The Great Bowerbird

We are visiting some of our family, who live in Townsville.

Their front yard, in an inner suburb of Townsville, has a lot of trees and bushes in it, and there among the plants is a bower.

The decorations are predominantly white, but look carefully and see pieces of red, and of green.

 
 It is an intricate piece of avian architecture.
It was built, and is maintained, by the Great Bowerbird....Chlamydera nuchalis.

The bower is about 50 cms long, and 40 cms high.
It consists of a stage, (where the male will dance for the female), and two walls of sticks.
The sticks are bent and woven into the wall shape.
Amazing stuff!

You can see the "stage" at the far end of the bower...made with white stones and shells.

This species of bowerbird can build large bowers, up to 50 cms high, and 1 metre long!

Typical of the species, the bower is decorated with predominately white stones and shells, with some pieces of green and red, and shiny objects.
For added "bling" it has added pieces of Alfoil, which shine, and a few plastic pieces.
It also occasionally adds a touch of red or green.
Ripe cherry tomatoes are the preferred choice for red!
Green berries, and other pieces of green vegetation also decorate the bower.
This bird has worked hard to make its bower attractive for the females.

The Great Bowerbird, with a Calistemon flower obstructing its eye!

Another shot of the bird, this time without flowers, but still parts being obstructed with foliage!

These Bowerbirds are found across the top Northern Australia, from the Kimberley region in Western Australia to Townsville, on the eastern coast of Queensland.

They are quite large birds...over 30 cm long.
Their colour is predominantly brown, but this one had a pink patch on the back of its neck.(not visible in these two photos)
I thought that maybe it had been in a pecking order fight with another male bowerbird, and had had its feathers pecked off, (which does happen) but no.....it was displaying to me, and calling loudly because it did not like me near its bower! 
Hence the pink "display patch"

When it began to build this bower, I have been told, another male attempted to oust it from the territory.
How?
"Our" bird would start construction of its bower, then the second male would come in and pull out the sticks of the walls!!
This went on for about a week, before bird number two flew elsewhere!

I have seen the Satin Bowerbird bowers in my area of Queensland (the Granite Belt), but never a bower in a suburban backyard!
This one in my son and daughter-in-law's yard does not even mind sharing the yard with a dog!
This has been a bonus for us....we feel, in a very small way, like David Attenborough!!

The end-of Winter Burn-off.

Just look at this grass. Dry. Brown. Tall.(well, waist high)

You can understand that the bushfire threat is high this summer, and that, in our state, Queensland, land-owners are encouraged to burn off their excess fuel before summer starts.

Protocols must be followed.
A fire permit, issued by the local fire warden, is given.
Burn-offs must not begin before 4pm, and wind speeds must be less than 10 knots.
Safety measures must be in place in case an emergency arises.

BEFORE:  Future bushfire fuel, unless burnt out now.

AFTER:  the long, dry grass has gone. Summer fire risk reduced.

Last week conditions were right. Last week we did our burn-offs.

We had long grass on the "bottom" block, and the fires there were very different from those on the "top" block, where our grapes grow.

Our bottom block does not have any grape vines on it.
We burnt off the two blocks on two afternoons.


The Bottom Block Burn-Off.

 

Starting the fires for the burn-off.

The flames take off.

..and burn well....

...but you must be ready to extinguish any stray flames.

A truck ready for any emergencies when burning off.

This specially equipped truck belongs to one of our neighbouring farmers.

It has a water tank, and long hose, as you can see, plus a generator, and galvanised iron buckets.

We needed such equipment when the scrubby bottom block was burnt.  Equipment "just in case"

The Top Block Burn-Off

Burning off on the top block...between the vines and the road.

A tractor, with a water tank behind, ready, if needed.

...plus a wet hessian sack to beat out wayward flames.

The "top block" did not have as much dried grass  (i.e. less fuel) as the bottom block, so the truck was not necessary.  This time water was carried in a water tank, behind the tractor.

You can tell from the photos that the fire was not nearly as fierce as the fires on the bottom block.

The weekend following our burn-offs, many other farmers were also doing their bit to reduce the possibility of Summer bushfires.  This photo is taken looking across our vineyard towards the hills of the next valley. You can see the smoke from the burn-off fires there.

Burning off in the next valley to us.

10 years ago fierce bushfires raged through the valley shown, and one person lost their life. So we are all aware of the importance of taking the necessary precautions.

We all hope for a quieter summer, re bushfires.

My week in Shanghai's summer.

Well, it was 8 full days really, but "a week" reads better as a heading, don't you think?

My husband was going to Shanghai on business, and I had decided to stay at home...because the summers there are reportedly very very hot, and very very humid.
To add a little spice to that, it is also the typhoon season.

But at the last minute I decided that I couldn't not go, so to China I went. And of course experienced, in 8 short days, the heat, the humidity AND a typhoon! Excitement plus!

One hot day (yes, I am repeating myself, re weather, I know) we walked through an older part of the city, and found a Taoist temple.

It was a touch of peace and serenity in the hot city.

Here are a few photos.

The main entrance to the temple complex.

In the first courtyard were people buying and burning sticks of incense.

Within the temple grounds are many smaller temples, each with a statue of Buddha.  

One of the 4 different temples arranged around this central square.

...and another.

People use the temples for quiet reflection, and/or prayer.

Photographs were not allowed inside the temples, so I cannot show you any of the Buddha statues. But they were magnificent, and some were huge.

One of the monks, a female, was watering the plants outside one of the temples.

On one side of the complex was a quiet garden with a pond, full of carp, of many colours.
The trees and shrubs in this garden also added to a feeling of relaxation.

People are sitting on the bridge, watching the carp.

It is a little difficult to appreciate the variety of colours from this photograph, but they ranged from pale white to black!

Children could buy fish food for a few yuan, and feed the fish.

The fish are obviously used to being fed.

Despite the heat of the day,  inside the grounds felt cooler...maybe the restful ambiance fooled our heat-sensitive receptors!

Whatever the explanation, the visit to the Taoist temple was a very relaxing experience.

Some interesting visitors to the farm.

Visitors to the farm? Yes, we get a few, but the ones I shall mention here are animals. (Yes, if you press the point, I know that humans are animals too, but when I say animal visitors I am sure you know what I mean)
So, yes, over the last few weeks we have had some interesting animal callers.

The Long-necked Tortoise.

We had a few days of constant rain, and lo and behold, just outside the house, a long-necked tortoise appeared.

Its shell was covered with mud and plant growth.

This shell needs a thorough clean!

...with neck extended.

When it had its neck fully extended it was about 100 cm from top to tail.....a long, long-necked tortoise.

But when it became aware of some pesky potential predator, (me, with camera) it adopted its self-protective pose, and pulled its neck into its shell....all the while giving me a Bronwyn Bishop "death stare"

...and curled into its shell. Note its staring eyes, checking me out.

I couldn't imagine where it had come from until I looked at the garden behind it.

There, amid the maiden-hair fern, was a hole about the size of my visitor.

How long it had been curled up there I have no idea.

That's the hole where the tortoise had been living....under the maiden-hair fern.

It wandered off when I wasn't watching it (it is not something you want to watch 24/7) and I have no idea where it went.  But I am glad that I saw it when it came out into the open.

The Echidna.

I have seen a few echidnas around the farm, and was lucky, one afternoon, to have my camera with me, when this fellow sauntered across our road.
It was a little fazed by my presence, and tried to hide its head once it reached the grass on the opposite verge. But then it decided that such a temporary measure was not perfect, and scurried off, on its little stumpy legs, deeper into the bush.

,

Yes, a good time to cross the road. No cars coming.

Burrowing into the nearby vegetation...to escape me.

Centipedes.

These appear quite frequently.

No,  no-one has been accidentally nipped by one. 

They really are quite lovely to see with their segmented body, and lots of legs! (one pair per segment)

This bloke was afraid of me, and tried to make itself appear insignificant!
As long as they stay OUTSIDE where they belong, I am happy to admire them.

Looks very healthy....lovely shiny exoskeleton.

Birds.

Yes, the Robins arrive every Winter. Apparently this area is the northern most boundary for their winter range. I don't spot them often over winter, but I love seeing them.

This is the female. The male's red breast is of a much brighter colour.

What an inquisitive look!

Kangaroos.

Just one of the many kangaroos which come across to the house at dusk and dawn. This one looks very young.

These are always with us.

At dawn and at dusk they come out of the nearby scrub, and into the vineyard. 

They eat rose buds, when they are in bloom, and new vine shoots when they are growing.

They graze on the grass over the winter months.

Quite often one of the females will have a joey in her pouch.

So that is a small taste of some of the wildlife visitors we see here at the farm. Enjoy!

Now it is WINTER here.

The last Blog showed the colours of Autumn in "our neck of the woods."

All of that glorious Autumn colour has gone, and the starkness of Winter is here.

And this season has its own beauty.

We have many nights of below zero degrees. The following mornings are magic.
Heavy frosts coat the ground, and any low-growing shrubs, with sparkling white.

The frost remains where the sun has not yet reached.

And you can also see frost remnants along the edges of our road.

Low clouds fill our small valley. They often hang around until mid-morning.

Visibility is low on misty mornings. The place seems magical.

The skies can be clear and blue....stunning

....or grey and threatening...but still magnificent.

The deciduous  trees are bare...having lost their Autumn leaves. Their starkness is beautiful to see, against the backdrop of the sky.

But now, half way through winter some of them are already forming buds, ready to put on their Spring greenery at the first hint of warmer temperatures.

Here is one of our Magnolia trees....the buds are forming now, and, as a bonus, the bird's nest is visible, sitting in a fork of some branches.

And a few birds visit the farm over winter. These add colour and interest.

Here is an adult Crimson Rosella, with the lighter coloured juvenile. (Platycerus elegans)

And a group (or is it a "flock"?) of Crimson Rosellas in a tree near the house.

This is a little difficult to see, but it is a Scarlet Robin.(Petroica multicolor)

I love the robins. They only come to this area in the winter months. Apparently this region is the northern most extent of their winter migration.
 Neighbours in the area all keep a look-out for the robins. And we tell one another when and where we have sighted them.   Much excitement over a very small, but beautiful, bird.

And some flowers are frost-tolerant, and grow through Winter, adding splashes of colour.

I shall finish this Blog with the following photos of the few flowers growing here over winter.
Enjoy our winter photo gallery.

Calendulas (G.Calendula) are so hardy, and so bright.

The purple of the Iris is eye-catching in the brownness of the rest of the garden.

Not much luck with our bulbs this year but the Jonquils put on a show for us.

A small growth of Pansies (Viola genus)

The violets have a deep purple colour. (Also Viola genus)

Autumn on the Granite Belt.

Back to "home" for this blog.....but I do have more of Shanghai to write about. 

Future blogs!

One of the joys I have experienced living here is that there are 4 distinct seasons.

Living in Brisbane you don't really see this.

Certainly in Brisbane  it gets "cool" in winter, but not really cold. Autumn colours don't really exist.

But here on the Granite Belt you know which season you are in.

And I love it.

Last year one of my Blogs focused on the colours of Spring.

This one will be on the colours of Autumn.
And what to show you first? Our vineyard, or the neighbour's fence line?

I'll show you both.

When we look out at the vineyard during Autumn, all the vines have lost their Spring and Summer green colour, and turned red or yellow.

And the neighbour's fence line of deciduous trees gives a lot of pleasure to passing traffic. Isn't it beautiful?

These trees are a colourful sight along Sundown Road.

And now some photos of particular plants, in their Autumn "plumage"

Pistacia chinensis   Chinese Pistachio

This Japanese Maple is just starting to change colour.

A close-up of the Japanese Maple leaves, beginning to turn.

Japanese maple.....Acer palmatum.
These leaves are well on the way to their final deep red colour.
Same tree, but  different rates of colour change.

Another Japanese Maple.  All leaves have changed colour. Isn't it a picture?

Fraxinus genus.   The Claret Ash.

The 2nd photo also shows the ground beneath the tree appearing slightly purple because of all the dropped leaves. It looked beautiful, with the purplish hue under the tree.
Then, of course, some days later,  the Westerly winds blew the ground cover away.

An Ornamental grapevine.....Vitis genus.

These are seen in a lot of local homes. Their leaves turn a deep red in Autumn.

And too, the sunsets at this time of the year are magnificent.

Here are a couple of photos.

And so I leave you with some ideas about out Granite Belt in Autumn.

Enjoy.