December 2016 – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER

News Flash: Important Update: Tale of a Wagtail A revisit

December 22, 2016Posted in Werribee River Park, Willie WagtailTagged Werribee River Park, Willie Wagtail3 Comments

Took a stroll tonight to look for the little lone Wagtail of my previous post. A bit harder to find as its well on the wing.

So turned to go back for a fine cuppa of Earl of Grey with EE, my favourite person.

As I passed by the old tree that had held the nest, I stopped just to see how dilapidated it would have become in the past few days.

Double take Time !!!

Was that a tail I saw on the nest. Stop, rub eyes, look again.

Yes.
She has added a new coat of web to the nest, set up the wide-screen tv, remodelled the Kitchen, and laid eggs and was about to do her part for Wagtail lineage.

In what must be about the fastest turn-around between clutches, this lady means business. No doubt they’ve figured that one can sit the eggs, while one administers the young fledgling to maturity.

And if the nest worked once. Well!!!
This time I refrained from yelling my best advice across the paddock to her. Including the fact the next few days are going to be in the high 30s C. I don’t think she considers it good wagtail advice.

Time will tell how it all goes.

Nicely setteled in. The next addtion to the family is on the way. Persistence and Patience have your way.

The Tale of a Wagtail

December 20, 2016December 20, 2016Posted in Werribee River Park, Werribee WagtailsTagged The Office, Werribee River Park, Willie Wagtail4 Comments

When it comes to nesting and bringing on a new clutch, Willie Wagtails seem to go from one extreme to another, in more ways than one.
The weather can take a turn and dash the plans of quite a number of nesting pairs. And around the Werribee River area at the Office, they all seem to start within a day or two of each other and a change of weather takes out most of the nests. That has happened once already this season.
Plucky little birds, just shake off the wet feathers, take a wagtail deep breath and start again.

Continue reading “The Tale of a Wagtail” →

Training up the Kids

December 9, 2016December 13, 2016Posted in Black-shouldered Kite, Werribee River ParkTagged Black-shouldered Kite12 Comments

Now that Kitty and Kalev-the Brave, have their two young on the wing things get a bit more interesting.
Learning to be a Black-shouldered Kite is not a copy book exercise. There are lots of practical things to be considered as they develop not only their wing power, but also their ability to read the wind, find mice, learn to hunt, how to hover, and the myraid other things that are needed to make a Black-shouldered Kite successful.
Among those things are off course the ability to sit very quietly and unobtrusively on a perch. The thinner the better it seems.

Continue reading “Training up the Kids” →

An Afternoon at Red-capped Robin Nursery

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016Posted in Red-capped Robin, Woodlands Historic ParkTagged Red-capped Robin, Woodlands Historic Park6 Comments

Astute reader that you are, and having followed along from the beginning of this blog, will recall that I originally all those years back set it up to document the comings and goings of Red-capped Robins at Woodlands Historic Park.
As the years have gone, things have changed, and among them of course, our move away from the area.
So when we travel back that way we are more or less tourists.

Where once we had a fine almost family familiarity with a number of Red-capped Robin pairs, and were as familiar with each of their territories as they were, today we are just interlopers in their front yard.