Thursday, December 5, 2013

Sunbirds living dangerously.

After successfully raising one chick from a nest right outside our louvres, our sunbirds encountered tragedy on their next attempt. Unfortunately on a windy night, their nest blew down and the little chick died of exposure. It was a sad day for all of us. Father sunbird kept coming back to the nest site, calling out for his family. Eventually they built another nest under the neighbour's lean-to. It was a very sensible nest site -- protected from sun and wind and kookaburras who were too large to get through the lattice barrier. 

But now the sunbirds have built a nest outside our bathroom and practically next to the laundry door.

You might remember this post from a couple of weeks ago, where I said that Charlotte, the Bird-eating-spider, was back in her burrow about 30cm from my laundry door. You guessed it...the subird nest is directly above the spider burrow -- about two metres above it and I hope that is enough. One thing is certain. If the baby falls out of the nest it won't die of exposure.

We had another visitor this week. I could hear scratching noises in the back room and it was this gorgeous sand monitor goanna just having a look around. We have at least three of them living nearby. Two boys and a girl, I suspect, after the agressive confrontation I witnessed a couple of months ago. It was all for show and no one got hurt.  This fellow is welcome anytime if he promises to eat spiders. Mind you, he will be just as happy eating baby sunbirds.


Next photo is a slightly less welcome visitor squatter. Geckos...we have dozens of them and with no insect screens they come and go as much as they please. Mostly they don't go. They just stay, but at least they eat some of the bugs which also come and go as much as they please.


Last photo is the little double bar finches who are using our bird bath as a meeting place. One of our friends says he photographed fourteen of them all sharing his birdbath at the same time. They are very amiable little birds.



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Mr. Sunshine & Grannysaurus

Mr. Sunshine & Grannysaurus

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Townsville, Queensland, Australia
I have worked as a Biology lab assistant, Pathology lab assistant, geochem lab assistant, land tenure researcher, hospital and prison chaplain, parish care coordinator and part owner of a small business. I have studied some science (no degrees) and have a theology and a chaplaincy certificate. I still love science of all types and enjoy studying theology. Science and theology belong together. At present I am a work-at-home Grannysaurus.

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