With a month still to go of winter, I am already seeing signs of the coming spring and breeding season at Green’s Bush on the Mornington Peninsula. Each time I stay down the coast I visit one of my favourite spots and see what has changed or who is stopping by. This morning I saw good signs of an early spring – Australian Wood ducks flying around inside the forest with several landing on branches and looking into tree hollows for suitable nest-sites. These strange ducks nest in hollows in trees near water very early in the breeding season. I also found a Fan-tailed cuckoo exploring for potential nesting targets along a ridge line above a rainforest creek. It seemed to be following a mixed feeding flock of thornbills and fantails. I usually find the Fan-tailed cuckoo buy its very distinctive call but this one was very quiet and stayed above the foraging thornbills. I saw it several times as I moved along the trail. (another thought is that it is last season’s chick and it is still following its adopted parents hoping for a free feed – I will have to do some research).
Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic
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The Gap Year and Beyond 
Great shots of the Fantailed Cuckoo Malt! You are seeing similar to what we saw last week in the Southern Highlands. It was extremely windy, the cuckoo was some distance away but did not get as good shots as you. Yes and lots of Fantails, Interesting we had similar finds so many miles apart with Thornbills and Eastern Yellows also, but not much else of note, due to the wind.
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Thanks Ashley, I did not see too much during our windy day on Sat but Sunday was pretty good, with quite a few thornbills and Grey Fantails, spine bills and many Rosellas, Cockatoos, galahs and a low drifting wedge tail Eagle that upset every one.
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