Well, I was sort of joking on my last blog when I said
spring was here but now I think it may have really arrived early, even if it is
only the first week of August and a good three weeks from the official start of
spring. When we were down at the plant on Sunday the Banded Lapwings had a
chick running around, the Little Ravens were nest building, the Eurasian
Skylarks were in full song and the Black Falcons were very obviously paired.
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| Looking over Walsh's Lagoons to the You Yangs |
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| Eurasian Songlark |
I went down with Joy and again the raptors put on a full
show. First act was a Black Falcon sitting on a fence post beside the road
feasting on a rat. The meal was well advanced and we only knew it was a rat
because when the falcon eventually took off the rat’s long tail hung out
behind.
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| Black Falcon with the remains of a rat |
Further down the road a magnificent Wedge-tailed Eagle sat
on a post trying to soak up the morning sunshine, all the time being harassed
by a Magpie. Such insolence; the Wedgie finally gave up and flew off.
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| Australian Magpie annoying a Wedge-tailed Eagle |
The Black-shouldered Kites were feeling game too and took on
a Black Falcon that I guess had strayed into their territory. The Black Falcon
was about as interested in its antagonists as the Wedgie had been and just
continued on its way with only the occasional barrel roll and flash of talons
to show it recognised that the kites were there.
After this display we found the Black Falcons again and they
really put on a “Big Year - Attu” moment for us (if you haven’t seen the film you
must). The sky was overcast and rain had just started to fall. With the strong
west wind blowing the afternoon felt much colder than the 12ยบ C it actually was
and the rain made it feel like winter was making a comeback. When we stopped
the car to open a gate we saw two Black Falcons high up in front of us and as
we watched they started some aerial play, climbing, diving, twisting and
rolling. We sat with the binoculars on them and drank in the display. Gorgeous.
Such power and beauty.
And then came the “Attu” moment; the falcons flew at
each other and the lower one rolled over and the two birds locked talons. From
here they went into a spiralling fall, tumbling slowly around each other,
locked together as one with wings half closed. SIGH. I have never seen that
display before. It was unbelievably wonderful. I can close my eyes right now
and still see them falling slowly down and flowing together. What a sight!
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| Black-shouldered Kite annoying a Black Falcon |
Out on Beach Rd a Banded Lapwing couple were looking after
young chicks while cattle wandered around nearby. I do hope that the young
chick is careful; what with all the raptors in the area and the cattle the
first few weeks of life could be a real challenge.
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| Banded Lapwing and chick in their preferred habitat; short grass and lots of cow pats |
With all the rain we have had the ponds are all full and the
overflows are running fast. It seems there must be good food in them too as
both the Eurasian Coots and Dusky Moorhens were feeding in them. The
fast-flowing water gave some interesting effects as the birds stuck their heads
down to feed.
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| Eurasian Coot |
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| Dusky Moorhens |
Then we found this very curious Welcome Swallow.
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| It just sort of peered in the window of the car at me. Probably wondering what sort of beast I was |
And this is something we often see at the plant because of
how close the Avalon Airport is, a Red-tailed QANTAS-bird. How I would love to
be on it. Ah well, just another 3 months or so and I will be.
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| Red-tailed QANTAS-bird |
Just because I can’t keep away I was down at the plant again
yesterday with Marlene and the waders are starting to arrive back. There were lots
more Red-necked Stints than last weekend and on Summer Lagoon 2 there were five
Greenshanks still showing some breeding plumage. Yeeeah. Spring is in the air.
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| Greenshanks with the remains of breeding plumage |
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