Many thanks for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers
Back Creek (after some rain) has an Artesian Memorial, Erected in commemoration of the explorative work undertaken by the pioneers of the Great Artesian Basin of Australia, and to the sinking of the first commercial artesian bore in Australia at Back Creek, 38km east of Barcaldine in 1886.
Barcaldine became the first town in Australia to use artesian water for reticulation from the town borehead completed in 1887.
Red River Gum (the Ghosts of the river)
Scientific Name: Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Eucalyptus camaldulensis, the river red gum, is a tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It is one of around 800 in the genus. It is a plantation species in many parts of the world, but is native to Australia, where it has the most widespread natural distribution of Eucalyptus in Australia, especially beside inland water courses. Oddly, it is named for a private estate garden near the Camaldoli monastery near Naples (L'Hortus Camaldulensis di Napoli), from where the first specimen came to be described. Material from this tree was used by Frederick Dehnhardt, Chief Gardener at the Botanic Gardens in Naples, to describe this species in 1832.
It is a familiar and iconic tree seen along many watercourses right across inland Australia. The tree produces welcome shade in the extreme temperatures of central Australia, and plays an important role in stabilising river banks.
River reds and many other eucalypts have an ominous nickname, "widow maker", as they have a habit of dropping large boughs (often half the diameter of the trunk) without warning.
The species can be found along the banks of watercourses, as well as the floodplains of those watercourses. Due to the proximity to these watercourses, river red gum is subject to regular flooding in its natural habitat. River red gum prefers soils with clay content. The trees not only rely on rainfall but also on regular flooding, since flooding recharges the sub-soil with water.
Hollows start to form at around 120–180 years of age, creating habitat for many wildlife species, including a range of breeding and roosting animals such as bats, carpet pythons, and birds. The dense foliage of the tree also provides shade and shelter from the sun in drier areas.
The superb parrot, a threatened species, is amongst the bird species that nest in the river red gum.
Fertilisation will therefore occur with other flowers on the same tree or other flowers on a different tree. Insects, birds, and small mammals help in the pollination of other flowers.
After flowering, the stamens will detach. The fruit is the part of the flower that remains after fertilisation, which enlarges, dries, and becomes woody. Triangular valves in the fruit will open, dispersing yellow, cuboid seeds. When seeds are shed from a tree, most fall onto the ground below the crown, with some seed carried by the wind and water. Dissemination occurs mostly in spring and summer, while natural flooding occurs during winter and spring. As the tree is inextricably linked with waterways, seed dispersion would logically be facilitated by floodwater.
(Source: Wikipedia)
© Chris Burns 2024
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Many thanks for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers
Galah - the one with the pink eye is the female
Scientific Name:Eolophus roseicapillus
Description: The Galah can be easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail. Birds from the west of Australia have comparatively paler plumage. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night.
Similar species: The Galah is generally unmistakable, but in flight may resemble aGang-gang Cockatoo in shape.
Distribution: The Galah is one of the most abundant and familiar of the Australian parrots, occurring over most of Australia, including some offshore islands.
Habitat: The Galah is found in large flocks in a variety of timbered habitats, usually near water.
Feeding: Galahs form huge, noisy flocks which feed on seeds, mostly from the ground. Seeds of grasses and cultivated crops are eaten, making these birds agricultural pests in some areas. Birds may travel large distances in search of favourable feeding grounds.
Breeding: Galahs form permanent pair bonds, although a bird will take a new partner if the other one dies. The nest is a tree hollow or similar location, lined with leaves. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young. There is high chick mortality in Galahs, with up to 50 % of chicks dying in the first six months. Galahs have been recorded breeding with other members of the cockatoo family, both in the wild and captivity. These include the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, C. galerita.
Calls: The voice is a distinctive high-pitched screech, 'chi-chi'.
Minimum Size: 35cm
Maximum Size: 36cm
Average size: 36cm
Average weight: 337g
Breeding season: February to July in the north; July to December in the south
Clutch Size: 3 to 4
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2024
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Winnats Pass, Peak District National Park, England, UK
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Glencoe sunset from the shoulder of Beinn a' Chrùlaiste.
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