New species for Casa da Ayre

We had spent the day sailing on Lake Macquarie, and it had been a particularly perfect day - the weather was lovely, blue skies and a breeze that sighed.  The boat romped in the conditions and we just didn't want to go home.  Of course we did, but we arrived home quite late.  It was well after dark as I started to wash the boat.

Job done, I was rolling up the hose and rounded the side of the house, when the beam of my headtorch revealed an adult Common ringtail possum. It froze, and would have been difficult to see - but she was looking directly at me and her tapeta lucida glowed like lasers.  After a few moments of mutual contemplation, the possum leisurely continued on her way, climbing one of the pine trees in the backyard.    

This brings the number of species of mammal observed at Casa da Ayre to 4.  Adding observations from the other Orders, the all-species list is now 33 as at Sunday 11th December 2016.  


Birds
Rainbow lorikeets 
Eastern rosellas
Scaley-breasted lorikeets 
King parrots
Crested pigeons (Nesting)
Noisy miners
Welcome swallows (Nesting) 
Spotted turtle doves (Nesting, introduced)
Masked lapwings
Black-backed magpies
Laughing kookaburras
Magpie-larks
Pied currawongs
Grey butcherbirds
Pied butcherbirds
Galahs
Little corellas
Dollarbirds
Silver gulls
Blue-faced honey eaters
Australasian Figbird
Eastern koel
Channel-billed cuckoo (seen flying overhead summer/autumn 2013/14, heard Spring 2014)
Tawny frogmouth owls (heard calling)
Indian mynas
Sulphur crested cockatoos.
Fork-tailed kite (27th December 2015)


Amphibians

Striped marsh frogs


Reptiles
Grass skink (Lampropholis delicata)


Mammals

Common Ringtail Possum
Rattus rattus 
Neighbourhood cat (aka feral cat)
Mus musculus

Even the Noisy miners remain . . .

A Noisy miner giving me the evil eye, Basden Theatre,
The Uni of Newcastle, 7th December 2016. 

I attended the annual Geological Survey of NSW "Tech-Talks" presentation at the Uni of Newcastle today.  While wandering the campus that I once knew so well, I was nearly overwhelmed by so many memories of good times and friends.

While the mosquito plagues were absent, most of my old lecturers were still there, just a heck of a lot greyer than I remembered.  The gardens are all mature now and there were Kookaburras and Channel-billed cuckoos in the canopy of the mature Eucalyptus spp.  It was great to see that the kamikaze Noisy miners were still, giving everyone grief.         

When a humpback does it's best mullet impersonation . . .

Humpback pectoral wave

Dad and I made a memory that will last the rest of our lives on Friday 4th November 2016.  I had shouted my Dad a trip to Broughton Island, just north of Port Stephens as a Father's day present, but it had been postponed due to inclement weather.  It was a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky and about 1 metre of gentle swell.  

We were trundling along in one of Frank Future's red terrors when an adult humpback whale unexpectedly leapt completely out of the water just 500 metres ahead of the boat !  The splash when it landed was tremendous.

Watching a Humpback do it's best impression of a mullet was the last thing we expected to see, especially in Spring, when most of the whales are south-bound and travelling many nautical miles out to sea to ride the East Australian current.  

I had my camera around my neck and once I picked my jaw up off the floor, was able to grab a couple of shots of the whale as it waved a pectoral fin at us, before sounding and disappearing into the deep.

What a remarkable day !  It was the very first time I'd ever set foot on Broughton, and I promised myself that I will sail there before long in my Farr 7500.

Providence Beach, Broughton Island.  Needs a Farr 7500 in the foreground ! 

Rossco photographing Providence Beach, 5th November 2016.  It is simply paradise.  

  

A new visitor . . .

Sulphur-crested cockatoo visiting the feed station 

I have been playing with shooting in black and white in camera recently, just as an experiment to learn about enhanced tonal range and improved contrast in my photography.  This chap turned up at the feeding station in the backyard of Casa da Ayre and I just like the effect.  

My first Topknot pigeon observation

I observed my first ever Topknot pigeons Lopholaimus antarcticus on Tuesday 8th November at Catherine Hill Bay.  It was a scorching day, and just before noon.  I could hardly believe my eyes as a flock of eight adult Topknot pigeons circled and landed in a stand of mature Banksia spp trees on the western side of the Catherine Hill Bay Cemetery.  It was just as I was heading off to an appointment and I was not able to stay to watch them for long.

To be absolutely clear, these were definitely Topknot pigeons, Lopholaimus antarcticus, NOT Crested pigeons,  Ocyphaps lophotes.  I have been hoping to see real Topknots for years, and finally I have ticked that box.  They were distinctive, very large pigeons with an obvious bar transversely across their tails, and the "topknot" was only discernible when they were at very close range.

I returned the next day with all of my camera gear, and naturally, there was no sign they were ever present.  I recorded the sighting in the Atlas of Living Australia.  It's so typical.  I didn't have my camera gear and a bird I'd wanted to see for years appears . . .  

Breeding Spotted turtle-doves

Spotted turtle-dove squeakers on their flimsy nest, almost ready to fledge, 13th November 2016. 

Spotted turtle-doves, Streptopelia chinensis are not known as the brightest birds in the flock.

For the last three weeks, Amanda's car has been getting covered in small twigs while parked in the carport.  We were wondering where in the heavens these sticks could possibly be blowing in from.  All was revealed when we caught a pair of Spotted turtle-doves in the act, trying to nest on top of one of the fluorescent lights in our carport.  The stupid birds kept putting twigs on top of the light, and a few moments later the twigs would blow off, landing on Amanda's car.  Instead of flying down and picking the twig up and trying again, the adults would diligently fly off, returning with another twig - for the same result.  This went on for three weeks before we couldn't stand it anymore and blocked the space on top of the light, thwarting their best efforts.

About two weeks ago we found a Spotted turtle-dove, Streptopelia chinensis nestling wandering alone in the backyard.  It was barely able to fly; clearly it had prematurely fallen from its nest.  Strangely there were no adult doves watching nearby, and we had not observed any nesting behaviour this spring in our back yard.  So I popped it in the tree near the feeding station, and went about my business.  It had disappeared fifteen minutes later.        

We have numerous adults of this feral species living in close proximity to Casa da Ayre, and they are a common sight around the back yard feeding station.  Fortunately the native Crested pigeons are still the most common species.  We are very happy to note that both species of dove breed in our backyard regularly.

On Sunday I was doing some maintenance in the backyard and found yet another Spotted turtle-dove nest, this time with two young squeakers doing their best to flatten themselves into the bottom of their shallow platform of sticks.  I took a quick photo, wished them well and went back about my business.



     

Minor sighting - Tawny frogmouth owl

I have previously recorded a Tawny frogmouth owl calling in the immediate vicinity of Casa da Ayre - while I was putting the bins out a few moments ago (9:17pm) I observed an adult sitting on the power cable in the front yard.

A rustle in the hedge . . .

Mantis with meal 

My wife and I had planned to spend the whole weekend afloat, just cruising on the Lake, but the forecast soon changed that - a near gale warning is current for Hunter Coastal waters. We seem to be enduring an endless procession of such weather at the moment, and the Bureau of Meteorology gets it right far more often than wrong these days, so it was a golden opportunity to catch up on some yard work.  

While I was trimming one of the shrubs, I found a young Praying mantis enjoying a hover fly, and managed to get a couple of shots.  I can't decide about the Mantis' expression; is she thinking "keep your hands off my dinner" or "just a little closer mate - you're next" ???    


  

Sacred kingfisher

Sacred kingfisher, Warnersbay 30th September 2016 

I was enjoying a twilight stroll along the cycleway from Cherry Rd, Eleebana to Speers Point on Friday evening with my beautiful wife, when a rapid, flitting silhouette caught my eye.

A gorgeous little Sacred kingfisher was perched in the stand of mature Casuarina trees, right on the edge of the lake.  It was twilight and very difficult to get close, and the bird was darting quickly between trees. I managed to get a couple of quick snaps before moving on.       

Sacred kingfisher silhouette, Warnersbay, 30th September 2016  

 

The Eastern koels have finally reached Belmont...

The distinctive call of the Eastern koel has been echoing through my street all day this afternoon.  They are such a unique and unmistakable call, but I have missed them.  I am almost certain I have seen that other major migratory species, the Dollarbird for the last three weeks, but it's been in areas I couldn't stop and confirm the sighting.     

This is the first time I have heard an Eastern koel calling in Belmont for Spring 2016.  This is nothing important, just an an anecdotal occurrence record of this migratory species for 2016. 

The Cuckoos have arrived

On Sunday 25th September I was sailing from Rathmines to Belmont, and heard the unmistakable, raucous shrieks of two Channel-billed cuckoos - my first observations of this enormous, migratory cuckoo for Spring 2016.  

Channel-Billed Cuckoos heard calling at Rathmines & Skye Point, Sunday 25th September 2016   

One bird was calling near the Catalina flying boat memorial, which is a propellor mounted on a pillar in a lonely area of park.  The other was calling from a mature stand of tall Eucalypts & Angophoras near the far south-western end of Skye Point.  

 

Yesterday (Wednesday 28th September 2016), I heard the equally distinctive calls of an Eastern Koel, calling a patch of remnant bush in suburban Maitland during my lunch break, 13:30 - 14:00.       

These are both common, secure species, but these are interesting records as they are both migratory species.  These were the first sightings of both species of cuckoos I have had for Spring 2016.  I have recorded both sightings with the Atlas of Living Australia.  

The seasons are definitely changing at the moment.  The days are getting noticeably warmer and it is lighter much earlier in the morning now - in fact, Daylight savings time starts this weekend.        

A Dream Realised - Port Stephens trip 2nd July 2016

Two juvenile White-bellied Sea-eagles ride the updraft from Little Island,
just offshore from Port Stephens, NSW.

I have always wanted to visit Broughton Island, just four nautical miles north of Port Stephens, NSW.  For some reason, I had never made the trip.  It is a fair bit of effort to get there, as the coastline is very rugged and there are numerous bomboras lurking barely submerged to catch the unwary.  There are minimal facilities on the island and no easy way to get there - which is just the way I like it.

Broughton Island is a locally-famous destination for mutton-birds, Green and golden bell frogs, fishing & scuba diving, and has some very strange mysteries associated with it.  Legends of Russian spies and whispers of submarines abound.  There is a miniature version of a "Tin-city" on the Island as well, and the locals are rightfully defensive and pretty secretive about the place.  The populations of king fish, snapper, teraglin, jewfish, blue groper, sea-urchins, lobsters, great white sharks and (in season) long-tailed tuna & juvenile marlin are very healthy indeed.  There are also several gutters nearby which are famous for "endangered" grey-nurse sharks.

I headed to Broughton for the first time on Saturday, 2nd July.  It was an extremely interesting experience, part of the "Canon Collective" promotional weekend.  I had the great fortune to spend the entire day with Darren Jew, who is one of Australia's greatest underwater photographers (and a thorough gentleman).  There were two other Canon Ambassadors (both very talented Pro photographers) and only three other enthusiast photographers.  What an opportunity !  It was one-on-one tuition with the very latest Canon Pro-DSLR bodies and lenses for the day. Serendipity !
     

We were originally booked for an underwater adventure, snorkelling at Broughton, but unfortunately it was called off due to weather.  All of my family and friends thought I was utterly nuts, as it is almost the middle of winter, and we've been enjoying quite a few frosts lately.  My family also reminded me several times of the sheer numbers of great whites in the area.  Thanks for the unwanted images in my brain in the wee-small hours of the night before the trip guys!

We eventually departed just before noon and fortunately conditions had abated considerably.  There was still about two metres of swell, with the very occasional three metre wave rolling through.  We headed out to do a spot of whale watching instead and had a fantastic experience.  We had very close encounters with numerous pods of humpback whales, Australian fur-seals, common dolphins and various sea birds including petrels, gannets, terns, silver gulls, black-browed albatross and a close encounter with one of my favourite birds - White bellied sea-eagles.         

Juvenile white-bellied Sea-eagle, Little Island, Port Stephens

Little Island is well-named.  It is a tiny pinnacle of rock, emerging straight out of thirty metres of water and exposed to the full force of the ocean.  We watched two juvenile Sea-eagles playing in the updraft for about 5 minutes, before they decided to give us a close inspection.  The air was filled with the sounds of motor-drives hitting over-drive as the Sea-eagles passed slowly overhead.  The 400mm zoom lenses combined with 50 Megapixel sensors gave absolutely spectacular results.  I was thrilled to bits.  Even the pros were smiling !      

Suddenly an adult female appeared from nowhere, and seemed to shepherd the juveniles away from the boat, and back towards Little Island.  We resumed our journey north, bound for Broughton.  It only lasted five minutes or so, but it was a pretty special encounter.     
     

Adult female, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Little Island Port Stephens.  

To be Continued 

Moonbi panthers and the saddest damn thing . . .

There's a reason it's been a while since I've blogged.  We've had a bit of a no-win situation arise, and been considering whether or not I should share this story or just move on with something light.  It's fermented away for two months now and it's time to let it out.  

Over our Christmas holidays, the wife and I headed to the New England region chasing fields of sunflowers to photograph.  Amanda has a real passion for them, and it was only thing we managed to miss during our honeymoon in Italy.  We were hoping to see the legendary hills of the Tuscany region over-flowing with the floral gold of "Girasole".  But the fields had all been literally just harvested; we had missed it by a few days.  

Over the Christmas holidays, Amanda had tracked down where the sunflower fields were in the New England, and even had sourced location info from some of the photo groups she follows.  The latest images were taken only two days before we left.  We arrived mid-morning Saturday to find every last sunflower field was now just flattened stalks.  We had missed it - again.  Amanda was shattered.   

We wandered around Tamworth and the New England for the next few days, and had a bit of fun and sight-seeing.  On our way home, we stopped off at Moonbi lookout for a bushwalk amongst the rounded granite tors and we enjoyed the splendid views.  We were sitting down to have lunch when three gorgeous little kittens, each as black as coal emerged from the bush around the car park.  They were very hungry and very thirsty and shyly appeared from the root buttress of a huge old fig tree.  Gently we scooped them up, one by one, and popped them in the back of my ute and gave them a drink of water.  I expected they would go berserk, but instead they gratefully curled up together in a cluster of purring little bodies and promptly went to sleep in a ball.  

Naturally we christened them "the Moonbi panthers", after the legendary black panthers that - according to local legend - haunt the more remote parts of the Moonbi area.  The Moonbi panthers have been known to kill and partially consume the occasional sheep and are well-known for choosing to terrify passing humans who don't seem to have cameras on them.  

So here we were, in the middle of the Christmas holidays, with three kittens that were very obviously the remains of a litter that been dumped in the bush.  We were up for a challenge, and rang every animal shelter we could find on the web between Tamworth and Newcastle.  All of them were closed for the week of the Christmas holidays.  Hmmm, that wasn't a part of the original plan.  These were very clearly domestic cats and utterly delightful.  They'd make someone very happy once they were checked out & vaccinated.  So they lived with us for a few days until the shelter in Newcastle re-opened.  

The day arrived to drop the kittens off at the shelter.  As much as we feared they'd miss out on finding a home and in all likelihood, be destroyed, there was no other option.  We'd asked our friends, put ads up on social media, but no-one came forward.  We are dog people, and LOVE our wildlife.  They simply couldn't live with us.  So the sad decision was acted upon.  They were just so skinny and dehydrated when we found them, who knows if they would have survived - and it wouldn't be pleasant if they didn't.  I am an Ecologist and know full-well if they had survived, they would certainly have wreaked havoc on the local population of native fauna.

The drop-off point was the thing that hit me from left field.  It was professional, humane - and very efficient.  We popped all three kittens in the one cat carrier (which had water & food provided) and gently locked the door behind them.  We had left a note explaining the origin of the kittens on top of the carrier.  In the extremely unlikely event they were microchipped, the owner would know how they had managed to travel so far.  A sign explained a ranger dropped by every few hours to remove any surrendered animals.  

We could hear and see the other animals that people had surrendered.  It was heart-breakingly sad.  One old gentleman of a "suburban terrier" whined forlornly and we could just glimpse him.  We told him he was a good boy, and the sound of his tail hitting the cage came back to us.  As we walked away, I looked down at the top-dressed lawn and there were his paw-prints next to his masters' shoe prints.  I couldn't help but wonder about his story and how it had come to this, discarded at the very end of his life.  I couldn't help but think of our own dogs when a gust of wind blew a mote of dust off the renovated lawn.  It landed right in my eye.  
         

Beautiful birds of the back yard

Gorgeous male King parrot in the back yard, Casa da Ayre January 2016 

We provide sunflower seeds to the wild birds in our backyard - which seems to be greatly appreciated by the native bird population.  On any given day, our gardens are a riot of colour and noise from the visiting Rainbow lorrikeets, Scaley-breasted lorikeets, Eastern rosellas, Crested pigeons, Little corellas, Galahs and occasionally Sulphur-crested cockatoos.

Because the birds are such messy feeders, invariably we end up with blooms of sunflowers near the feeders, and when those sunflowers start to seed, the local King parrot population arrives to feed on the flowerheads.