Driving into our Blue Mountains property after visiting Sydney recently we almost ran over a juvenile king parrot. I had to hop out of the car and shoo him off the driveway. He was too busy with an acorn he’d found to think about the dangers of
Read more →It’s almost the end of May, and the village of Blackheath in the Blue Mountains is looking its best. Tourists are enjoying the colourful foliage in Wentworth Street. Even the shaded little maple tree growing above the satin bowerbird’s lair is changing colour. What a fantastic location
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Autumn is a busy time for the birds in our Blackheath garden. So many seeds to snack on, so many fallen leaves to scrabble about in. And I swear there are those who just know they look good against a blaze of colour. The cheeky rascal below
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Honestly, blue wrens could take over my life if I didn’t keep strict control. I should really give them their full title; Superb Fairy Wrens (Maluras cyaneus). And yes, they are as delicate as fairies. Once I had a blue wren stained glass window made for the
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It has been a long courting season for the bowerbird in Blackheath’s Memorial Park. I began monitoring his ‘boudoir’ in mid August 2018. Without doubt it was one of the most beautiful, symmetrically arranged collections of blue treasures I had ever seen. WOOING IS A WEARYSOME BUSINESS
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WELL HELLO AGAIN GANG-GANGS! After not seeing Gang-gang cockatoos in my Blue Mountains garden for several years I was delighted when a lively group arrived. There were lured by the ripening seeds on my various wattle trees (acacias). They have been returning almost every day. So far
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Hello, Well my guardian Pauline Conolly and I have been documenting the life of a satin bowerbird. It lives in Memorial Park, Blackheath, here in the Blue Mountains. I’ve become quite friendly with him. Sometimes I take him a blue treasure, because he collects them to impress
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There were some special (feathered) visitors at Blackheath recently, stepping off the Cherry Blossom Express from Sydney. And goodness me, what a sight greeted them! A misty day, but utterly lovely nevertheless. Oh the joy of burying one’s beak in those blossoms by the platform. Just
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How very beautiful are old-fashioned aquilegias, or colombines. They are also known as granny’s bonnets. Bees love them. Here is an interesting piece on the plant’s name, published in 1927; A new explanation of the derivation of the word “aquilegia” has been advanced by Rev. G.H.
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EARLY DAYS AT THE BOWER It was mid August when I first spotted a satin bowerbird’s boudoir in Memorial Park, Blackheath. I was very impressed by the location. It was secluded and private, but just a short flight to the village shops and cafes. The bower itself
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