Millpost Nature Notes from Judith

April-May 2026

Since I missed the deadline for April's Almanac, I am providing my April notes this month as well as May.

For both months, the weather is the main story from my point of view.

APRIL

After  receiving 175 mm (7 inches on the old scale) of rain in late summer and early autumn, which “turned the season around” as we farmers say, it was disappointing to have a dry April (only 8mm for the month).

Especially since, in spite of 7 inches of rain, our strategic water supply and wildlife dams were not much replenished, and creeks remained mostly dry. The reason was that the rain was largely gentle and soaking rather than the heavy rain that comes from big storms.

We also started experiencing sub-zero temperatures which helped to dry out the soil surface. In our vegetable gardens, the frosts “turned the season around” in the opposite direction, finishing off our tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchinis etc.

Our friend Hanna harvested all the green tomatoes and made about 40 jars of Green Tomato Pickles

During mid to late autumn, European Wasps started re-appearing in small numbers. We thanked our lucky stars that they weren't gathering in huge swarms around our homes and sheds!

Due to frosts and the dry spell there wasn't much flowering at all so not much to report on the flora front, although some Eucalypts were budding up furiously and the Banksias were making flowers at last.

Fauna notes: spotted in April

Scarlet Robins

King Parrots.

Gang-gangs: they are attracted to the red hawthorn berries that grow on our farm and on much surrounding country; that is one of several good reasons why hawthorns should not be cleared.

Black Cockatoos; large flocks (50+) have been visiting Millpost regularly. They used to come in massive flocks to feast on the Pinus radiata seeds in Kowen Pines. Now that a majority of the pines have been harvested, they are probably searching for alternative food sources. One of several good reasons not to cut down mature radiatas unless they are a threat to buildings. They are mildly destructive visitors: they rip into our Banksia marginatas.

Black-faced Woodswallows in large flocks.

Frogmouths: often heard during the day and encountered in the headlights hunting along our tracks in the night.

Red-necked Wallaby (Kowen Pines)

MAY

Just as we were resigning ourselves to a dry and frosty winter, albeit with warmer than average temperatures, the rain returned. So far we've received 69.5 mm for the month which, due to mostly mild day and night temperatures (till yesterday!), has made the grass grow again and generally improved conditions.

We are enjoying late autumn fruit such as Persimmons, Feijoas, Figs and Chilean Guavas. None were sourced from our gardens; it wasn't a good season here for fruit of any kind. But family and friends have productive trees and bushes and have been generous. 

Flora notes: spotted in May

Hibbertia obtusifolia is flowering across Millpost; this is unseasonable behaviour as it is normally summer-flowering. Now it is making the most of the moist and mild conditions.

Helichrysum rutidolepis (Paler Everlasting); this is also flowering rather late due to the rains.

We are seeing some gum blossom: Eucalyptus gregsoniana and E pauciflora (Snow Gum). 

Rock Ferns (Cheilanthes) are profuse in some paddocks and riparian zones and yesterday I found a Necklace Fern (Asplenium flabellifolium) in our Mountain Paddock in a rock crevice; these are quite common on Millpost as we have a lot of rocks! But, like most ferns, they shrivel up in hot dry conditions.

Occasional sightings of Wahlenbergias and Clustered Everlastings in flower.

Casuarina cunninghamianas have been flowering generously; when covered in their brown inflorescences they can mislead one into thinking they are dead.

Fauna notes: spotted in May

Our dams are low and water birds not as prolific as usual. Latham's Snipe has (hopefully) made it back to Japan to breed. This week after the rain I saw a cluster of birds on a dam's edge: 2 Pacific Herons, 2 Plovers and a Dotterel. They seemed to be enjoying each others' company.

We're till frequently seeing woodland birds such as Thornbills, Tree-Creepers, Wrens, White-naped and Yellow-Cheeked Honeyeaters, and Pardalotes in shelter belts, wood-lots and forested areas.

Grey Fantails, Currawongs, Choughs and Rufous Whistlers which were displaced by the harvesting of Kowen Pines are now some of the most common birds on Millpost. However the ubiquitous population of Fantails that loved to dive-bomb and circle us all through summer must have migrated to warmer climes for the winter.

Swamp Wallabies: we only see wallabies occasionally but it's always a thrill; they like dense undergrowth so are not very visible or numerous. Perhaps their scarcity endears them to us.