Larry's Gallery:   Willie Wagtail (9/10)

PASSERIFORMES: Rhipiduridae

Rhipidura leucophrys  

Willie here is desperately trying to make himself into a shade-sail to protect the egg/s. He swaps over with his partner every now and then.

Perhaps unwisely the birds built the nest on a rotary clothes hoist totally exposed to the sun. The temperature for the three days we stayed in the Capertee Valley got up to an egg frying 40 degrees centigrade.

The nest is on the 140 acre 'Binalong Bird Sanctuary' property run by April Mills who says that these birds have successfully used the same clothes-hoist three or four times before to raise young.

By the way, April provides great accommodation for birders and can be contacted on (02) 6379 7326.