Swooping magpies and early blossoms could be a harbinger of a wet late winter and spring to come with the Bureau of Meteorology tipping a 70 per cent chance of more rain and higher overnight temperatures in the next three months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The bureau noted that the maximum and minimum temperatures for July were above average across the ACT, with a La Nina weather pattern "watch" now underway for August to October.
A strong La Nina was last experienced in 2010-12, and brought flooding rains to many parts of eastern Australia. The odds of a La Nina emerging in the months ahead have now shortened from 1 in 5, down to 1 in 2.
Canberra will receive a taste of increased rain activity late this week as a low pressure mass approaches from the west in what a Bureau of Meteorology expert described as an "unusual pattern".
"The really cold mass of air which came up from the south and hit Tassie and parts of Victoria will most likely run out of moisture as it reaches the ACT but there is a second front, not quite as cold, moving across from the west which will become a low pressure cell and bring rain to the region, with quite possibly snowfalls in the high elevations," climatologist Blair Trewin said.
The deep low pressure late this week could bring up to 50mm of rain to the ACT.
The incoming rain will be a welcomed drink for flowering trees before spring.
Jackie Warburton from Terra Solarus Horticulture said we should now be seeing cherry and almond blossoms flowering.
"We have certain things that always do flower in the winter and they are winter flowering trees," she said. "Magnolias flower quite early in winter in Canberra [as well]."
So while Floriade has been cancelled this year because of COVID-19, mother nature brings her own agenda.
However, the rain won't be so welcomed by the magpies. Cooler weather with heavy rain could reduce food availability and safety for the notorious swooping bird.
Urban ecologist Professor Darryl Jones, from Griffith University, said if breeding is earlier in the year, magpies may miss the insects they need for a high protein diet.
"Really cold weather will stop the insects from being available, insects basically slow down and can't fly and can't be found and that's really important for a bird like the magpies who eat only insects," he said.
Birds react to daily average temperatures, meaning the warmer it is throughout winter the earlier magpies might lay their eggs.
Professor Gisela Kaplan, from the University of New England, suggests that magpies have entered into early breeding "to avoid the official beginning of the fire season."
"Birds learn lessons quickly and they are very adaptable, and magpies are probably at the forefront of this," she said.
Usually after winter, insects will start emerging from the ground creating an ample food source for magpies and other birds.
READ MORE:
Changing weather patterns has created a confusion among some birds.
Typically, the peak breeding time for magpies is mid to late September but all across the country, magpies are appearing to breed in late June and early July.
This will be most visible in urban environments and cities, as the temperatures are usually warmer.
Magpies may also be more prevalent in cities because they have a more reliable food source: human scraps.
"Lots of the birds in town at least, don't have to worry about the food situation because so many people feed magpies," Professor Jones said.