Elster Creek runs through the local golf course. Over the last few years the number of local Eastern Rosellas has started to increase and now we actually have a pair nesting in a new breeding box built by a local naturalist Gio. So many mature trees with hollows have been cut down that the Rosellas and many other hollow nesters don’t have anywhere locally to breed. Gio has been building boxes for several years and has come up with designs to suit various species as well as stop the possums from taking the box for their own. He trials the possum proof designs on his own backyard fence. The rosella is a favourite for photographers but can be a challenge as they are quite timid and flighty around people. I found the one below acting as a lookout for a group feeding on pine cone seeds in a confer.
Eastern Rosella, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Victoria
The Gap Year and Beyond 