The WILVOS Hotline 5441 6200 gets some interesting calls for rescue. Identification is made so much easier with mobile phones to capture photos. Having the WILVOS number in your mobile phone is also a good idea, as distressed wildlife are often found when we are out and about.
When a Hotline call came through to Lin about eggs scattered on the ground, the initial thought was they were probably plover eggs that had been disturbed. The caller said there was a depression on the ground beside the eggs. It was more than a depression, it was a dug out nest! The photo that Nicole sent through showed a classic Rainbow Bee-eaters nest. It is so appreciated when members of the public show their concern in such situations.
These beautiful birds are not seen very often, but they are hard to miss with their bright colours. Beautiful yellow heads, a long slender curved beak, and very obvious tail ‘streamers’, the feather extending beyond the length of the tail feathers. A wide black stripe extends from their beak, past their bright red eyes. There are less recorded sightings of Rainbow bee-eaters along the east coast of Australia in recent years. This is probably due to more fox, cat and dog predation, but disturbance by people is another factor. Our human population is exploding along the eastern coastal areas. WILVOS have received calls in the past where the nest has inadvertently been dug out by machinery on the roadsides or in housing developments. Sloping sights make ideal places to dig out a nest, which will be at the end of a tunnel, maybe over a metre long. Any habitat, other than dense forest, will be favoured by these bee-eaters.
As their name implies, Rainbow Bee-eaters love to eat bees and wasps. They perch up high on dead trees or power poles where there is good visibility for sighting insects, which they gracefully and swiftly swoop on and devour. They help to keep that balance between nature and insects!
These six eggs were promptly installed in an egg incubator. Not knowing how long since they were laid, or the circumstances that led to their being spread over the ground, means we can’t be sure whether they will hatch into little chicks, but it is worth trying. WILVO carers have successfully hatched many chicks over the years and we know eggs can often lead to lovely little surprises!
Spring is here and we all have a busy time ahead of us. It is lovely hearing all the different birds at the moment. Here’s hoping for a disaster free Spring and Summer.
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au