Has anyone noticed the different behaviour of birds just before a thunderstorm?
In half an hour two White Plumed Honeyeaters, Brown Thornbills, Pardalotes, Silvereyes, Yellow Rumped Thornbills and what seemed like everyone of the resident birds and all their cousins flew into the yard.
The little fellows above - along with Red Rumped Finches - live just outside the fence in the horse paddock so l've never been able to record their presence in the BIB survey!
Now all we need is the rain.
I absolutely have, we have some very dense, tall trees , the Rosellas and King Parrots use them as sleeping trees every night. If a thunderstorm approaches , birds hide in those dense trees. We get quite a few earth quakes where we live, just like the horses feel them even a day before we do, the birds get nervous, and then go all silent just before it happens. Very similar to the way they react if there is a BOP above. (a bit like my mother taught me , if in danger, it's best to lay low and pretend you are not there. She had been through 2 world wars.Experience told her , that's good survival technique!) M-L
M-L
In relation to thunderstorms, it's not a bad idea to cast one's eyes heavenwards on humid days prior to the arrival of the storms as white-throated needletails & fork-tailed swifts can sometimes be seen high above.