Hi folks, With the worst start to a “Wet Season” in over 70 years and the resulting dry weather some species have delayed nesting including the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher who have only just dug out their nesting chamber in the termite mounds on the ground that they use. A check of 8 mounds dug out in the Lodge grounds revealed no birds or eggs in them. This is extremely late as in a normal year they would be on eggs or have chicks in the nest by now. With a period of around 2 months from egg laying to birds fledging it will be late March at the earliest when fledging occurs. Two years ago when cyclone Yasi struck the area on 3rd February the birds had fledged before this event. The adult birds are still hanging around their territories calling, longing for rain which hopefully will trigger them into breeding mode. This maybe a local phenomenon or maybe more widespead, does anyone else have any breeding records for this season yet? With the monsoonal trough which is currently across the Torres Strait north of Cape York Peninsula forecast to move south over the next few days, the hoped for rain might eventuate.
Keith & Lindsay.
