Meet Noeleen the Owlet Nightjar.

Last week I had a call from Col and his wife who told me that he lives on 15 acres or so (I’m already jealous) of land outside Newcastle in New South Wales.

The reason for his call was to ask if he could use some of the information I posted here in 2009 that looked at the connections between the Warlpiri people of central Australia and this most charismatic of our birds of the night.Col told me that Noeleen (named after a family friend) had used the nest box on their property for several years but had not been seen over the past couple of years.

They were pleased to see her return this summer.

Noeleen the Nightjar in 2011

As I noted in 2009, Owlet Nightjars are:

“ … most probably Australia’s most abundant and widespread nocturnal bird…seldom seen except when flushed from its roost by day or caught in car headlights at night when in flies up from a country road.

Owlet-nightjars are apparently sedentary and permanently territorial.

Nests are made in tree hollows, rock clefts or, rarely, in old buildings or tunnels in river banks.”

Col’s family doesn’t just include charismatic birds like Noeleen. Here are a few images of some of the other animals that take advantage of the hospitality on offer at their camp.

Unidentified bearded Dragon

 

Australian Wood Duck & ducklings

 

Wood ducks, Chestnut Teals and Pacific Black Ducks

While there is no indication (yet) that Noeleen has found a partner to breed with and is just using the nest box as a roosting site at present I would be very interested in any further news from Col about any breeding activity.

On a more general note, the actions to conserve and promote habitat of our birds by small – and not so small – landowners like Col and his family are of tremendous importance.

Not only can their efforts promote local interest and knowledge of our native birds and animals but these sanctuaries can provide important breeding and living areas for sedentary and migratory species.

I look forward to hearing more from folks like Col in the near future.

If you are providing – or know of someone else who is – sanctuary for native species I’d love to hear your stories.

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