TODAY (15TH JULY) IS ST. SWITHIN'S DAY

Swithun (or Swithin, Old English 'Swithun' died c. 862) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and was subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral.

His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for posthumous miracle-working. According to tradition, the weather on his feast day (15 July) will continue for forty days.  The precise meaning and origin of Swithin's name is unknown, but it is largely considered to mean 'Pig Man'.   Another possible meaning is "strong".

Swithun was Bishop of Winchester from his consecration in October 852 or October 853 until his death on 2 July sometime between 862 and 865.  However, he is scarcely mentioned in any document of his own time.  His death is entered in the Canterbury manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle under the year 861. His signature is appended to the witness lists of several Anglo-Saxon charters.  More than a hundred years later Swithun was adopted as patron of the restored church of Winchester and his body was transferred from its almost forgotten grave to Aethelwold's new basilica on 15 July, 971, and according to contemporary writers, numerous miracles preceded and followed the move.

Swithun, Benedictional of St. Aethelwold Winchester, 10th century, British Library:

Swithun's feast day in England is 15 July and in Norway (and formerly in medieval Wales) on 2 July. He was moved from his grave to an indoor shrine in the Old Minster at Winchester in 971.  His body was probably later split between a number of smaller shrines.  His head was certainly detached and, in the Middle Ages, taken to Canterbury Cathedral.  Peterborough Abbey has an arm  His main shrine was transferred into the new Norman cathedral at Winchester in 1093.  He was installed on a 'feretory platform' above and behind the high altar.  The retrochoir was built in the early13th century to accommodate the huge numbers of pilgrims wishing to visit his shrine  "holy hole" beneath him.  His empty tomb in the ruins of the Old Minster was also popular with visitors.  The shrine was only moved into the retrochoir itself in 1476.  It was demolished in 1538 during the English Reformation.  A modern representation of it now stands on the site.

The name of Swithun is best known today for a British weather lore proverb, which says that if it rains on Saint Swithun's day, 15 July, it will rain for 40 days.

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain for forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair for forty days 'twill rain nae mare

A Buckinghamshire variation has:

If on St Swithun's day it really pours, you're better off to stay in doors.

Swithun was originally buried out of doors. rather than in his cathedral, apparently at his own request. William of Malmesbury recorded that the bishop left instructions that his body should be buried outside the church where it might be subject to the feet of passers-by and to the raindrops pouring from on high, which has been taken as indicating that the legend was already well known in the 12th century.  In 971 it was decided to move his body to a new indoor shrine, and one theory traces the origin of the legend to a heavy shower by which, on the day of the move, the saint marked his displeasure towards those who were moving his remains.  This story, however, lacks proof and cannot be traced further back than the 17th or 18th century at most.  There are many variations given about this legend but Swithun is regarded as one of the saints to whom one should pray in the event of drought.

I had not heard of St Swithun until Phil mentioned it to me on the weekend.  I said it would be 15th on Monday and he said "Oh, that's Swithun's Day.  Did you know about the legend of what the weather is doing on that day?"  Of course I didn't and was I surprised that he knew about it?  No,  as he knows about so many things and of course, having come from England, he remembered it.  I looked it up and found the story fascinating enough to blog about it.  Hope you find it interesting too.

WELL DONE ANDY MURRAY!!!

I am not a true tennis fan although do watch games occasionally but I was absolutely delighted to see Andy Murray win Wimbledon.  The last time a Brit won was 77 years back so I can imagine just how he felt when he won.  I feel sheer determination won through for him.   You could see by his reaction at that moment.  No words were needed.  I imagine they are still celebrating in the UK, and especially in Scotland.

My adopted parents were from the UK and when I was a child we Aussies were also considered to be British too.  We were indeed British subjects.  In the 1970s our politicians, in their infinite wisdom, decided they wanted us to change our thoughts about being British so we are now Australians only.

It's difficult changing one's feelings after so many years of thinking one way and although I always want the Aussies to beat the Poms in cricket Test matches, I am still very British underneath.  I just feel so pleased that Andy Murray was able to claim the cup after that wonderful win.  Australians have won Wimbledon....it had to be the turn of the Brits and it was.

T is for TUI

I have a very dear Facebook friend in New Zealand (we play lots of Scrabble) who several years ago had a stray cat come to her door.  She took him and named him TUI.  Unfortunately when she and her partner moved earlier this year Tui escaped and they've not seen him since despite putting up posters in the area and constantly calling him for weeks.  When I was thinking about which bird to use for the letter 'T' I thought about Maree and the loss of her Tui cat so here is another Tui (also very beautiful):

The TUI (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand.  It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family.  The name tui is from the Mauri language and is the species' formal common name.  The plural is tuis, or tui following Maori language.  The early European colonists called it the Parson Bird but, as with many New Zealand birds, the Maori name tui is now the common name and the English-language term is archaic.

At first glance the bird appears completely black except for a small tuft of white feathers at its neck and a small white wing patch, causing it to resemble a parson in clerical attire.  On closer inspection (see image) it can be seen that tui have brown feathers on the back and flanks, a multicoloured iridescent sheen that varies with the angle from which the light strikes them, and a dusting of small white-shafted feathers on the back and sides of the neck that produces a lacy collar.

Tuis are found though much of New Zealand, particularly the North Island, the west and south coasts of the South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands - where an endangered sub-species particular to these island exists.  Other populations live on Raoul Island in the Kermadecs, and in the Auckland Islands (where, with the New Zealand Bellbird, it is the most southerly species of honeyeater).  Populations have declined considerably since European settlement, mainly as a result of widespread habitat destruction and predation by mammalian invasive species..

Nonetheless, the species is considered secure and has made recoveries in some areas, particularly after removal of livestock has allowed vegetation to recover.  Predation by introduced species remains a threat, particularly stoats, the Common Myna (which compete with tui for food and sometimes takes eggs), and rats.

Tuis prefer broadleaf forests below 1500 metres, but will tolerate quite small remnant patches, regrowth, exotic plantations and well-vegetated suburbs.  They are one of the most common birds found in urban Wellington (N.Z's capital city).  They are usually seen singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, but will congregate in large numbers at suitable food sources, often in company with silvereyes, bellbirds (another New Zealand honeyeater), or Kereru (New Zealand wood pigeon) in any combination.  Generally, when interspecific competition for the same food resources among New Zealand's three species of honeyeater occurs, there is a hierarchy with the tui at the top, with bellbirds and stitchbirds successively subordinate to the species above them - they are thus frequently chased off by tui at a food source such as a flowering flax plant (see above).

Male tuis can be extremely aggressive, chasing all other birds (large and small) from their territory with loud flapping and sounds akin to rude human speech.  This is especially true of other tui when possession of a favoured feeding tree is impinged.  Birds will often erect their body feathers in order to appear larger in an attempt to intimidate a rival.  They have even been known to mob harriers and magpies.

The powered flight of tui is quite loud as they have developed short wide wings, giving excellent maneuverability in the dense forest they prefer, but requiring rapid flapping.  They can be seen to perform a mating display of rising at speed in a vertical climb in clear air, before stalling and dropping into a powered dive, then repeating.  Much of this behaviour is more notable during the breeding season of early spring - September and October.  Females alone build nests of twigs, grasses and mosses.

Nectar is the preferred diet but fruit and insects are frequently eaten, and pollen and seeds more occasionally.  Particularly popular is the New Zealand flax, whose nectar sometimes ferments resulting in the tui flying in a fashion that suggests they might be drunk.  They are the man pollinators of flax, kowhai,  kaka beak and other plants.  Note that the flowers of the three plants mentioned are similar in shape to the tui's beak - a vivid example of mutualistic coevolution.

Kowhai flowers:

Kaka beak flowers:

Flax flowers:

Tui are considered to be very intelligent, much like parrots.  They also resemble parrots in their ability to clearly imitate human speech, and were trained by Maori to replicate complex speech  Tui are also known for their noisy, unusual call, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, clacks, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds.  Song birds have two voiceboxes and this is what enables them to perform such a myriad of vocalisations.  Tui song also exhibits geographical, seasonal, gender and individual variation.  Some of the wide range of tui sounds are beyond the human register.  Watching a tui sing, one can observe gaps in the sound when the beak is agape and throat tufts throbbing.  However, ongoing research has so far failed to detect ultrasound within tui vocalisations.  Tui will also sing at night, especially around the full moon period.

I must admit before I researched the tui I knew very little about this bird but have found it very fascinating.  Hope you have too.

S is for our SWAN RIVER

The SWAN RIVER estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the southwest of Western Australia.  Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow.  The river drains the Avon and coastal plain catchments, which have a total area of about 121,000 square kilometres.  It has three major tributaries, The Avon, Canning and Helena Rivers.  The climate is Mediterranean, with mild wet winters, and hot dry summers.

The SWAN RIVER was named Swarte Swaene-Revier by Dutch explorer, Willem de Flamingh in 1697, after the famous black swans of the area.  Vlamingh sailed with a small party up the river to around Heirisson Island.  Below is a coloured engraving (1726) derived from an earlier drawing (now lost) from the de Vlamingh expeditions of 1696-97.  It depicts de Vlamingh's ships, with black swans, at the entrance to the Swan River, Western Australia.

In 1801, the French ships "Geographe" captained by Nicolas Baudin and "Naturaliste" captained by Emmanuel Hamelin visited the area from the south.  While the "Naturaliste" continued northwards, the "Geographe" remained for a few weeks.  A small expedition dragged longboats over the sand bar and explored the Swan River.  They also gave unfavourable descriptions regarding any potential settlement due to many mud flats upstream and the sand bar (the sand bar wasn't removed until the 1890s when C.Y.O'Connor built Fremantle Harbour).  Later in March, 1803, the "Geographe" with another ship "Casuarina" passed by Rottnest Island on their way eventually back to France, but did not stop longer than a day or two.  (We have Geographe Bay, Cape Naturaliste, a Perth suburb called Casuarina and Hamelin Bay.  Several other areas of our state with French names include Cape Leeuwin and Point D'Entrecasteau).

The next visit to the area was the first Australian-born maritime explorer, Phillip Parker King in 1822 on the "Bathurst".  King was the son of former Governor Philip Gidley King of New South Wales.  However, King also was not impressed with the area.  (Just as well the French didn't look favourably on this area as of part of Australia could be French which could have caused confusion in years to come!!  There must still have been doubts in the minds of the British though as in January, 1827 Albany on the south coast of Western Australia was founded as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambitions in the region.)

The city of Perth was named by Captain James Stirling in 1829 after Perth, Scotland. Stirling was the first explorer to have a favourable opinion of the Swan River when he explored the area in March, 1827.  Captain Stirling was accompanied by botanist Charles Fraser, whose report on the quality of the soil was instrumental in the decision to settle the Swan River Colony.

Perth Water in 1918 (as seen from King's Park):

Modern-day Perth as seen from King's Park:

View from East Fremantle looking towards the city of Perth:

Sunset over the upper reachers of the Swan River at Guildford:

There are of course lots more stories of early settlement, failure and development but this was not meant to be a history lesson but just a little about how our river got its name and a few pictures to show why we think it is rather special.

S is for SWAN (our black swan)

The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia.  The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic. with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions.  Black swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills and white flight feathers.  Cobs (males) are slightly larger than pens (females), with a longer and straighter bill.

Cygnets (immature birds) are a greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers.

A mature black swan measures between 1.6 - 2 metres (45 - 56 in) in length and weighs 3.7 - 9 kg (8.2 - 20 lb).  Its wing span is between 1.6-2.0 metres (5.2-6.6 ft).  The neck is long (relatively the longest neck among swans) and curved in a "S"-shape.

The black swan utters a musical and far reaching bugle-like sound, called either on the water or in flight, as well as a range of softer crooning notes.  It can also whistle, especially when disturbed while breeding and nesting.  When swimming, black swans hold their necks arched or erect, and often carry their feathers or wings raised in an aggressive display.

In flight, a wedge of black swans will form a line or a "V". with the individual birds lying strongly with undulating long necks, making whistling sounds with their wings and baying, bugling or trumpeting calls.

Like other swans, the black swan is largely monogamous, pairing for life (about 6% divorce rate).  Recent studies have shown that around a third of all broods exhibit extra-pair paternity.  An estimated one-quarter of all pairings are homosexual, mostly between males.  They steal nests, or form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs, driving away the female after she lays the eggs.

Generally, black swans nest in the wetter months, occasionally in large colonies.  A black swan nest is essentially a large heap or mound of reeds. grasses and weeds between 1-1.5 metres (3-4.5 feet) in diameter and up to 1 metre high, in shallow water or on islands.  A nest is re-used every year, restored or rebuilt as needed.  Both parents share the care of the nest.  A typical clutch contains 4 to 8 greenish-white eggs that are incubated for about 35-40 days.  Incubation begins after the laying of the last egg, in order to synchronise the hatching of the chicks.  Prior to the commencement of incubation the parent will sit over the eggs without actually warming them.  Both sexes incubate the eggs, with the female incubating at night.  The change over between incubation periods is marked by ritualised displays by both sexes.  If eggs accidentally roll out of the nest both sexes will retrieve the egg using the neck (in other swan species only the female performs this feat).  Like all swans, black swans will aggressively defend their nests with their wings and beaks.  After hatching. the cygnets are tended by the parents for about 9 months until fledging.  Cygnets may ride on their parent's back for longer trips into deeper water, but black swans undertake this behaviour less frequently than Mute or Black-necked swans.

The black swan is unlike any other Australian bird, although in poor light conditions and at a long range it may be confused with a Magpie Goose in flight.  However, the black swan can be distinguished by its much longer neck and slower wing beat.

Black swans on the bank of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia:

The black swan's role in Australian heraldry and culture extends to the first founding of the colonies in the eighteenth century.  It has often been equated with antipodean identity, the contrast to the white swan of the northern hemisphere indicating 'Australianness".  The Black Swan is featured on the Western Australian flag, and is both the state and bird emblem of Western Australia.  It also appears in the Coat of Arms and other iconography of that state's institutions.

The black swan was a literary or artistic image, even before the discovery of Cygnus atratus.  Cultural reference has been based on symbolic contrast and distinctive motif.

You may get the feeling from this post that we, particularly we in the west, are particularly proud of our  black swans.  I have now decided to bore you further and tell you in a second post about our Swan River and some of its history.  I've been so interested to learn more than I previously knew and with a bit of luck you may also find it interesting.

AUSTRALASIAN ROBINS

The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the "Australasian robins".  Within the family the species are known not only as robins but as scrub-robins and flycatchers.  They are, however, only distantly related to the Old World family Muscicapidae (to which other species with such names belong) and the Monarch Flycatchers (Monarchidae).  I have included pictures of some of the various types of robin down under:

                                                               Eastern Yellow Robin
                                                         
                                                       

                                                              Western Yellow Robin
                                                       

                                                                 White-breasted Robin
                                                                                                                 
                                                               

                                                                      Dusky Robin
                                                               
                                                                 

                                                                     Hooded Robin
                                                               

                                                                  Jacky Winter Robin
                                                               

                                                                  Pale Yellow Robin                                                            
                                                             

                                                                White-browed Robin                                                      
                                                             

                                                                       Scarlet Robin                                    
                                                               

                                                                         Rose Robin                                          
                                                                   

                                                                      Pink Robin
                                                                                                                                   

                                                                   Mangrove Robin
                                                                                                               

                                                                      Flame Robin
                                                               
                                                                 

                                                      Lemon-bellied Robin (flycatcher)
                                                   
                                                     

                                                                  Red-capped Robin
                                                               

R is for ROBIN

The EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rebecula) is a small perching bird that can be found throughout many parts of Europe.  It has an orange-red breast and face olive-brown wings and back and a white to light brown belly,  You can sometimes see a blue-grey fringe around the bottom part of the robin's red breast patch.  European robins have brown legs and their tal is bluntly square.  They have large, black eyes and a small black bill.

They have a lovely warm, warble that consists of a melodic rippling of notes.  Some say their song becomes more melancholy during autumn and winter than in spring and summer.  Their call is a sharp, highly pitched 'twick' or 'tick' that can be repeated in a series of rapid outbursts.  This call is used as a warning signal or as a proclamation of their territory.  European robins are notoriously territorial and can be quite aggressive to fellow members of their species who are unwelcome within their claimed plot of earth.

Robins are shy birds throughout most of their range but in the British Isles, they have acquired tameness and are frequent, honoured guests in back yard gardens, and parks.  Their feeding behaviour historically involved following foraging animals such as the wild boar as it dug through the soil.  The robin would hop down to pick up any insects and grubs that were uncovered by the animals's digging.  Now, robins have found gardeners to be as productive with their earth-turning as wild boars and robins are known to be not far behind a human digging in the garden.

Robins breed from April through August.  Female robins construct a nest in a well-sheltered location such as a hedge or densely vegetated bank.  Their nest is cup-shaped and is constructed out of leaves and grass.  The female lays 4-6 eggs which require incubation for 13-14 days. After hatching, the young are ready to fledge in two weeks.   As many as three broods may be raised in one year.  European robins are not endangered or threatened and their populations are increasing in some parts of their range.  Below is a clutch of eggs, the size of an egg and a young robin:

Robins are one of the only UK birds to be heard singing in the garden on Christmas Day.  This is because they hold their territories all year round warning off intruders with song.  Males may hold the same territory throughout their lives, and will even attack a bundle of red feathers or their own reflection if they mistake it for another individual.  Their melodious voices, along with their cheeky attitudes, have endeared robin red breasts to the British public, and in 1960 they were crowned the UK's national bird.  (When I mentioned this to Phil he said he thought it more a romantic notion than truth as the blackbird and thrush are always present in English gardens at Christmas time).

The characteristic image of a robin on a spade handle is a consequence of their territorial instinct.  The male quite simply seeks a favourable lookout post!!

The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Azores. It is not found in Iceland.  In the south east, it reaches the caucasus range.  British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters.  These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange best.  The European robin prefers spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in the British Isles.

Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the latter part of the 19th century were unsuccessful.  Birds were released around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin by various local Acclimatisation societies, with none becoming established.  There were a similar outcome in North America as birds failed to establish after being released in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889-92 and the Saarich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908-10.

The AMERICAN robin, also known as the Robin or Common Robin, is a migratory songbird of the thrush family,  It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family  The American robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering from southern Canada to central Mexican and along the Pacific coast.  It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin.  It has seven subspecies.  It is mostly active during the day and assembles in large flocks at night.  Its diet consists of invertebrates, fruits and berries.  It is not a threatened species and is listed as of Least Concern by the UICN.

There is a large variety of robins in Australia and I have decided to do a second post just showing different photos of them to give an idea of their diversity.