Over the Fence and into another world 14/04/13

Over the last 7 years of owning Our Patch on the Darling Downs, we have seen a significant difference with native tree & plant re-growth, and while we do have visits from many birds, we are yet to get a significant number of different little bird species frequent our patch on a regular basis.  While the hundreds of tree we have planted around the property and the house yard continue to grow, they are not yet a thick enough hideaway for wrens, finches and other little birds to call home.

Over the fence however it is a different story!  The back of our property backs on to a relatively untouched wonderland of native woodland forest and picturesque creek with a plethora of stunning native flowers, plants and trees.  Almost as soon as you step over the fence you can hear the little birds calling and see them darting to and fro amongst the thicker treed landscape.  

I think that we need to plant a far greater number of trees in patches to create a secure corridor for these little birds to hopefully visit our place!  While it makes us a little depressed that on most days here the most interesting bird we see is a Noisy Miner, it gives us hope that our place will eventually be restored to the way God intended it to be. 

J.G.

Just a few Photos from over the Fence 14/04/13

Grey Fantail over the fence at Jarowair

Grey Fantail

Fan-tailed Cuckoo - over the fence at Jarowair

Fan-tailed Cuckoo with a feast, over the fence from Jarowair 14/04/13

Purple Burr Daisy's

Purple Burr Daisy's - the photo doesn't really display the mauve colour of these flowers at all.

Noisy Friar Birds 24/02/13

These spectacularly ugly & noisy birds were making a right spectacle of themselves today in the flowering gum trees along with the Blue-faced Honeyeaters.  Always good to see something different bird-wise here.  J.G.

Pink Bellied Moth 12/02/13

Our son spotted this moth that in his thoughts - resembled a leaf.  It is a Pink Bellied Moth.
Photo by C.R Gray.

Pink Bellied Moth

Twig Caterpillar

This caterpillar is the master of disguise and camouflage, blending in well as a twig with its body extended on an angle from the branch, composing convincingly as a twig.  I think they may be Looper Moths?  J.G.

Twig Caterpillar in camouflage mode.

after waiting quite a while, the caterpillar went on its way.

Unknown Wasps Feb 2013

These wasps made a nest on the house within a couple of days.. unsure what type they are?

A little touch of Blue... birds & bees

A couple of things Blue in the last week at our Patch

Blue Banded Bee's have returned to the purple flowering liriope's in the house garden.  I havent spotted them since these plants flowered last year.  These beautiful bees move quickly and don't seem to stop on the flowers for long, so my photos are rather poor... but proof alas of their visit.

Blue Banded Bee on flowering liriope's.

Baby Blue Faced honey-eaters are such characters and have been coming close to the house almost daily.  Seen here they were having a rest in the kid's cubby-house.

Juvenille Blue-Faced Honeyeater in the cubbyhouse.

J.G.

Pale-headed Snake a little too greedy

After hearing the most awful sound on and off today - that sounded like a sick frog...we both agreed that it was coming from either in the wall or near the door downstairs... Brendon investigated tonight and started to pull off the capping of the door frame and this is what he saw... a snake inside the cavity with a large green free frog just below it...

The snake was moving around a fair bit inside the gap in the door frame and I was able to have a closer look at it and was fairly sure that it was a pale-headed snake.  After Removing the entire edge of the door frame carefully - the green tree frog did and almightly leap to safety!  The snake however wasn't so keen to go and proceeded to go above the door frame in to the flashing above.  It had to be pulled out as we wern't really very keen on it taking up residence there... especially with the kids having the bad habit of leaving the doors open at times!

Pale-headed snake, gripping somehow to the door frame cavity?

Pale-headed snake with a full belly of frogs!

We re-located the snake who was rather unhappy to be removed from his hiding hole... down to the creek.

Interestingly, after adding the capping/edging of the door back on later, Brendon noted that the only gap in which the snake could have entered was the one at the top, there wasn't a gap at the bottom, so somehow the snake had made it up the wall!  and then into the frame!  Probably explains were all of our little dainty green tree frogs have gone!

Another day... another snake lately!

J & B