Malleefowl's hard work pays off
Mawonga Station is home to at least four Mallee fowl couples over at the mallee woodlands on the very eastern side of the property. Amongst the twenty or so mounds in this area, four have been active this breeding season. We placed a trail camera on two of these mounds to capture this allusive bird and see what they get up to each day during their breeding season. The YouTube video to the right is a timelapse that shows how they dig out the mound each day and cover it back up again to regulate the temperature. A mallee woodland incubator!
After looking through the thousands of photos we have finally spotted a baby Malleefowl hatchling! Look down on the edge of the mound about a third in from the right. the hatchlings make their own way out of the mound and left to fend for themselves. Just hope this little fella makes it, as we have also captured foxes, cats, goannas and crows showing just a little too much interest.
Don't forget to check out the gallery to see some more images of the hatchling.