At this same spot and same time of year just two years ago I would have anticipated at least 100 individuals to visit the water in an hour – Yellow-tufted, White-naped, Brown-headed and Fuscous Honeyeaters along with a Spotted Pardalote or two, some Peaceful Doves and even something more exotic like a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren or Diamond Firetail. Chances are a Square-tailed Kite or Brown Falcon would have floated over. 12 months ago numbers and diversity was significantly less but at least 20-30 birds could be expected.
Yesterday afternoon … not a ‘sausage’, until just as I started to think of heading home a slender raptor alighted by the waters edge, an adult Collared Sparrowhawk arriving to drink. How is it that such a noted bird hunter can survive in a landscape with apparently so little prey?
The soundscape during my visit was not totally silent, but very much on the quiet side … small numbers of the aforementioned honeyeaters, Grey Shrike-thrush, Peaceful Dove and a lone Crested Bellbird calling to the east.
The bush dam on South German Track
Adult Collared Sparrowhawk drinking
Note the elongated middle toe and light blue colour between the cere and bill … ‘sort of’ squarish tail …
… and the staring countenance (indistinct eyebrow ridge).
There is a sudden haunting whiteness to the south. It seems to hover on the shining surface of the sea. Then it descends, and comes closer. It is a barn owl. He glows in the last sunlight, like burning snow, a white incandescence casting a black shadow … the edges of his wings are constantly feeling the air. Their silky fringes, like antennae of thistledown, impose a white silence on which all sounds are magnified.
The Hill of Summer, J.A.Baker, 1969
I’ve spent a little time in recent weeks observing a pair of Barn Owls, and now know a little more about their habits. Just on dusk both adults arrive around the hollow which now harbours at least one owlet, its begging call, air-ish, uttered regularly as dusk falls. A few weeks ago the female would ascend from within the hollow and appear at the entrance but now it seems both adults are perched either on a nearby branch or in separate hollows. I’ve not seen both adults perched close together, but have certainly witnessed each parent make brief visits inside the hollow during this time. After a brief inspection inside the adult departs to hunt, although a fortnight ago one parent would usually perch nearby, apparently awaiting the return of its mate. Now, with the young more advanced, one of the adults returns within 30 minutes or so with food, followed not long after by the other parent. So far the only prey I’ve observed have been house mice, which seem to be in reasonable numbers in the surrounding landscape, though by no means in plague proportions.
Visits with prey are brief, no more than a minute or so, before the adult departs again to hunt. I’ve yet to see an owlet. Soon before fledging they typically make an appearance at the hollow entrance to receive food and then once fledged will perch close by the nest site. Last evening, under a waxing gibbous moon, it was a delight to see one of the adults announce its arrival with a short, high pitched screech, another mouse in its bill.
Eastern Barn Owl (male*) at nest hollow, Newstead district, 28th December 2025
Departing to hunt
Returning with the first House Mouse of the evening
#2
#3
The prey delivered … briefly perched before another foray
* These images appear to be of the same individual, I think the male, based on previous observations. Right click on image and open in new tab to view at full size.
It’s been a good year again for some of our local Barking Owls. One pair successfully fledged three young, while the pair pictured below raised one youngster, now in immature plumage.
I located the immature bird from its characteristic falsetto trills, similar to my ear to that of a juvenile Powerful Owl. It is reported that their voice breaks at about 5 months of age. Some vestiges of white down are visible on the flanks of the young bird.
It was perched in the canopy of a Long-leaved Box, while the adults were perched some 100 metres away.
Immature Barking Owl, Newstead district, 22nd December 2025
Barking Owl habitat
Adult Barking Owls – female at left, male at right.
The male (at right) is noticeable larger with a flatter crown
The female (at left) is noticeable smaller with a more rounded crown
If you watch a perched Rainbow Bee-eater carefully it will occasionally eject a dark, cylindrical pellet from its mouth. The pellet contains the undigested remains, mainly exoskeletons, of its insect diet, a diet that does include bees but also other flying insects such as dragonflies, robber flies, wasps and butterflies. Many species of birds produce pellets – see here for an overview.
The final image shows a male Rainbow Bee-eater perched at the entrance of its active nest, a horizontal tunnel in an erosion gully. This behaviour is a sign that hatching is imminent. Soon enough the adults will be arriving regularly with food for the nestlings.
Rainbow Bee-eater about to eject a pellet, Newstead district, 20th December 2025
The bill opens and the pellet emerges
Tally-ho!
Male Rainbow Bee-eater perched at the nest entrance
In researching this post I came upon an interesting story about Rainbow Bee-eater pellets. As a method for early detection of exotic Asian honeybee incursions pellets are collected from underneath bee-eater roots and then analysed for signs of these undesirable pests.
Let me be clear … I’m no fan of blackberries. They are prickly, highly invasive and can transform ecosystems in a multitude of ways.
BlackberryRubus fruticosus species aggregate has proliferated across much of temperate Australia since its introduction in the 1800s. Not surprisingly it is declared as a Weed of National Significance (WONS).
Ironically one of our most beloved native songbirds, the Superb Fairy-wren, uses it often for nesting, feeding and retreating from danger in landscapes with few other options.
The invertebrate fauna in the bush around our place at Strangways is still greatly impoverished, but as summer comes, prowling around with a camera does mean finding some of the regulars for this time of year, but in numbers greatly diminished compared to most years.
Belid Weevils are one of those insects that I frequently find in our yard in summer. Wikipedia tells me that they known as primitive weevils due to their straight antennae and that they proliferated across Gondwana from 160 million to 100 million years ago. Their larvae feed on diseased or dying plants. The adults feed mostly on pollen. From my point of view, they are very patient subjects for macrophotography, sitting quite calmly for quite a few shots.
Belid Weevil on Grey Box leaf
I’ve also found a couple of small Shield Bugs (Anischys luteovarius), identified by iNaturalist as Anischys luteovarius. Being true bugs, they have a tube mouth for sucking plant fluids.
Anischys luteovarius on Grey Box leaf Anischys luteovarius in profile
Yellow-headed Leafhoppers (Brunotartessus fulvus) also true bugs and devourers of plant sap. Most years I would find lots of these on eucalypt leaves, but this year I’ve only found two.
Yellow-headed Leafhopper
Acacia Jewel Beetles are small iridescent beetles that lay their eggs in the trunks of wattle species, especially Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha). You will often see the sawdust at the wattle’s base left by their larvae as they burrow through the trunk. I understand that they are probably the reason for the relatively short life of Golden Wattles.
Acacia Jewel Beetle
Sawfly larvae are also usually a common site in our bush, often found as a rather disgusting dense pack of caterpillar-like grubs crawling across the ground or in a mass on a leaf, which they quickly devour. When threatened, they will wag their tails in a way that only makes them even less appealing. The little bunch of them that I found were young enough to not be quite so revolting, especially when I found one side of the leaf only had one or two on it. They will transform into a wasp-like insect, with the main difference from wasps being their fat waists. The name sawfly comes from the saw-shaped ovipositor which the female uses to embed her eggs into leaves.
Sawfly larva on Grey Box leaf
Pollinators seem to be less affected by whatever is driving down invertebrate numbers. They are still fewer than in most years, but not as drastically as those that tend to chew or suck on plants or the predators of these species. Slender Bee Flies (Geron sp.) have recently fronted up in reasonable numbers, pollinating Sweet Bursaria and Shiny Everlastings in our yard. This is another species that gets so involved in collecting pollen that they sit quite still for some photos.
Slender Bee Fly on Shiny Everlasting.
Another pollinator I found was a number of Imperial Hairstreak butterflies (Jalmenus evagoras). The upper side of their wings are metallic blue, but I wasn’t able to get any shots of the upper side. Apparently this species are dependent on a close relationship with Iridomyrmex ants (meat ants). The ants protect the caterpillars and their presence triggers mating in the adult butterfly. Their distribution depends both on the presence of the ants and the availability of suitable plants. The ones I met were enjoying some onion flowers in our garden. I have no idea where their wonderful name comes from.
Imperial Hairstreak on onion plant Up close, showing the butterfly’s feeding tube pushed deep into the flower.
Right on cue at the cusp of the festive season Sacred Kingfishers are feeding young. The parents are renowned for delivering a smorgasbord of delights to hungry nestlings. Arriving at roughly ten minute intervals this pair captured small skinks, huntsman spiders, a robber fly and a large, fat cicada (Psaltoda sp.) during an entertaining half hour prior to dusk.
Sacred Kingfisher with robber-fly, Newstead, 10th December 2025
The pair with a skink and huntsman
This time a small skink
A huntsman fell victim … perhaps prised from underneath bark
Positive signs that White-browed Woodswallows might actually settle and breed successfully this summer. There are quite a few active nests at present at various sites in the district and while incubation has started, some pairs are still building. Let’s hope conditions are conducive to a successful breeding event.
White-browed Woodswallow (male) arrives at the nest, Sandon State Forest, 5th December 2025
Something of a sad sight … a lone Red-necked Stint on the mudflats at Joyce’s Creek. At least it had the company of some (3) Red-capped Plovers.
Most summers I would anticipate small flocks, up to 30 or so, of this tiny migratory wader. The numbers of Red-capped Plovers are also down this year. The third image provides a nice size comparison between the slightly smaller stint and noticeably bulkier plover, while in flight they share much the same size wingspan.
Nearby a flock of 17 Whiskered Terns were alternating between a shallow water roost and bouts of fishing in the gusty summer air.
* To view images at full size – right click on image and open in new tab.
Red-necked Stint, Joyce’s Creek, 4th December 2025 … note remnants of breeding plumage on breast
Red-capped Plover (male)
Red-necked Stint (front) with Red-capped Plover (rear)
Natural Newstead 
