Seasonal Matters

I believe that we are on the cusp of heading into Spring.  We aren't quite out of cold yet and this post starts with some fotos of phog.   This first image is from the highpoint in Widgiewa Rd looking down into the Hoskinstown Plain at 9:20am.

 Getting down onto Captains Flat Rd this scene was to the North...

 and this looking South.

 I then drove on to the Plain and found it was still a bit frosty!

 Coming back up to the site (more or less) of the first image and the view had changed quite a lot in the intervening 10 minutes.

 I had also visited the Plain yesterday and here is an image of what things looked like then.

Two months ago this swamp was full of waterfowl but all that was left were two Black Swans (with cygnets) and a few grebes.

The all grey birds are Hoary-headed Grebes while the more rufous bird is an Australasian Grebe.  The former is very unusual in this area, possibly reflecting its need for larger water bodies.  Both species are moving towards breeding plumage. The constant song of at least 6 Skylarks was surely another harbinger of Spring.

On the Winter end of the argument I came across at least 10 Flame Robins (9 brown birds and one glorious male) and a flock of 15 Australasian Pipits.

Getting back to El Rancho Carwoola, the Tawny Frogmouths were snuggled together but enjoying the sunshine (the male getting in a bit of preening).  I have been keeping an eye on their nest sites but so far no twigs have been deposited.

Their movements this year have been interesting in that over the (nearly) three weeks since we returned from Eyre Peninsula they have roosted in this spot every day except one.  However from mid-May to mid-June I could not find them on 22 days out of 30 and I wondered where they were.  I still wonder, but am glad they are back.