Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Autumn Frogmouths
It's now late autumn in Canberra and the Tawny Frogmouths are settling into their winter roosts. Each pair seems to have a favourite perch where they will spend most of the winter days, although they will occassionally move to other perches nearby. They like to use dead branches on the northern side of a live tree where they can bask in the sunshine. And they settle close to the trunk, where they blend in well with the background tree structure.
The female is usually perched behind the male, closest to the trunk. He is larger than her, and females in most animal populations are the more important sex as they lay the eggs. This female is peeking over her partner's shoulder. He might appear to be asleep in the sunshine, but he will be watching me through almost closed eyelids.
Even from a more favourable aspect to see them against the sky, they are still well concealed. They match the form of the dead branch as well as the colours.
This is how they were when I found them, basking with heads tilted back, to catch maximum warmth from the sun. And that was how I left them.
Thursday, 9 April 2020
Epicormic growth
Epicormic growth is the sprouting of leaves from branches and the main stems of trees.
After a year of dry heat, fire and smoke in the south east of Australia the trees are coming back to life. Here in the heart of Canberra, on Black Mountain right next to the city centre, the re-growth is now spectacular in the wetter autumn months. The main tree species are Scribbly Gum Eucalytus haemastoma and Red Stringy bark E. machrorhynca.
The shoots are mostly a rich crimson colour when they first emerge, then they grow into the more expected lush green.
The first re-growth tends to come out around the thin brances in the crown of the trees and the trunks are relatively bare, reminiscent of a Gustav Klimt painting.
Or perhaps 'Blue Poles' by Jackson Pollock, which hangs a few kilometres away, across the lake in the National Gallery of Australia.
It won't take long for these trees to recover from the drought, but for now most of the life is in the canopy, so always remember to look up when out for a walk. Sometimes, that is where it is all happening.
Epicormic growth is the sprouting of leaves from branches and the main stems of trees.
After a year of dry heat, fire and smoke in the south east of Australia the trees are coming back to life. Here in the heart of Canberra, on Black Mountain right next to the city centre, the re-growth is now spectacular in the wetter autumn months. The main tree species are Scribbly Gum Eucalytus haemastoma and Red Stringy bark E. machrorhynca.
The shoots are mostly a rich crimson colour when they first emerge, then they grow into the more expected lush green.
The first re-growth tends to come out around the thin brances in the crown of the trees and the trunks are relatively bare, reminiscent of a Gustav Klimt painting.
Or perhaps 'Blue Poles' by Jackson Pollock, which hangs a few kilometres away, across the lake in the National Gallery of Australia.
It won't take long for these trees to recover from the drought, but for now most of the life is in the canopy, so always remember to look up when out for a walk. Sometimes, that is where it is all happening.
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