My concerns about the Mudlarks exposed position on the northern side of the trees proved correct.
Up here near the airport we had sustained winds of 70 - 80 kph with gusts over 100 kph. The branch with the nest was whipping about wildly across an arc of 3 - 4 metres. Several trees lost branches, some quite large.
The parents had to abandon the nest for their own safety, and even if they could get to it there was no way they'd be able to feed the young. The winds persisted all day so the parents couldn't get back to nest until Monday morning - it was too late.
The parents are still hanging around, but don't go to the nest. Yesterday I saw a Magpie eating the remains of the hatchlings. I was able to console myself with a couple to better shots of the WPH.
Cheers.
How sad but such is nature's way. Must have pretty terrifying out in such a wind
Sue
That is a shame but they still have plenty of time to try again.
I noticed the other day Magpie-larks collecting mud for a nest at my local pond- desipte there having been probably the same pair nesting nearby in a pine already. I haven't checked on the original nest yet but they may have had a similar experience
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
The increase in storm severity predicted by climate scientists is bound to have interesting effects on wildlife. E.g., more broken tree limbs might mean, in the long term, more nesting places for a number of species - that is if these species can survive all the other pressures being brought to bear on them.
Sadly, I suspect that with all the trees that have fallen on property in SA lately there will be a strong backlash against trees from the general public. This might result in reduced habitat in the long term.
Yes, Woko, I'm very familiar with our climate issues.
Not only am I a Cyclone Tracy survivor but a week before the cyclone, as a Navy recruit, I was selected for training as a meterological observer, and then promptly sent home to Darwin to enjoy my Xmas leave. We all know what happpened. I served 10 years as weartherman as was reponsible for upper air observations (weather ballons) and compiling climatological records.
Many people don't seem to understand that our atmosphere is like an engine, and the more fuel or heat you pump into it the faster it will run. That doesn't simply mean it's going get hotter, it means all our weather systems become more dynamic - droughts become harsher, storms more severe, cold snaps become colder and hot spells longer, in essence extremes will become more extreme.
Recent hurricanes in the US have been off the scale - I reckon we're probably due for a cracker cyclone this summer.
Sad to hear that of the poor mudlarks fate - i wonder if they will try in that nest again. I was watching a swans nest in a local pond eariler this year and saw the eggs were laid, and then there was three days of a absolute downpour and the whole nest was washed away with no trace.
Nice shots of the WPH.
Dmenace, it's interesting that Australia has experienced less cyclones over the last couple of years. Cyclone severity seems to have hit Pacific Islands harder than usual, however.
One thing I've learned is that if we interfere with just one aspect of the environment (more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for example) there is a cascade effect. Our dear leaders simply don't understand this & there's no excuse for their ignornace because there's plenty of information available about this.
So sad to lose the hatchlings. We lost our baby Willy Wagtails this week to a snake. They were in such great condition but not quite ready to leave the nest. I was devastated.