The riddle of what has been excavating my veggie patch on a nightly basis, yet without consuming the veggies themselves (automatically ruling out possums - which eat everything - even poisonous rhubarb - leaves and all), has been solved. It was suggested to me by someone else in the area that if the excavations were conical (they are), then I might have a marauding bandicoot living nearby. They burrow rich soil for worms and other invertebrates. This suspicion was confirmed in an unfortunate manner on Sunday morning as I rolled out on the bike. There, just down the street in the middle of the road was the form of a creature I've never set eyes upon before. My book on Australian mammals confirmed unequivocally that it was a long-nosed bandicoot. What's more, later that evening, I pursued an oft-heard rustling in the garden into the bush, to be met with alarm calls "KE….KE…" - akin to the squeak made by treading on a rubber toy. These matched exactly those described in the field guide. So, along with positive IDs of possums (ring and brush-tailed....yawn), and sugar gliders (somewhat more exciting), I can report that I share my abode with another oddball marsupial that is uniquely Australian. Hopefully the next one I get a good gander at will not be sleeping roadside.
And while on the topic of roadkill, later whilst climbing out of Galston gorge with Anita and BT, I noticed another Australian I've never before set eyes upon - what I think is an owlet nightjar - sort of like a miniature tawny frogmouth. I'm sure I have these (nightjars) out the back of my place - I just don't know how to recognize the call yet.
That's it for the dead animals! The rest of Sunday was consumed building a flight cage for the budgie I inherited from John and Francis. I bought him/her a friend, but they weren't getting on so well. I decided that a bigger cage was in order. Inspiration was in the form of the cages I have been building to keep the possums out of my pots. There is a bit of a bicycle theme here as well, as the frame for the tubular construction is in the form of brand new Mavic GEL280 rims - strong and light, they do the job perfectly! Ham and I procured about a dozen of these a few years ago from a shop offloading them for $5 a pop, with a view do doing some track racing and building a stack of wheels for the job. But as that never quite got off the ground, I hope Ham wont mind me putting them to an alternative use.
And while on the topic of roadkill, later whilst climbing out of Galston gorge with Anita and BT, I noticed another Australian I've never before set eyes upon - what I think is an owlet nightjar - sort of like a miniature tawny frogmouth. I'm sure I have these (nightjars) out the back of my place - I just don't know how to recognize the call yet.
That's it for the dead animals! The rest of Sunday was consumed building a flight cage for the budgie I inherited from John and Francis. I bought him/her a friend, but they weren't getting on so well. I decided that a bigger cage was in order. Inspiration was in the form of the cages I have been building to keep the possums out of my pots. There is a bit of a bicycle theme here as well, as the frame for the tubular construction is in the form of brand new Mavic GEL280 rims - strong and light, they do the job perfectly! Ham and I procured about a dozen of these a few years ago from a shop offloading them for $5 a pop, with a view do doing some track racing and building a stack of wheels for the job. But as that never quite got off the ground, I hope Ham wont mind me putting them to an alternative use.
Mysterious diggings - exhibit A
exhibit B
exhibit C
The new Mavic Budgie - during construction, with the old abode in the background
And installed
Great to see the budgie's got a good home. Are they getting along better now? Was the poor greenie a bit freaked out by the onslaught of friendliness?
ReplyDeleteI've got to come and inspect this cage, anyway, it looks awesome. Where are the doors? And how do you deal with crap/seed deposits?
Yes - extra space has helped. "Sweetie", as I've named the yellow one is so unused to the art of flying she (arbitrary sex) still takes the oportunity to climb by wire what would be a trivial flight for "greenie". Pathetic but humorous all the same. So Greenie now has the upper hand in that department. Doors at the ends - will show you in person. Newspaper lines the ends of the barrel underneath the perches and feeding areas. None in the middle (no perches = flight zone).
ReplyDeleteNice Mavic cage Langles - good use of light materials, hope the birdies enjoy their new abode. Poor little fella you found sleeping on the side of the road. Groundhogs are often found having a snooze on the roadside over here at present. They just need to learn to run faster or use the crossings. Keep building - when is that extension pergola planned to be built - i seem to remember a plan a while ago to do that. Cheers, Ham.
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