Early Red-browed Firetails

1 post / 0 new
Woko
Woko's picture
Early Red-browed Firetails

On Thursday, 7th March, I saw two red-browed firetails on our property (s.e. slopes of Mt Lofty Ranges SA) & there were two, probably the same two, at the bird bath this morning.

Red-browed firetails usually appear, when they appear, in about May when the colder weather in the higher parts of the Mt Lofty Ranges bring some of them to lower altitudes. So why this early appearance, especially in the middle of a really hot spell?

My thinking at the moment is that these two are young ones seeking to establish themselves in new territory. We've never had permanent residents here & they don't turn up every year. So it'll be interesting to see if they're stay is for the long term.

If my hypothesis is accurate then why didn't these two birds head for cooler parts of the Ranges? Or are they birds from further east seeking a higher altitude at our place or further into the Ranges? Next time I see them I'll ask.

 and   @birdsinbackyards
                 Subscribe to me on YouTube