Unverified

Gully hollow was an extraordinary hollow to observe and follow over the nesting season. I believe the parents were a successful breeding pair from Section 66, with the mum being Cheeky Rose (based on her red-feathered cheek). The new hollow was similar in architecture to their previous hollow. On 1st December, there were two eggs in the hollow. On 1st January, I was astounded to see a chick at the hollow entrance - it could, at the most, be only four weeks old - far too young to show. Was the hollow too narrow and shallow for both chicks to remain at the base when a parent went in to feed? I did not know how the nest would go - would the chicks survive, especially given the heatwaves, and the seeming lack of insulation of the hollow. However, the parents were extraordinary, and seemed to be constantly at the hollow, feeding the chicks, or just resting in nearby trees. It seems that it was not until the chicks were much older - six-seven weeks, that the parents left the vicinity of the hollow for extended periods. Both chicks successfully fledged with a day of each other, aged around seven and a half weeks old.