Endemic Species

[November]

I had a great morning the garden this morning. So many bird friends. Too many species to post here.

I thought everyone knew what a kookaburra is, but I found out that I was wrong 😀 so, todays mates - (not my photos)
These guys laugh at me at dawn and dusk.

Ringneck. These are the pests that get into the fruit nets. They are quite entertaining when they are not being annoying by joyfully ripping apples off the branches, then leaving them for the wild rabbits and bobtails. It must be teamwork.

I have one little dude that sits on the wire outside of my bedroom every morning (they are pretty tiny in real life)

I cant believe I haven't posted these guys yet! They are my faves 😀 Many people keep them as pets, they live for ages and are easy to train and handle. My mum has one called BB! (which stands for Bitch Bird, not Buffy Boards... she only loves her daddy most and sort of tolerates everyone else, she used to chase our old dog).

There is a flock that hangs around town and they are just hilarious. They are SO playful, dangling from powerlines and trees. They'll sometimes fly real low around me for a joke, then land on the powerlines and laugh with glee. Before the construction happened across the road there was a large grassed area where they would forage every day. They had been gone for ages but now the construction is done they are slowly slowly starting to come back and hang around again. They are just delightful and I love them to bits.

I love waking up to the sound of birds in the mornings. Right now, all of them have a go as a the dawn alarm.

Last night I went for a midnight walk to get my mail from the post office. It was a beautiful clear night, the stars are just brilliant, I didn't need to take a torch or lock the door on the way out. I walked up the main street and there were 3 kangaroos nibbling on the shire office lawn. Then when I rounded the corner of my block to go home, I saw another western spotted frog! I love seeing them because no one else in town has ever seen them here and they are technically not supposed to be this far south. Makes it so special 😀 I bet it came from my yard.

 

[katmobile]

How is the wildlife bearing up in the face of all of the fires?

 

[November]

How is the wildlife bearing up in the face of all of the fires?

Fine where I am. Some of the animals rely on fire to survive. Much of the flora requires fire to regenerate. It is remarkable how quickly the green sprouts return, and so beautiful to watch. After the initial death wave of fire (well managed areas of bushland do not burn to inferno levels and are survivable for many reptiles and mammals, some insects require it for reproduction), the biggest threat is predators. Cats and foxes. They are able to hunt easier with fewer places for prey to hide. Birds of prey also use this to their advantage but the threat is much higher from feral cats - which have killed off far more endangered animals than the fires have so far. They really are a lethal pest and irresponsible owners are making the situation much worse by letting their cats roam and breed at will.

It is awful to see the photos come out of dead burnt animals, stock losses and suffering over east, where there was no escaping to water sources and the blame lies with human failure alone. The populations of kangaroos, bats and emus will recover with no problem. Birds will flourish. The koalas have been functionally extinct for years anyway, and programs are in place. Smaller mammals and reptiles have had little hope at all since the cat invasion (and wild rabbits will compete for available food sources as the land regenerates). Those animals affected by the fires have a share-able face, but the billions of animals killed by cats and man made drought go largely ignored internationally. Sad days.

It is almost dawn here and the bird calls have started 🙂 So, happy day for me!

 

[katmobile]

Fine where I am. Some of the animals rely on fire to survive. Much of the flora requires fire to regenerate. It is remarkable how quickly the green sprouts return, and so beautiful to watch. After the initial death wave of fire (well managed areas of bushland do not burn to inferno levels and are survivable for many reptiles and mammals, some insects require it for reproduction), the biggest threat is predators. Cats and foxes. They are able to hunt easier with fewer places for prey to hide. Birds of prey also use this to their advantage but the threat is much higher from feral cats - which have killed off far more endangered animals than the fires have so far. They really are a lethal pest and irresponsible owners are making the situation much worse by letting their cats roam and breed at will.

It is awful to see the photos come out of dead burnt animals, stock losses and suffering over east, where there was no escaping to water sources and the blame lies with human failure alone. The populations of kangaroos, bats and emus will recover with no problem. Birds will flourish. The koalas have been functionally extinct for years anyway, and programs are in place. Smaller mammals and reptiles have had little hope at all since the cat invasion (and wild rabbits will compete for available food sources as the land regenerates). Those animals affected by the fires have a share-able face, but the billions of animals killed by cats and man made drought go largely ignored internationally. Sad days.

It is almost dawn here and the bird calls have started 🙂 So, happy day for me!

I've visited Oz a few times including when it's been on fire. I once almost got stranded on Kangaroo Island when it caught fire when I was visiting it. I know imported animals are a big problem both there and even more so in neighbouring New Zealand. Rabbits were several years a big problem and one of the imported animals threatens the Carassway I'm glad to know most things will be ok.