Mangroves Field of Mars area

Late Nov/ Early Dec 2010 notes

Quite a few sacred kingfishers – its nesting time for them; lots of red-browed finch nests around;  the two collared sparrowhawks have left the nest and I have seen one near nest on a number of occasions sometimes flying awkwardly around; had a great time watching a family of whipbirds a few metres away from me up Ryde end interacting in the bush, feeding and calling to each other with different calls than the well-known whipbird calls; lots a new wildflowers, lots of new growth everywhere, lots of seedpods around; group of five stormbirds (channel-billed cuckoos) flying around loudly calling; dollar birds; family of six young black ducks and their parents always there; flowering geebungs, fascinating peeling bark and so many spiders-----

 

Some Field of Mars Magic – spirit of the bush

 

--poetry of life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOM is full of seedpods at the moment – remarkable sights

Seedpods of all sorts – so many extraordinary seedpods – green, open, closed, eaten, growing – remarkable sight

This one from my walk this morning.

Collared sparrowhawks – note size difference in the young

also this morning – sacred kingfishers calling  lots at various places along Buffalo Creek – nesting time; red-browed finch nests around; silver gulls fishing in Lane Cove River for small fish jumping – saw a gull take a fish jumping two days ago.

Collared Sparrowhawk young Field of Mars

Last couple of days – kookaburra have left nest,  good glimpses of a number of whipbirds,

watched a silver gull fishing successfully in Lane Cove River, Dollar birds around, lots of small bird activity – brown thornbills, spotted paradottes, red-browed finches, white browed scrubwrens; the bush is full of seed pods ripening –opening so lots of good seed food around, thousands of actinotus minor ( tiny flannel flowers)

Sparrowhawk 2010 nesting in FOM

Essential Guide for areas around Sydney

This book is marvelous: covers Flora and Fauna - common birds, reptiles, plants, weeds, habitats - is color coded for quick finding of things - eg. pink area for pink bush flowers, etc. all good photographs, all done by experts. It is a great size and weight for your pocket.

Wonga Wetlands Albury - a set on Flickr--this is where I am at the moment

Wonga Wetlands Albury - a set on Flickr

Field of Mars this morning

early morning sunlight and mist

lorikeet at home – the bush has a quietness and you feel the brooding going on all around you – the brooding of warm eggs and the warmth of hope

so many of these tiny peaflowers emerging – the life forces bursting forth

 

At home in Field of Mars this morning

Fish mobile, bees and yellowness in FOM this morning

Possum at home this morning in Field of Mars

This possum was being pestered by a mob of little bush birds this morning – brown thornbills, white-browed scrub wrens especially.

Crimson rozellas at home also.

Collared Sparrowhawk in dense bush

 

 

Amazed to encounter a young collared sparrowhawk this morning in dense bush on the ground near my end of FOM.  I was only a few metres away. It immediately flew to a few other perches on its way out of the bush giving me a chance to get a blurry photo.  I was so surprised to see it in such a place.

Two brown goshawks flying around FOM this morning.

Rose Robin up my end of FOM with a feeding group incl.  variegated fairy wrens – the blue of the male so bright – brighter than the superb I think, grey fantails, brown thornbills, white-browed scrub wrens.

Adult Golden Whistler and calling young one following it around Sugarloaf Point.  The young one was also catching insects itself I noticed.

Crimson Rozella nest hole.

Birds courting and nest building

 

Wattle seedpods – flowers finish seeds emerge as life cycles continue in the bush.

This morning watched currawong collecting materials for nesting, grey fantails courting rituals, fairy wrens courting, kookaburra nesting in termite mound in tree, crimson rozellas near chosen nest hollow.

Family album of the urban eagle | The Daily Telegraph

Family album of the urban eagle | The Daily Telegraph

Frog rock

Sugarloaf Point mangrove area Lane Cove National Park

Does this look like a frog to you or am I ----

Test: can you draw a frog outline and does this rock fit it?

Notes today

Ravens – lots of around – particularly the waterhole.

Kookaburras nesting in the same termite nest as the sacred kingfishes last season. Golden Whistlers at Sugarloaf Point full range of calls.  The bush ringing with currawong calls and ravens. Various feeding parties with lots a calling.

NEW Bird this morning for me in Field of Mars

A new bird this morning in Field of Mars -first time I have seen one here-
Australian Brush Turkey - just one(not my image)

Early morning mist on Sugarloaf Point Lane Cove River

This morning first calling Fan-tailed Cuckoo Sugarloaf Point bush plus large feeding group including the usual---- brown thornbills, eastern robin, white-browed scrubwren, spotted pardalottes (quite a lot), silvereyes, grey fantail.

No White ibis around in the mangroves, etc. - off to breeding grounds?

Quite a few Crimson Rozellas.

Rainbow lorikeets very quite not much in evidence.

Eastern Whipbirds: there must be about four pairs spread around the Field of Mars now.

Lots of currawongs now around as expected.

Next time you walk a track in FOM take a close look at these Spider Grevillea emerging along the way – spectacular!!

Spring has sprung – buds galore, so many flowers coming

Eagle Cam with Live Fish

EagleCAM Sydney Olympic Park

http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/the-organisation/eaglecam.html
Check this link to follow happenings at the white-bellied sea eagle nest in Sydney Olympic Park.
Today an egg was laid in the nest.

Buffalo Creek after long period of rain – the color!

This morning the whipbirds were the highlight. Male and female a few metres away – calling to each other quite visible much of the time – the female didn’t answer every time the male called I noticed – a ten minute pleasure up my end of Field of Mars.

Feeding groups this morning: silver eyes, eastern robins, tree creepers, thornbills, grey fantails.

 

Sunlight this morning

enjoyed being in midst of feeding group – a regular event in FOM – grey fantail – I found delightful as usual just a couple of metres away for a long time with the other familiars – superbs, scrubs, red-browed,

seen quite a few crimson rozellas lately too

still lots of water on tracks and flowing and oozing out of the rocks.

Tadpoles

 

probably----Common Eastern Froglet Crinia signifera
These small frogs are only 2 to 3 cm long. They are rarely
seen but are heard in all parts of Sydney. They make a
“creek-creek” noise and occur anywhere where there is very
shallow water and somewhere to hide.

from:  http://www.fats.org.au/Publications_files/FF7%20April%202006.pdf