On going natural history of Carwoola

I will start by admitting that I am possibly stretching the definitions of both 'natural' and 'Carwoola', but its my blog!

The starting point is to repeat a photo from my Facebook page, under the spiffy image rule.  This shows 3/4 of the Tawny Frogmouth family.  Mum rarely visits the nest in daylight and I couldn't find her at all today.
Having a little time to spare I went to visit the community land at Molonglo River Park  It was good to see that someone has been planting new shrubs there.  On getting to the billabong it was good to see an Australasian Grebe in full breeding plumage, and a nice reflection.
 A male Australian Wood Duck (and snakey friend)
A female Australian Wood Duck (and snakey friend)
 The Wood Ducks get their act together.
 Refraction got in the way somewhat in this image, but hopefully you'll be able to see a rather large - at least 60cm long - European Carp swimming by.  Judging by the splashing sounds they are breeding there!
Another introduced pest is the Hawthorn.  They do have pretty flowers and the birds like the fruit in Winter but it is a pest
 Over the early afternoon there were many calls of Woodswallows over the house.  Many of them were too high to ID to species level but of those I could see they were all Masked or Dusky - no White-browed.  So we decided to go and see if we could find a big flock on the Plain.  On the way out we saw a 1.5m Eastern Brown Snake crossing Whiskers Creek Rd but didn't get a photo.  We did stop to admire the water lilies on a dam in Widgiewa Rd, and then noticed the bank of Dutch Irises behind them.
On the Plain the story was much the same.  Calls of Woodswallows all over, but most were quite high and/or fast moving so no ID to species  We called in at the Fairy Martin culvert but no birds were seen or heard.   At another spot I did hear my first Rufous Songlark of the season.

Just as we got home a Gippsland Water Dragon paused beside the Creek to display his largeness- probably about 60cm.
Later in the day an Eastern Spinebill came to sample the flowers on a succulent on the deck.

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