General News
10 March, 2023
Bird behaviour a great barometer
By Barry Clugston It seems birds can predict the weather, particularly the short-term weather. Over years of observations I have seen that the wildlife has a certain rhythm so they mostly work towards a springtime mating and building a nest of some...
By Barry Clugston
It seems birds can predict the weather, particularly the short-term weather.
Over years of observations I have seen that the wildlife has a certain rhythm so they mostly work towards a springtime mating and building a nest of some type.
I say “some type”, because each species builds its own style of nest.
For example, swallows use mud carried to a nice place on your veranda to hatch and raise their young.
Some of the small insect-eaters build a cup-size open-top in a thick bush, not always far from the ground.
Emus just lay their eggs directly onto the ground.
The brooding male emu will sit on the eggs and rely on the cover around him to hide the proceedings.
If he hears anything untoward he will stretch his neck to see over the bushes or lie flat on the ground and hope the danger will move away.
Both emus and pardolotes have been working hard and I am sure they have had as many as four separate nestings this season.
They might have had at least two in past seasons.
I have seen emus nest at this time of the year when there had been substantial rain which had set up the year ahead for the big birds.
I am keen to see if the little pardolotes are telling me anything of importance.
Ants can give an indication of approaching bad weather but they tend to be short-term predicters.
The sky can also be useful to give a view on rain but, again, this tends to be short term.