July Nature Notes 2026

It is mid-winter and maximum temperatures continue to be above normal while still re

gularly plunging at night to uncomfortable levels .

My husband just sat in on a Webinar discussing the seasonal outlook for local farmers.

A “Super El Nino” is reputedly already affecting our continent. How long it will last is impossible to predict; how it will affect our district (the Southern Tablelands of NSW) is also unknown. A couple of weeks ago I saw a news report about wild and destructive storms and heavy rainfall in Chile, supposedly driven by El Nino. Likewise, stories about severe drought in Southern Africa. 

The expert panel had the message that in spite of an El Nino driving higher temperatures, the outlook for Bungendore district graziers is for an “average” early spring (September-October). This is based on soil moisture levels which remain adequate because the rain we received between February and early July has not yet evaporated. However there was less optimism about the conditions for late spring and summer.

We'll find out in a couple of months whether the “experts” have hit the mark!

Winter dormancy is affecting most plants right now, although where the soil is still particularly moist some grasses are bravely sending out new shoots. I feel sorry for the wildlife; it's a hungry time for some. But at least there is quite a lot of water in the landscape now. We've regularly been seeing our resident Wallaroos, normally seen down in the gorge country, as close as in the house paddock.

Today was bright and sunny after a biting frost. On my walk I was pleased to encounter a small flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos enjoying themselves ripping pine-cones apart in search of seed. Galahs were ripping up grasses, chewing on leaves and roots and probably searching for seeds. I wonder if they eat grubs and larvae? I have observed Crimson Rosellas

chewing bones in the winter, so some parrots are not exclusively vegetarian. During the school holidays our grand-son managed to convince a King Parrot to eat oats out of his hand; they are stunningly beautiful birds close-up, and endearingly tame.

Lots of other birds were enjoying the sunshine today: Currawongs, Magpies, Choughs, Honeyeaters, Butcher-birds and Thornbills, to name a few.

On still nights we have been hearing a pair of Barking Owls calling to each other in the west.

Some friends found a badly-injured Peregrine Falcon on the outskirts of Bungendore some months ago. Today they sent us a very moving video of the healed bird being released and climbing swiftly over a windbreak and away into the blue heavens. It's great to know that these magnificent raptors - the fastest animal on the planet - are still to be seen locally.