New species for Casa da Ayre - Crimson rosellas

Records of Crimson rosella observations, Eastern Lake Macquarie NSW. 

Crimson rosellas are a widespread, common species.  However, as you can see in the map above, they are just not as commonly seen in eastern Lake Macquarie as Eastern rosellas or Rainbow lorikeets.  In fact, the closest I have personally seen them is Blackbutt Reserve near New Lambton NSW. 

I have regularly observed them in cooler, tall-timbered areas.  In fact the Watagan mountains (about an hours drive due west) is the closest place I know where I could guarantee to see one.  They are the dominant rosella species in the Blue mountains and Barrington tops.  

I was shocked to find three perched on the powerline in my front yard this afternoon.  We are growing sunflowers in the front garden this year, and have a score of mature seed heads that must have caught their attention.  In years past, King parrots, Rainbow lorikeets, Sulphur-crested cockatoos, Galahs and Little corellas have dropped by to sample our sunflowers.  We even get frequent visits from Yellow-tailed black cockatoos when our macadamia nut trees have mature fruit.

Now we get to add Crimson rosellas to our species list !  How wonderful.                

Asian house gecko population is breeding

 It was hot & sticky day yesterday, (Friday 2nd Feb 2024) and the temperature reached a typical summer time mid-30's.  It was still in the high twenties and very humid that night.  My wife & I decided to take the girls for a walk as it had cooled enough to be tolerable, and we all needed to stretch our legs. 

We walked past the same building I observed the Asian house gecko in the previous post.  Naturally I checked to see if it was out, and instead there was small, likely 12 month old juvenile in the same place.  This gecko was extremely shy, and rapidly scurried into a crevice as soon as my torch beam touched him, despite being ten feet off the ground. Unfortunately, neither of us had our phones, so couldn't get a voucher photo - but it was unmistakeably an Asian house gecko and this record indicates they are definitely breeding here in Belmont. 

I'll drop past again later in the week while the warm weather keeps up, and see if I can get a decent photo. 

Addendum - I was working in the backyard this afternoon (Saturday 3rd Feb 24) and heard the unmistakeable daytime chirp of another Asian house gecko.  Further evidence that they are well established here now !         

Observation of the Asian House gecko, (Hemidactylus frenatus) in Belmont

 

Four years ago I observed an Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) on our home here in Belmont, Lake Macquarie NSW.  Uploaded the record to the Atlas of Living Australia as it had a bit of importance at the time to document the invasion wave of this introduced species of reptile.  I was quite familiar with Asian house geckos as I spent some years living in Darwin in the NT - where they are absolutely endemic. 

I had been sporadically hearing their characteristic day-time chirp, and thinking "Hey ! That sounded like a bloody Asian house gecko (!?!?!?!?!) but can't have been because there are no records of them around here".  I figured it had to have been the call of some little SJB bird ("Small-Brown-Jobby" for the non-twitchers) that I have not learned yet.  Well, surprise !  There are records of Asian house geckos here now.      

That was four years ago nearly to the damn day.  I was walking my dogs last night and noticed my second specimen for this neighbourhood.  I grabbed a quick image with my phone to prove my identification.  Because of the poor lighting, the photos are very poor - but it is unmistakeably an Asian house gecko with a regenerated tail-tip, hunting under the lights of a public building near my home.

Although they are an introduced species, and carry risks of parasites & exotic diseases, I don't see this as a huge big deal.  They are exploiting an environmental niche not filled by anything else locally.  It is not like there are Lesueur's velvet geckos, Robust velvet geckos or broad-tailed geckos taking insects under the lights of buildings anywhere near here.  Sure, there will be small numbers in leafy remote suburbs like Martinsville, but I have lived here most of my life and NEVER seen a single native gecko hunting under lights in the Lake Macquarie area.  Asian house geckos will have an impact - as all introduced species of plants or animals do.  But at least they are not poisonous to our native fauna like cane toads are.  In fact they might help reduce the insect loads a little.  I guess we'll have to watch and see - there is no possibility of getting rid of them now.                     

The Channel-billed cuckoos have arrived in Belmont North - 5th October 2023.

I was day-dreaming, enjoying the midday warmth as I took my lunchtime walk with the dogs. The unmistakable, raucously shrieking calls of a Channel-billed cuckoo intruded into our reverie.  His cries shrieked and echoed around the neighbourhood while four Australian ravens followed in hot pursuit around a metre behind his tail.  I chuckled to myself, wondering if the ravens nests were unguarded.  Last night we had a southerly change arrive, and it rained most of the night.    

Right on cue, the spring cycle of renewal continues like clockwork.  The both species of large migratory cuckoos are here now.  It will be interesting to compare relative abundances as we are very much headed for drought this year.  The last three or four years we have enjoyed very good winter rains.  This year, drought is making itself felt already.  

The Masked plovers who had four tiny little golf-ball sized chicks are down to two, but wow, they have grown.  The surviving chicks are very large now, 3/4's adult size and it appears it wont be long before they will be able to fly.  The other pair that had two chicks have vanished.  I expect they have lost their brood, and have moved elsewhere to try again.          

The Eastern koels have reached Belmont and breeding Masked plovers.

This clear Wednesday morning I found myself deep in thought, scratching my chin and savouring the stillness with a mug of black coffee.  The rest of the house slumbered.  Should I take my morning walk now or after coffee?  Hmmmm . . .  decisions.  It was a well before 5am as I dressed and started lacing my boots, sipping carefully.  The bantam next door had just starting to announce the day.  The distinctive call of a solo male Eastern koel began to interrupt my meditations.  The cuckoo vanguard has arrived at Casa da Ayre. 

Another Spring begins in earnest.  It was completely predictable, as I observed a Koel calling at Maitland during my lunch break on Monday afternoon.

I'm back, and smile as several loitering pairs of Masked plovers (I struggle to call them Masked lapwings when I'm feeling recalcitrant) are teasing our dogs from the street. Both pairs of plovers currently have small golf-ball sized chicks scuttling about the neighbourhood.  One pair has four chicks, while the other pair are already down to two.

Like the arrival of the migratory cuckoos, the slaughter of the plover chicks has begun.                  

Eastern Koels are back - Monday 25th Sept 2023

They're b-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-c-k ! ! !

It has been a long time since I've had an observation worth recording.  I was enjoying my lunch on the banks of the Hunter river at Maitland yesterday, when the unmistakable call of an Eastern Koel echoed around me. 

It was my first sighting of the migratory cuckoos for Spring 2023.  The Channel-billed cuckoos won't be far away now, and the dollar birds not far behind them.  

The endless cycle repeats.  

The Channel-billed cuckoos have arrived !

Late last Saturday afternoon (2nd October 2022), a flicker of movement caught my eye whilst I was mowing the back lawn of Casa da Ayre.  A momentary glimpse of three large grey birds flying flat out, zooming at 5 - 6 m height between the neighbours trees.  Channel-bills?  Most likely.  But it was just a very, very brief glimpse and I'm expecting to see them any moment.  

At 11:50 AM today (Tuesday 4th October), the unmistakable raucous shrieks of  channel-billed cuckoos echoed around the backyard at Casa da Ayre.  One of the benefits of WTF (Working From Home) is that I was home today to hear them arrive.  I'm 99.9% certain I saw a trio of them last Saturday, but I am 100% certain of this morning's sighting. 

Both species of migratory cuckoo are here now.  Spring is here !  The dollarbirds won't be far behind, and the fishing (and herping) starts improving every day forwards.