My son and I found a Powerful Owl hanging from power-lines just outside the entrance to Morton National Park, yesterday. I pretended it was a piece of bark(!) for my son. He replied, "It doesn't look like bark." I had to go against my nature and tell him it was a dead Powerful Owl. Promptly, he started crying; this crying continued for almost ten minutes. It was a great shame his first Powerful Owl was deceased. I imagine the poor bird was electrocuted.
The owl is listed as 'vulnerable' by DEC. This death will obviously affect the breeding and numbers of Powerful Owls in Bundanoon. By what degree, I'm not sure. I don't think there are many of them in the area.
LJ, March 27 2011.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
EDITION 64
Edition 64 of JCG, with a splendid shot of Fairy Bower gracing its cover, is both a fascinating and important read.
I feel flattered (and almost embarrassed) that I feature so prominently in this edition. Many thanks to editor Pam Davies for her enthusiasm when it came to me putting together an article on Bundy's birds, as well as running with a 'Wild Bundanoon' theme for the issue. I'd also like to thank Graeme Whisker for his detailed profile of my family and I, the Stantons for their super-kind words (wait until we get out into western NSW guys - I'll know little!), my friend Edwin (uberbirder) Vella for his black-cockatoo photo on p.27 and Ben Mawston for his graphic flair and acceptance of visuals.
It's tremendous to be part of a magazine which has such a strong focus on community, history, sustainability, conservation and growth.
What did you think of Edition 64?
LJ, March 9 2011.
I feel flattered (and almost embarrassed) that I feature so prominently in this edition. Many thanks to editor Pam Davies for her enthusiasm when it came to me putting together an article on Bundy's birds, as well as running with a 'Wild Bundanoon' theme for the issue. I'd also like to thank Graeme Whisker for his detailed profile of my family and I, the Stantons for their super-kind words (wait until we get out into western NSW guys - I'll know little!), my friend Edwin (uberbirder) Vella for his black-cockatoo photo on p.27 and Ben Mawston for his graphic flair and acceptance of visuals.
It's tremendous to be part of a magazine which has such a strong focus on community, history, sustainability, conservation and growth.
What did you think of Edition 64?
LJ, March 9 2011.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
THE GULLIES ROAD
The Gullies Rd., between Grey Gum Lane and Church St, often asks my Cocker Spaniel and I to walk it. In one sense, it's an unspoiled, fecund wonderland, and in another, a tarnished, tattered spot that needs serious reinvention. In between the imposing, sentinel-like trunks of eucalypts and a rich variety of native flora, there are imported, invasive species such as cotoneaster, wandering jew etc. In certain sections, crippled trees have fallen on others. From a strangled thicket, a barbed briar lashes the pathway like some sadist's whip or Triffid. Blackbirds (forget the Beatles-infused romance - should they have stayed in England?) utter their sharp scoldings in the weed-ways, whilst ravenous Brown and Striated Thornbills map and celebrate the reaching, expansive, native canopy. The Gullies Road is a gorgeous corner of Bundanoon, yet it is a riot of contradictions. In turn, it is fascinating, eye-catching, disappointing and bleak.
LJ, March 6 2011.
LJ, March 6 2011.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
CHASING MASKED OWLS WITH J&J
I was just out with locals, Jenny and John Shepherd, chasing Masked Owls in Morton NP.
J&J are convinced they saw a pair of the birds not far from Gambells Rest in early February, right on dusk. The three of us didn't see or hear any nocturnal birds whatsoever (even with my solid call imitations). Maybe the overcast conditions were to blame. Or perhaps the owls were hunting on the other side of our world.
I would dearly love to see a Masked Owl. I've dipped on them over the years (saying that, I haven't put a lot of hard work into finding them). Perhaps Morton will offer me a gift one day.
To be continued.
LJ, February 27 2011.
J&J are convinced they saw a pair of the birds not far from Gambells Rest in early February, right on dusk. The three of us didn't see or hear any nocturnal birds whatsoever (even with my solid call imitations). Maybe the overcast conditions were to blame. Or perhaps the owls were hunting on the other side of our world.
I would dearly love to see a Masked Owl. I've dipped on them over the years (saying that, I haven't put a lot of hard work into finding them). Perhaps Morton will offer me a gift one day.
To be continued.
LJ, February 27 2011.
TG@SHN
A big shout out to Tahnae Goldsworthy, journalist with Southern Highland News, who kindly interviewed me a little while ago about the 110 species of birds in Bundy, then put together a piece for the paper's 'Lifestyle' section, published online and in print, last Wednesday.
LJ, February 27 2011.
LJ, February 27 2011.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
110
You beauty! I've now recorded 110 species of bird in Bundanoon - that's about 13% of the species found on Australia's mainland and Tasmania (based on numbers from Birds Australia, our premier body for bird conservation/information; a publicist told me there are some 799 species on the mainland and Tassie combined). Here are the additional 10 birds...
Buff-banded Rail
Collared Sparrowhawk
Little Lorikeet
Brown Gerygone
Fairy Martin
Australian Reed-warbler
Golden-headed Cisticola
Black Swan
Dusky Woodswallow
Indian Mynah
When I get to 15% of Australia's birds for our town I'll be truly stoked. Onward and upward...
LJ, February 12 2011
Buff-banded Rail
Collared Sparrowhawk
Little Lorikeet
Brown Gerygone
Fairy Martin
Australian Reed-warbler
Golden-headed Cisticola
Black Swan
Dusky Woodswallow
Indian Mynah
When I get to 15% of Australia's birds for our town I'll be truly stoked. Onward and upward...
LJ, February 12 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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