Wonga Pigeon survived crash into a window

A Wonga Pigeon survived a crash into my front window. I was working inside the house and I heard a bang, followed by a scrabbling sound, as if a piece of furniture, or a stick leaning against my house had been dislodged by the wind.
In response to the noise, I checked and the first thing I saw was Lulu looking spooked (she normally sleeps on a blanket on front verandah). Then I saw grey feathers, so I knew to look for a Wonga Pigeon.

I found it where it had bounced to, amongst ground-cover plants below the front deck.
The bird appeared to be in shock, but it was not bleeding from the beak (a common result of head injuries for birds).

So I decided to pick it up and take it inside for closer inspection (and for photographing details which otherwise one seldom gets to see). See for example, the photos of the feet. One friend has commented that the feet made him think of dinosaurs. I can see what he means.

Wonga Pigeon standing on my settee.
Note the way the feet splay out flat.
They are "Walking Feet" not "Gripping Feet"

At one stage the bird escaped my grasp (their wings are very powerful, and it managed to force its wings out of my hands). When It escaped it flew into a wall in the lounge-room, and fell back down and landed on a settee.

It was not hurt further in this escape and the subsequent recapture.

I threw a jumper over it, and decided it needed to be calmed down so I wrapped it up and covered its head.

A little while later, my friend Matt Doyle and his son Zac came along to have a look at the bird. I had rung Matt to see if he wanted to see the Wonga Pigeon up-close. Then I released it from my back deck. The bird flew strongly, straight down a "laneway" between some large shrubs in the back yard, and turned a corner at the far end of the gap and disappeared. A good result, I reckon.

Laneway where the Wonga flew after it had recovered.

There is a Facebook photo album which is open to the public and you do not need to sign up for anything to view it. If you read the notes on each page, it will make full sense to you.

Dobsonfly - Archichauliodes species.

I always find Dobsonflies to be slightly strange insects.
They are as big as Dragonflies, but they fly with a weak, fluttering motion which immediately sets them apart from Dragonflies. They are partially aquatic. Eggs are laid on land (on rocks or vegetation). Then Larvae crawl to fresh water and become completely aquatic, until such time as they are ready to pupate.

From: http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/insects/megaloptera.html

Megaloptera: dobsonflies and alderflies

CharacteristicsThis is a very small order of Australian insects commonly known as alderflies and dobsonflies. They are medium to large sized insects with a wingspan ranging from 20 to 100 millimetres. Alderflies and dobsonflies can be recognised by the following features:

Archichauliodes species (CORYDALIDAE)

• Long, soft, flexible bodies, usually dark coloured
• 2 pairs of membranous wings of similar size, often bearing dark patches.
• At rest the wings are held roof-like over the body
• Mandibulate mouthparts
• Long filiform antennae which taper towards the end

CORYDALIDAE is a widespread family of dobsonflies and well represented in Australia.
Archichauliodes species are inhabitants of cold-water streams and can be found from southern Australia to north Queensland. Adults of this species can usually be recognised as they have 4 or 5 large spots on their hind wings in addition to many smaller spots towards the edges of the wing.

The larvae of alderflies and dobsonflies are aquatic, appear caterpillar-like and possess gills along the sides of their abdomens.

Archichauliodes species (CORYDALIDAE)

DJW Notes:
They are not completely Aquatic in larval stage of their life-cycle (again, unlike Dragonflies).

Back to CSIRO site:

"All species have aquatic larvae and mating occurs on the vegetation close to freshwater streams. Female alderflies and dobsonflies may lay up to 3000 eggs on rocks or debris close to the stream but not in the water. When the larvae hatch they enter the water and live a permanently aquatic life until they are ready to pupate. At this stage the larvae move out of the water into the adjacent leaf litter or soil where they pupate for several weeks. The complete life cycle may take only one year in warmer areas or up to 5 in colder climates."

Here was my first ever photo of a Dobsonfly.
It took me ages to get a proper ID on it, because, apart from specialist Entomologist site, there is not much readily available on them. At first I thought this was a Stonefly, but it is not. Nor is it a Giant Lacewing (with which it might be confused).

Dobsonfly on Tea Tree.
Wingecarribee Swamp, Nov 2007

This was found on the edge of the Wingecarribee Swamp, in late November 2007. On a flowering Tea Tree (Leptospermum sp.) But that fits with its aquatic larval lifecycle. My insect, from yesterday, was also attracted to the flowers of relative of the Tea Tree (Astartea fascicularis).

Archichauliodes species (CORYDALIDAE)

• 

  Great photo of a Dobsonfly
  originally sourced from CSIRO "What Bug is That?"
  Unfortunately that site appears to be
  no longer being maintained.
  Thanks Mr Abbott.
  

  

  Dobsonfly on my front porch - attracted to the light
  4 December 2013
  Seems they like to fly at this time of year.

Here is another page from CSIRO, to show some of the differences between Dobsonflies and Ant Lions and Lacewings.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/insects/neuroptera.html

Since publication, I have been contacted and provided with a working link to the "What Bug Is That?" site.
It is http://anic.ento.csiro.au/insectfamilies/index.aspx
Thanks to the ever alert members of the scientific community.
You know who you are :)

My garden is looking pretty good after the big storm last night.

Here is a link to a Facebook Album of recent photos.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153261668544829.1073741968.809229828&type=1&l=09b8db7493

You do not need to join Facebook - this album is fully public to everybody.

Here is a sample. My favourite Waratah flower growing just outside my front door. It is looking at its prime right now.

The styles (the pointy bits in each flower)
are now opening out well. The whole head of flowers is called a "conflorescence"
About 50% of the individual flowers are now open.