Boobook …

Anticipating a hot day I got out early for my bird walk and had a fairly productive morning. After a swim I took refuge from the heat.

In the hottest part of the afternoon a visitor delivered the news that there was an owl near the front gate much to the annoyance of the small birds of the neighbourhood.

I hastened forth camera in hand, followed the protests of some White-plumed Honeyeaters and there he was …

Southern Boobook

I say he because it is quite a small individual. The females are larger. It puts up with the harassment of small birds with remarkable stoicism perhaps secure in the knowledge that it can take its revenge after dark. As well as small birds they also take mice and flying insects.

There are a number of subspecies (although what that number is varies from authority to authority). The chest marking of this character are typical of the race Ninox novaeseelandiae boobook.

Honey flow …

It started a week or so ago with a few isolated trees, now most of the River Reddies in the neighbourhood are in flower. The smell is just like honey.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis

The River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is Australia’s most widespread eucalypt found mainly along watercourses in otherwise fairly dry country. Flowering occurs mainly in December and January but it’s not every year that we get a big flowering event like this one.

There are always a few hives in the local woodland reserve but the beekeepers have been quick to recognise the potential and were busy installing reinforcements this morning …

There haven’t been a lot of lorikeets or honeyeaters about lately but I expect that to change in coming days.

Dragonfly …

Today I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the wells where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk: from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.
He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Thro’ crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Well something like that although this one was encountered in dry woodland devoid of grass and certainly devoid of dew.

There is a handy key to Australian Dragon and Damselflies <HERE> from which I learnt that this is a Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau).

A Christmas Spider …

On occasions a walk in the woods seems to be brought to a halt at the space between every tree or bush. There is something unsettling about a face full of spider web … perhaps it’s the thought of a mouth full of spider.

This guy is the Australian Jewel Spider AKA the Christmas Spider because it’s especially common at this time of the year.

Austracantha minax

The female is larger and usually more colorful than the male. They weave webs that are very effective at catching flying insects. The webs may be the work of a single spider or a group effort of up to 30 spiders with shared support threads.

Here’s one in its web …

They can be found throughout Australia, males grow to about 3mm long, females 7 to 10 mm.