Wednesday 10 December 2014

Red Caps and Dancing Wings

For the first time in months I had a Tablelands weekend. By months I mean since the beginning of the year. With me working every second weekend and Mr Spark doing occasional on call it just hasn't been working out this year and I've missed my weekends away from the city. 

Our plan was to head back on Sunday afternoon but on dropping in to visit one of Mr Sparky's mates (the one that is currently digging potatoes and also grows corn) we found it a little hard to tear ourselves away. Good thing is this meant I got to get photos of the Brolgas that were not far from the house. The bad thing was that we had to make it back in time for me to work on Monday morning which we did, just.


 So, back to Brolgas. I love them but they are not the corn farmer's friend. I am pretty sure they aren't into anything important in these photos but they always know when corn has been sewn and when it is ready. Actually it came up in discussion that they don't think they even migrate anymore. After a bit of reading I found out that they never did but can be nomadic in response to seasons, or not if where they are has food and water. They tend to inhabit open wetlands, grassy plains, coastal mudflats and irrigated crop lands. No wonder they like Mr Sparky's mate's farm.

 





Brolgas are well known for their mating dance which involves dancing, wing flapping and trumpeting. They are thought to mate for life. Breeding season in the north is during the beginning of the year. It makes sense at this is the wet time and perfect for making sure there is plenty of food. During breeding season Brolgas usually just stay with their family unit in an isolated territory. They will usually lay two eggs. Outside of breeding season Brolgas form huge family groups that can have numbers of up to 100 birds. Often they can be seen staying with their own family unit within this group though.  




Something else I have found out is that the Brolga is the official bird of Queensland. This is something I honestly didn't know which is very sad considering I am a Queenslander, for the most part.



I try to stop whenever I see these beautiful birds. They are a link between my outback life and my life in the Far North. There used to be a family of them during the good seasons on the station I worked on. I also just love watching them moving around and calling to each other, always hoping I'll see them dance. I luckily got to see a few short half hearted attempts or maybe practices this time.




For some more Brolgaishness check out here (which actually might be Sarus Crane not Brolga) and here (the last pic) and here and also more recently here (also a naming mistake I think as they have pink legs, so maybe they are also Sarus Crane).

As an added bonus I can see that I can add a game to this post. It is called spot the Sarus Crane. They look similar to the Brolga but have pink legs and the red is not just a cap but goes partially down their neck. A bit hard to spot from in these pics but I swear I can see one.

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/wild-bird-wednesday-126-spotted.html

26 comments:

  1. Wow...they're gorgeous. And lots of them - no wonder they're Queensland's official bird. Very interesting to read about them.

    Oh, and no need to migrate. They have everything they need right there.

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    1. They are, I wish I'd been closer. I can't believe I didn't know they were qld's bird. There goes my smarty pants cover. They do have everything they need but I guess that makes them easier to find. Thanks for dropping by.

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  2. You really had me puzzled at first with the name "Brolga". And then when I saw your pictures and Googled "Brolga"" I realised they are Australian Cranes. The cranes are such a lovely family of birds and so exciting to see and hear their spring arrivals and their courtships.

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    1. A yes, I should have said they were a crane. You certainly know when they are about. Thanks for looking in.

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  3. Wonderful shots, they look very similar to our Sandhill Cranes.. Beautiful birds. Have a great day!

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    1. Interesting that they have a lookalike elsewhere. Thank you. Have a great weekend.

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  4. Thanks for sharing the photos and info. I love Brolgas too, and here in Brisbane, they are a big deal when they turn up somewhere! I never realised they are getting into the crops when they are on the farms, I just assumed they were like the Straw-necked Ibis and harvest the insects that the newly ploughed earth reveals. But then I guess on a wetland, they'd eat tubers and grass seeds, so it makes sense.

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    1. I grew up a few hrs from Brissie and never saw them down that way. I first saw them in central Qld and now see them up here in the north. They like their veges it seems, sometimes a little too much. I hope you see some around soon, maybe they'll head down there after all the rain.

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  5. There are a lot of them! I think they are pretty but If I was a corn farmer I would be worried about them too:) Pretty skies!

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    1. I think it was the most I'd seen together but they are often in big groups. Thanks.

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  6. beautiful cranes, but i bet they do pick up a lot of corn! :)

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    1. Yes they do pick up a fair bit but love seeing them all the same.

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  7. I found this post very interesting because although I live in N. Ireland, My daughter has a house in Innisfail, Queensland and one time I was visiting, I went out with a group that on 1 afternoon in the year *(evert year), count all the Cranes in the Tablelands area however not only are there Brolga but many more Sarus Cranes.

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    1. Until I was finding out more about brolgas I had no idea about saris cranes that are extremely similar. What a small world it is. Counting cranes would have been interesting, at least they don't move too much.

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  8. I love Brolgas too ... very regal.

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    1. Exactly Fiona! No matter the damage they can do I will always love seeing them.

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  9. Very interesting! They look strikingly like our Sandhill cranes! They are so fun to watch. Ours have headed south now, but like robins, they are one of the first birds to return in the spring!

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    1. I will have to look up these sandhill cranes that have been mentioned a few times. It turns out these cranes, the brolgas, go nowhere.

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  10. How delightful to meet you and your national bird friends too!



    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  11. I have never seen these birds before. How fascinating. Too bad farmers don't like them but I can certainly understand why.

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    1. Thanks, having farmer friend and lived on them too I can also understand but I still love seeing them all the same. Thanks for dropping by.

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  12. Beautiful sky photos! And so interesting about the brolgas! I had never heard of them.

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    1. Thank you. I think they are amazing birds and I am glad you dropped by.

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  13. Great shots f the birds in the farm.

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    1. Thanks, I thought you might like to see them in Australia.

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