Bindi and beyond.
May 3rd, 2009 by Duncan
Autumn is the time of year when the Flame and Scarlet Robins leave their breeding territory above the snow line, and move down to their wintering areas in the low country. When doing so the Flames will often congregate for a while in warm locations in quite large numbers, before making the final leg of their journey as far as the coastal plains. My son took me for a trip a few days ago to have a look a century old walnut tree that had died, with a view to cutting it for timber. On the way up the Omeo Highway I got a surprise just south of Tambo Crossing, a bird flew into a dead tree just off the road, and with the sun fully on it identification was easy from the moving vehicle, it was a White-headed Pigeon, the first I’ve seen this far down from NSW. When we arrived at the walnut tree and were yarning with Bill the property owner, I noticed Scarlet Robins doing their thing from the wires of a fence thirty metres away, down to the ground to snap up an insect, then back to the fence. Bill said they’d turned up in the last week, coinciding with the first falls of snow in the high country to the north.
After lunch in Swift’s Creek we headed off to a property at the foot of Mount Bindi. As we drove up the winding road we continued to see Scarlet Robins on the fences, and flocks of Pied Currawongs also down from the high country. On arrival we parked the ute and walked to the manna gum lined creek you can see in the picture, and started to follow it upstream towards Mount Bindi, left, and the Sugarloaf.
We hadn’t gone far along the creek before we were amongst one of the previously mentioned gatherings of Flame Robins. Everywhere we looked there were brown birds, which are the females and immatures, and full coloured males, darting from rocks and low vegetation to catch insects. The brown individuals were much more approachable than the red males, which kept their distance as I tried to get photographs.
Further along the creek we also saw more Scarlet Robins and a few Jacky Winters. The creek was virtually dry due to lack of rainfall, but there are many springs in this country, and I walked on to one that was sending a small stream of beautiful clear water downhill. Not far away a late dragonfly was hawking but It eluded me. There are some magnificent trees in this country which is roughly 1000 feet above sea level, I doubt that you could see more striking Yellow Box and Manna Gums anywhere. One of the mannas on the creek was well over six feet through the short butt prior to branching into multiple smaller trunks, a massive and very old tree still thriving.
We walked back to the vehicle in the mid afternoon, a haze was hanging over the hills and the higher country beyond, and the late sun was casting a lovely soft light on the landscape. I took one last shot looking north-west, and I think that it captures the essence of the country you can see in many places below the dividing range, country where the old timers slaved so long ago to clear the bush and and turn it into farmland.
Photos from top.
Mount Bindi left, Sugarloaf right.
Flame Robin, either female or immature.
Flame Robin, full coloured male.
Manna Gum, Eucalyptus viminalis.
Looking north-west, Bindi Station in the left background.
Click pictures to enlarge.