Morning Birds

 I got one of the videos going from last week taken off the balcony generally filming the scene however there was also some bird tweeting going on. I was doing a similar thing back here trying to keep a bird focused in the lens. I was distracted by a guy in a full sci fi kit.  I have seen a pair of these swamp harriers buzzing and dive bombing before and got some good views of one this time. The birdman was really attentive and trying to record what I thought was a noiseless bird. The bonus was the landing.

It's a parabolic microphone

Bird Flew

 I got a few videos going from the last week. The bikes from yesterday are online already and everyone will want to know that the tube repair worked, however I still need a spare. I scoured the tire for the source of the pin hole and I found the tiniest piece of wire. You can't help bad luck. The other videos feature the local bird life. In Lorne you discourage the cockys as they tear into everything. There are far more cockatoos in Drysdale like a 1,000 and it they ever decide to chew a house, it wouldn't last long.  The other one I took was back here.  I think this bird is a Harrier and has certainly been on patrol. 

Wire thru the Tire

Red Browed Finch

 There has been a return to the garden beds lately and a whole new one has sprung up in the corner. There is also a new candidate for the smallest bird I have seen here.  Maybe the recent garden action has attracted them but for two days now I have seen a pair of red browed finches drinking at the pop up fountain out front.  I have some pics thru a salty window as they seem very flighty.  There is also a type of blight appearing on the leaves and apricots. It maybe nothing but they are as green as grass and seem a long way off ripe. The possums are really living it up here. Playing chasy games across our roof, peeing on outside rafters and spending the whole night eating lemon rind in our tree. Those possums.

Bird Flew

 Another day another sign, its magpie bombers.  I have had magpies chortling and chorusing in the early morning lately, say 6:00am, often earlier. Now they are swooping in right out side the garage door. I must have had just 10 pedal strokes when one hit. It was just a one off but I have been a target there in previous years. After that I was looking at every bird and every shadow as I had a bad crash a few years back on the down hill.  When I got back there were no birds to be seen, maybe becuase a neighbour was on his roof. 

Stolen Bird Returned

 Debbie was gazing out the front and spotted our bird back in its rightful place. Hooray, the bird knappers have relented. They stalked the stork, peered on the peron, heard the bird, regret the egret and now have released the beast. Then it flew away. How Cool and in our front yard.  Meanwhile, in the backyard, we also have a good showing of orchids coming out, at least 10 so far. Also the fridge has been cleared of olives, so that will keep Anna busy for a while and finally, the canoe is going to another home, somewhere where they can fit into it.

Fish Diver

 A Pacific Gull is twice the size of normal gulls and this one was having no nonsense from the interlopers after it caught a fish and started tucking in right on the rocks in the Jawbone area.  I went down for a snorkel this morning. I was in for about 15 to 20 minutes and when I emerged this gull was there tearing  into a fish.  The fish I was filming in the water were way bigger than the bird itself so this fish was a good meal size. Some Japanese tourists arrived and they were filming on their phones and the lenses on these phones were considered professional quality when they showed me some closeup video.  I may have to rethink my opinion of phone lenses. These were easily twice the size of my phone lens.

A Fancy Hen

We have made it back in quick time as Debbie had a doctor's appointment.  I had forgotten how close the Otways are from here. It is only a 2hr drive to Apollo Bay.  I am glad the timing was perfect to miss driving this route during the Cadel Races over the next three days.  We were all over the route, the signage was up with feed stations and litter zone sites all labelled. There would be many delays and detours from tomorrow. We had a last minute visitor to our cottage when a peacock flew in honking like a truck. It started following me around so maybe it gets fed like the chickens who also follow you around.  It will take a while to get thru the films from the video camera but I do have a short phone one.

A PeaHen and two EggHens

Another Wind

Another bag of rubbish. We have some visitors from WA arriving today and there has been debate here about whether it is worth getting them down to our beach for at least a walk due to the grassy state it is in at the moment. I say let's go however I went down this morning to check it out. When the tide is out there is a good sandy stretch to move thru.  I did pick up some lengths of gutter guard. This is a lattice work we used in Essendon to keep leaves out of the gutters without much success.  There was also the usual butts, rope, plastics and a good cap this time.  It ended in the bin though. I have added a bird video I took this morning.  Watching those birds dive for fish is the best. 

Stamp Day No 3572

 I have not seen anyone outside today.  It is a cold mean wind. Even the garbos have seemingly called off  emptying the bins.  They are normally racketing passed at 7:00am and now it is 2:00pm.  Only one thing can be done today and that is to get out a few stamps.  There is a stamp auction this week and I have studied the catalogue from cover to cover as there are hundreds of lots of all descriptions. I have put in two bids however this auction is not an online one, so you just have to wait til you are told of success or not. I have seen this frigate bird a few times on different stamps.

Masked Lapwings

 I have mentioned these birds previously, especially when they get into protective mode. They can get vicious and have winged spurs to drive the point home.  Dogs are particularly a target of choice when the chicks are on the move but we have also been a target on bikes.  A patrolling pair were going bananas today and we have ridden in the opposite direction when they are in this mood. They look like larger plovers and are often given the wrong name. We have an empty house lot, two doors down and that grassy paddock is ideal for these ground nesters to set up camp towards the back fence, away from everyone. But when the chicks hatch and go out foraging then stand back. There are two chicks, the one on the road is easier to spot than the one on the grass.

Casowary at last

We were not able to get across to Dunk Island so spent the day lazing around and with a pub lunch thrown in however on the drive back to the unit, there it was on the side of the road. Now previously we had gone to quiet areas of bush, to out of the way walking tracks, always from hustle and bustle. But no luck finding a casowary. This time a casowary just crossed the road in front of us to get to the otherside. It walked down into a backyard. We waited to get a few photos without going down into the yard.

There must be something in the yard to eat

Hello Cocky

 I have been keeping an eye on the white cockatoos. They mostly fly over us between Port Arlington and Geelong Botanic Gardens sometimes with a stopover at the Dell.  Lately they have been hanging around here. It is not the main flock but just a dozen or so. For the first time I shooed them away as they were on our balcony roof and we just had that wood repaired last year.  They did not go far, just a metre or so across to the top of the pole.  Those beaks are like cutting tools but not as bad as the black cockatoos. They are the silent black cloud but I have only ever seen them alight in trees. One of which was outside the van at Collendina.  This tree has now been cut down but the black cockies made a huge mess of it a few times.

I'm watching you - and vice versa

Run Rabbit

 We have had this pesky rabbit living in the front area for the last month. At first it was small and fluffy and later a much bigger, flower eating and pooing rabbit.  Debbie was changing her view from cute to garden muncher to how to get rid of it. Traps, poison, ferrets.  What about kestrels, our friendly hovering death dealers. We found the rabbit headless this morning on our front patio. My theory is that a kestrel spotted it early this morning, out in the open and leaving the head behind, brought the meaty part under the shelter for breakfast. Jan, our neighbour in Williamstown, described how she saw a kestrel completely shred a rabbit in the Jawbone Reserve area. 

Bird Behaviour

 I have got birds on the brain after having been swooped a few times. I was spraying under the overhang rafters for the annual spider cleanout.  Very nasty ugly black bodied brutes.  The big concentration was at the back door. Six largish now dead ones on the ground now.  I was brushing the webs off a day later when a magpie in hurry, flew thru the walkway and alighted on the lemon tree.  One step forward and it would have been a beak in the chest.  Then he starts chasing a pidgeon.  That part is not so bad as their coo cooing nest building can be a problem.

Kestrel Korner

 The Kestrels like the windy conditions but not too windy. They can hover and pounce when the breeze is just right. Today for the first time we think the parents of the younger bird have made an appearance.  The wind seemed to be blowing them all over the place before the rains came.  Trying to film a moving target is one thing but three moving targets does not work.  There was also another bird defending its chicks and was mostly trilling disapproval.  

 

Bird Life

 Another picture perfect day here which is meant to last into the weekend.  Have had a few book deliveries except for that elusive one I ordered last year. My Hugo list is getting closer to the complete catalog. Another three titles delivered this week. They are arriving faster than I can read them although I did finish reading a Hugo today.  Our resident Kestrel seems to be mixing it with all manner of feathered friends. Directly above me sits our Dish which the birds just love to hang about on.  Crimson Cockies moved in and when the Kestrel got involved it was quite a racket.  Good thing they are not the screeching kind like the white cockies. 

or is it a galah

the roof is not room enough

Bird Life

 Went down to check out the Boardwalk. It is pretty choked up with fresh sea grass. None of the Springs are visible at the moment.  Quite a mild day for the start of Winter.  I have cobbled together some short video clips from the last week.  We are having some good sunshine lately and the bird life seems to be out and about like us. Too bad this lock down business is keeping us locked down. I have kept the online card game going though. There is another round on tonight. 

The Pelican Cottage

 There was a bit of rain around this morning so I got back to unloading some videos. These were all mostly small clips but I have pieced a couple together. The Pelican cottage is rustic and creaking but has character in a scenic location.  I must say we see pelicans on a daily basis at home but did not see a single one near the cottage, as I think they are primarily sea birds, although there are thousands of salmon that have been introduced into these lakes. We did see them on the walls of the cottage. I have attached an authoritative list of birds that was seen by some people who stayed and must have been on their "Big Year".

Film Day

 I was on a roll unloading video today. I started with the gopro, piecing together a short underwater clip from our snorkel the other day. Then I got on to the other camera which had a few back dated videos in it as well. There are not to many fish to been seen, although there is a good closeup of a big jelly fish. Debbie glided right passed and never saw it.  There were plenty of birds way up and one way low.

2000th post

 It has been a few years since I started dawdling words on this BLOG and now I have reached my 2000th annotation. I just went back five years to see what I might have written then.  There was a spiel about halloween and not being able to avoid it if you were in the caravan at Collendina.  We have solved that issue here, as if you don't have a pumpkin on display then you wont get tricked or treated. I notice the Hallow part is being holy so maybe the Ween part is being tricky, although the dictionary says to ween is to think.  

I should really mention todays goings on which involved birds. We have a spot over the back door which is good for them to build a nest but not good for us. Today the battle was full on. Three times so far huge clumps of material have been knocked down. We have started going out every hour this afternoon and they are still on the prowl.  

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