Long-billed Corella

A couple of long-bills visited my garden again today. As usual, they were amongst a small flock of Little Corellas that ‘drop in’ every now and then and resist my attempts at persuading them to evacuate the premises due to their usual destructive and noisy behaviours.

Long-billed Corella

‘Corella’ is thought to have indigenous origins but exactly from which language is not certain. ‘Garala’ from Wiradjuri is most likely, but ‘garila’ and ‘caralla’ are also quoted in historical references.

The Long-billed Corella, Cacatua tenuirostris, has adapted well to agricultural and semi-urban environments, particularly in western Victoria where they became, and still are in some places, significant pests around farms and other rural properties. Anecdotally they are steadily spreading this side of Melbourne.

Long-billed Corella - Birdata

That long upper mandible is used to dig for roots and bulbs. It isn’t hard to appreciate the damage that could be done to crops, orchards, even hard surfaces like outdoor furniture, with such a tool. There are many records of property owners trying to solve that problem by culling the birds by various means (careful – distressing images).

Corella numbers can fluctuate wildly according to conditions. If you think the flocks of Little Corellas in West Gippsland are of concern, have sympathy for some residents in WA in 1878 who estimated a flock size of 50,000 birds!

Little Corella                                           Long-billed Corella

In the 1970’s, in some parts of its range where their numbers were of concern, Long-billed Corellas were ‘officially’ trapped and sold to the pet trade. Ultimately this had the effect of birds being released, deliberately or accidentally, into new areas. Long-billed Corellas are long-lived with life-spans greater than 20 years. Many caged birds outlived their owners.

There are numerous references by federal, state, and local government agencies that provide advice on ‘Cockatoo, corella and galah wildlife management methods’, their efficacy notwithstanding.

 

 

 

 

Eastern and Crimson Rosellas

I guess it is because they are relatively common, but it has always seemed a shame that we often take these two beautiful endemic parrots a little bit too much for granted. I’m guessing that many birdwatchers around the world would be envious of the fact that these two beauties can often be found in our backyards. Depending on which is your favourite field guide, there are 6 to 8 species of rosellas, all endemic to Australia.

The name ‘rosella’ has interesting etymological origins. It seems that as early settlers journeyed from Sydney Town to Paramatta, they passed through a district called Rose Hill (now a densely settled suburb of course). They would regularly glimpse flocks of small green, yellow, and black ‘parrakeets’ with a red head and white cheeks. The settlers referred to the birds as Rose Hillers. ‘Rose Hiller’ ultimately became corrupted into ‘rosella’ which is what the bird was eventually named and of course they were seeing flocks of what we now call Eastern Rosellas.

Eastern Rosella: Platycercus eximius. ‘Platycercus’ = broad tail, ‘eximius’ = excellent. No argument with that.

Eastern Rosella

The Eastern Rosella is probably a more urbanised bird than the crimson and is usually easily seen in our urban parks and reserves, backyards, etc., however, easterns are never far from lightly wooded habitat. They mostly feed on seeds of the heads of grasses and herbs at ground level. Eastern Rosellas are quite conspicuous when they are feeding on the ground, but despite their colourful plumage, they can fly into the canopy of a eucalypt and become nearly invisible.

Eastern Rosella checking its nesting hollow

There are several races of Eastern Rosellas. Our Gippsland birds are the nominate form. They are usually seen in small family groups. Eastern Rosellas are a sedentary species and are mostly restricted to the lower altitudes. Like all our parrots and many other species, Eastern Rosellas need a decent tree hollow in which to breed.

Crimson Rosella: Platycercus elegans. ‘Elegans’ = fine, elegant, or handsome. Some say all three.

Crimson Rosella

Crims like to inhabit tall timbered woodlands and rainforests. Periodically they will venture into farmland and urban reserves. It is not unusual to find Crimson Rosellas on the edge of alpine regions – or in coastal woodlands. They feed both on the ground and in the canopy. Eucalypt seed is a favourite food but fruits, lerp, and pollen are taken as well.

Crimson Rosella bathing in a puddle

There are several races, sub-species or forms of the Crimson Rosella. It is not unusual to come across an eastern-crimson hybrid.

Hybrid Eastern-Crimson (on the right)

Crimson Rosella - yellow form

Potoroo

No, I didn’t see one here in West Gippsland – sorry. That would be good, wouldn’t it? A little earlier this year, I was privileged to be invited by Moonlit Sanctuary at Pearcedale to have an ‘up close encounter’ with these endearing little mammals.

The Long-nosed Potoroo, Potorous tridactylus, is one of four species in the genus. Both the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act list the Potorous tridactylus as ‘vulnerable’.  Highly-fragmented populations exist down the eastern seaboard, western Victoria and Tasmania. Their principal threats are habitat destruction by us, and predation by cats and dogs (us again!), and foxes.

Interestingly, it is thought the decline of the dingo has contributed to the reduction of potoroo numbers – the potoroo is exposed to increased competition for food and shelter by animals such as kangaroos and wallabies, and to increased predation from feral cats and foxes.

At first sight, the potoroo is a bandicoot-like marsupial until it moves with a kangaroo-like hopping motion. They are mostly nocturnal and usually solitary animals. Their diet consists principally of fungi, roots, seeds, and invertebrates.

The Long-nosed Potoroo is a promiscuous and opportunistic breeder - they may have 3 or 4 pregnancies a year. The new-born joey will spend up to 4 months in its mother’s pouch.

Thank heavens for recovery programs like those at Moonlit Sanctuary.

 

 

 

Planthoppers

Planthoppers or leafhoppers are a sapsucking species that are generally unwelcome in the garden. There are many varieties - bugs, aphids, cicadas, leafhoppers, and scale insects, etc. – and they all belong to the order of Hemiptera. Despite their variety, they all have specialised mouthparts for piercing plant stems and sucking up the sap of the plant. If their numbers are great enough the plant will eventually die.

As they feed, planthoppers leave behind a coating of honeydew on the stem. The honeydew can attract beneficial insects like bees, or it can encourage the growth of sooty mould which damages the plant as well.

Hemiptera have three life stages – egg, nymph, and adult. Beetles, butterflies, and bees for example have four stages – egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

The moth-like Passionvine Hopper, Scolypopa australis, has a wide range of host plants with soft stems, native and exotic, apart from the obvious Passion Vine species. The adults with their transparent wings are typically just 6-7mm long.

The nymph of the Passionvine Hopper looks like a miniature cicada and feeds on the plant in the same way as the adult. They are often covered in tufts of waxy filaments extending from their posteriors giving them their name of fluffy bums. It is assumed that this is to deter predators by proffering them a mouthful of sticky wax.

The adult Green Planthopper, or torpedo bug, Siphanta acuta, has a bright green, flattened, triangular body. It holds it wings shut in a vertical position, resembling a small green leaf or thorn.

Like the Passionvine Hopper, when disturbed, the Green Planthopper springs away and flies off to another nearby plant, its camouflage properties rendering it almost invisible.

At 9-10mm, adult Green Planthoppers are a little larger than Passionvine Hoppers. The nymphs of Green Planthoppers also have waxy tufts extruding from their hindquarters. Both species are native to Australia but are found pretty much world-wide these days.

Many garden pest websites spend a lot of time referencing chemical control of these sap suckers. It would be nice though if we could rely on natural biological control. For example, some birds and other insects do prey on adult planthoppers, their nymphs, and their eggs. Large infestations can be dealt with by applying a weak soapy water solution.

Golden Whistler

We are blessed in West Gippsland with numerous locations to see (and listen to) the wonderful Golden Whistler. Often, quite small patches of native forest or woodland will have a resident pair or two. It is not too unusual to find Golden Whistlers in urban parkland at times. Some people with large gardens are lucky enough to have them in their back yards!

The Golden Whistler has some interesting old common names – Guttural Thrush, White-throated Thickhead, Coachwhip Bird, White-throated Whistler, Thunderbird (for its apparent responses to loud noises?) – being just a few. A recent version, Australian Golden Whistler, reflects the plethora of races and sub-races of this bird, many of them being found in the islands to the north of the continent.

The scientific name is Pachycephala pectoralis, where Pachycephala = thick head and pectoralis = chest or breast – not a particularly endearing form of nomenclature for such a brilliant bird perhaps?

Golden Whistlers are considered a sedentary species but it seems that our West Gippsland birds may exhibit some nomadism or altitudinal migration at times. They breed from late winter to early summer, building an open cup nest of leaves, rootlets and grasses, bound together with cobweb, often quite low down in thick shrubbery.

Pairs mostly feed alone in the mid to upper levels of the woodland although there is some anecdotal evidence that the female can often be found in lower situations. They feed on insects, spiders and other invertebrates that are taken from the foliage and bark of trees. Some references state they also take some berries as part of their diet.

The strong, varied, and complex song is difficult to describe in onomatopoeic terms. Pairs might have a rising ‘seeep’ contact call.

Always a good day in the bush when you see a Golden Whistler.

My first sawfly

 

Guest Post by Geoff Leslie, Warragul

Most people are familiar with the larvae of the sawfly known as ‘spitfires’. These caterpillar-like creatures are found in writhing masses on eucalypts, usually exuding green excrement and waving their heads after defoliating whole branches.  Not very attractive.

But there are many types of sawfly (Brisbane Insects has an informative sawfly page - Ed). Spitfires are the larvae of the Spitfire Sawfly, Perga affinis, apparently but I have never been able to photograph an adult.  Another well-known type of sawfly larva is the cherry slug – a black leech-shaped slimy little critter that skeletonises the leaves of pear and cherry trees. This one is Caliroa Cerasi, an introduced pest that has followed the cultivated fruit trade around the world.

Yesterday, however, I found a cooperative sawfly who consented to being photographed. It lacks a common name, though some people call it the Dock Sawfly. It is Lophyrotoma analis.

The larvae look much like spitfires but are green and usually solitary, and the host plant is usually dock weed or some other broad-leaved softer plant not eucalyptus. I found it on a broad bean.

This is a female sawfly, the males of this species have antennae with large filaments making them look like feathers.  Females have a saw-like ovipositor (egg-laying tube) with which they cut a space in the middle of a leaf – between the top and bottom face of the leaf – to lay their eggs, though my picture does not reveal this. That is obviously the origin of the name ‘sawfly’; in fact they are a primitive type of harmless wasp.

I have a lot of dock weed (Rumex species) so I welcome this beautiful little creature. Help yourself to my dock.

Thanks for the contribution Geoff - Ed

Eastern Koel

Around about now, the familiar, persistent call ‘ko-ell, ko-ell…’ will begin to ring through the streets and parklands of Drouin, especially in the mornings and evenings, and sometimes at night.

The Eastern Koel is a summer migrant that arrives in spring and departs mid to late summer to return to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Some field guides may not have its distribution down the eastern seaboard reaching as far as Victoria, but the Eastern Koel has been known to visit these parts for some years now. Anecdotally, its numbers are increasing in southern Victoria. Its migratory patterns are not fully understood.

The Eastern Koel, Eudynamys orientalis, (Eudynamys = fine and power or strength – apparently referring to its call, and orientalis = from the east) has had numerous common names in the past: Pacific Koel, Common Koel, Indian Koel, Black Cuckoo, Cooee Bird, Stormbird, Flinders’ Cuckoo, et al.

The Eastern Koel is a member of the Cuculidae or cuckoo family. Like all cuckoos, it is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in other birds’ nests, relying on the unsuspecting host parents to rear the koel’s hatchlings. Eastern Koels like to lay their eggs in nests of wattlebirds and Magpie Larks in particular. While Drouin has a healthy population of wattlebirds and mudlarks, we will continue to be visited by koels.The female koel is able to time the laying of her eggs, one only in each nest, so that its hatches around the same time as that of the host birds’ eggs. The young koel chick grows quickly and soon outcompetes the hosts chicks for food or even sometimes ejecting the hosts chicks from the nest.

Male Eastern Koel. Image credit Australian Museum

The Eastern Koel is not always easy to spot, even when you seem to be standing under the tree it is calling from. The bird is particularly adept at remaining secluded in the canopy. Some say its call can have a ventriloqual effect making it harder to pin point. It is the male that does the calling and the female is mostly silent.

Adult Eastern Koels are mainly fruit-eaters. Nestlings generally take whatever food items the host parents bring them – insects, worms, etc. The male Eastern Koel is pretty much an all black bird with a red eye, about the size of a magpie. The female is a lighter coloured bird with barring on the tail and chest, and white spots on the back.

So, is it, “Welcome to Drouin, cruel koel”? ‘ko-ell, ko-ell…’ is certainly a harbinger of spring.