River red gums

(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)

Along the major waterways of Australia you will see the mighty river red gums growing. They are magnificent trees, majestic, old strong. We need to take care of them not only for their own sake, but for the habitat they provide.

Many Australian birds and marsupials nest in holes in trees. These are created after branches drop off, exposing the softer pulp. It is why it is so important to keep our older trees. Even dead ones have wonderful nesting sites.

In Mildura my evening walk along the Murray River was magic. I did more stopping, listening and looking than I did walking. I saw where the kookaburras were nesting in a hollow. The galahs and lorikeets squabbled over branches and holes. I saw a pair of top knot pigeons building a nest. One of the pair, I guess the male, flew from the bushes with a twig in his mouth and presented it to the female on the branch. He repeated this half a dozen times. However, when I went back the next day there was no sign of them or the nest. Perhaps it wasn’t the perfect nesting place after all.

These gnarly old trees are so necessary. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)

I looked for about 10 minutes into this tree. I could hear a distinctive bird call, and I knew it came from up here. But I couldn’t see it!

(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)