We have has 3 plover chicks hatch out, and that must be all of them since the parents didn’t go back to the nest. All three seem to be doing well, they are very active but still stay fairly close to the parents. They like to hang around all the plant guards which look like they may be a good feature to keep them safe from aerial predators. I have yet to get a photo with all three together, but they are very easy to spot as they are spending a lot of time in the area between the ditch and the garden, usually near a plant guard.
The mystery of why the turbo chooks (Tasmanian Native Hens) have been hanging around is solved, this morning they were out with five of their babies. They breed almost continuously when conditions are good but have a fairly high attrition rate from predators. We once saw a sea eagle carrying an adult one off when we drove past the wetlands area on the way to Launceston. It’s a bit more fun here having extra birds to watch for a while.
I am starting in earnest on the new garden area, I assembled the one raised bed that has been sitting in the shade house since we got the grow tubs, and the other 6 we ordered finally arrived. I’m putting down weed block fabric over the dead grass and may eventually cover that with gravel or something.
