Thanks Trevor Pescott, for generously sharing all your knowledge. Trevor, the ‘birdman’, recently celebrated 60 years of writing a weekly Friday column about birds and wildlife in the Geelong Advertiser. Trevor was happy to share his anniversary piece with Humans in Geelong. “If there was any benefit for active birdwatchers from coronavirus lockdown, it was that it encouraged us to look closer to home than usual.
“So, on one sunny morning in early May I decided it was time to refill the several birdbaths in our little Belmont garden. As I did so, I saw a flicker of movement in the shadow and to my astonishment, I realised it was a rose robin, the first I’ve seen here in Belmont. It was a ‘brown bird’ a juvenile, possibly on its first jaunt away from the dense Otways forest where it was born last spring.
“As I watched it, I caught sight of another stranger, this time a young grey shrike-thrush. I waited to see who else was in visitor mode. A grey fantail first. Well, it had been in the garden off and on for several weeks.
“Similarly, a juvenile golden whistler who had also been around for a little while. Next a small flock of silver-eyes, running late perhaps for their rendezvous with others in Queensland.
“The tall lookout tree had its use too, for a red wattlebird then a restless group of rainbow lorikeets.
“What, then, was that hour’s tally? Robin, shrike-thrush, whistler, fantail, wattlebird and lorikeet. Should I add the resident New Holland honeyeaters and the eastern spinebill that I glimpsed earlier in the week?
“I would not suggest for one moment that this is a one-off, rather that it does suggest just how extremely valuable suburban gardens are. And a consistent supply of freshwater, not just in the heat of summer but throughout the year, is vital.
“(Footnote: This article marks 60 years since I began my ‘By field and lane’ column on May 26th, 1960).
Trevor welcomes wildlife information and questions, which can be sent to ppescott@gmail.com
Thank-you Trevor for your knowledge, beautiful turn of phrase and dedication.
We featured a story on Trevor early 2017, it can be found on our website https://humansingeelong.com/2017/02/16/birdwatching-trevor/ Besides the weekly column, Trevor has also published several books on our region’s natural beauty. Photo: By Jacqui Bennett taken of Trevor at 63o Highton in front of the Black Cockatoo by Amelia Anderson Photography.
HuG 