder to lean on.

Meanwhile out in our little bit of the bush, the birds are hard at work regardless of the heat.

Two delightful little red-caps are now hunting on their own, they are travelling companions at the moment. Each a little prefect reproduction of Mum’s hard work.

We relocated to where the Eastern Yellow Robins had been nesting to find both the male and the female out and about, hunting and much calling. The scratchy harsh call is one I’ve heard before when they’ve been working with young out of the nest, so was surprised to hear it from these birds as they had lost the nest about two weeks back. We are now, perhaps a bit overly, hopeful that somehow the young had hatched and she managed to rear them out of the nest.  She has made no attempt to build a new nest, and has been very inconspicuous and he has been very furtive since then. So maybe, just maybe, out in the leaf litter, she has managed to bring them on.  Be nice to think, but I suppose the pragmatist in me says, “no hope”.

If it wasn’t so hot I’d take a cuppa out and have a bit of a sit.

Edit 6 Feb 2013.  As it has turned out. She did.  At least one, (we’ve called it Nevis see posts above.)  To date, it looks like only one survived, but every so often I see three flying, and can’t help but conclude she may have managed to get two. If  I do see them together  it will be a red letter day.