Noisy Pittas are summer visitors to the higher parts of the Atherton tablelands (we are at 1000m elevation), and we usually hear the first ones in December.
This year they have arrived a bit earlier. I happened to be down by the creek, watching the Grey Goshawks (they built a nest near our house in August), when a Pitta called near me, then a second one answered!. I had hoped to have a better image for this blog, but the birds have eluded me over the last week (although they are calling a lot).
The Grey Goshawks’ nest is in a very tall Rosegum and one only gets a good view from one spot near the creek.
The adults are feeding one chick and are calling before coming to the nest, which makes it easy to hurry down to the creek in time to see the parent arrive.
Many other bird species are also nesting now. Mrs Cockatoo chose a tall dead tree for her nest.
She always comes to the opening when she hears someone walking past.
Female Scarlet Honeyeaters are busy collecting nesting material
while the males are always on the look-out for competitors.
The Spangled Drongos are sharing nest-building duties.
Amazingly, they can fit up to 5 eggs into their tiny nest!
Brown Gerygones are flitting in and out of their nest, which is pendular with a roof over the side entrance, to feed nestlings.
Other birds already have fledglings in tow. This Mountain Thornbill got duped into raising a Shining Bronze-cuckoo.
Many Red Roarer cicadas are hatching at the moment -it might be another cicada year, when they are much more numerous.
