Birds of Skye - A Seven Cockatoo Day

Every day the bird spectacle changes. I find that I say to myself, 'If only bird watchers in the UK could see what I am seeing. They would be amazed!'.


The sub-text is that people in Africa have the pleasure of a vibrant bird population and I don't need to feel sorry for them. But if you were a birdwatcher and lived in the UK, Europe and most of the USA, what we have on our bird table would amaze you!


Yesterday was a 'Seven-cockatoo-day'. I walked past the kitchen and saw 7 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos queueing up on the tree trunks wanting food. We are a bit naughty as we put out seed for the parrots and bronzewings. Cockatoos are magnificent creatures. They strut up and down, throw their heads back and the startling yellow crest rises up. They squabble, hang upside down and suddenly all take off. No other birds dare venture close. They demand pride of place.



After them came the Galahs, the Common Bronzewings (we have up to 8 at a time foraging on the ground below the bird table) and the cheeky Rainbow Lorrikeets. There are tiny birds too, the Red-browed Firetails come in a little swarm. Add to these the Red-wattle birds and the Striated Paralotes and you have the common bird list for our front lawn. Without even raising a pair of binoculars.


We have heard the Tawny Frog-mouth with his spring call but cannot see the pair. Previously they have nested in our biggest tree but think that they have chosen a safer site this year as the leaf cover has been eaten by our hungry koalas. But that is another story!


We are always on the lookout for feral cats. I am afraid that they are everywhere nowadays. I am not a cat lover for Australia. Bit of a despot, I am. I would neuter all cats that currently exist and install cat licences fees at least at the level of dog licence fees. And have a night curfew - no prowling allowed! Furthermore, all feral cats should be caught and done away with. This should not be a country for cats! We have caught about 4 on our property (after finding bird feathers on the lawn on many occasions). We take them to the RSPCA and they deal with them. They are scavengers of lizards, birds anything that moves. .....

Bushfire Management Plans

Everyone is talking bushfires in Australia at the moment as the heartrending stories emerge from Victoria. (our neighbouring state). We in South Australia consider ourselves lucky to have escaped this time. When bushfire danger conditions are predicted (the hot North Wind is the worst) we are all encouraged through the media to, “revisit our bushfire management plans”.

Some years ago we attended a CFS (Country Fire Authority) education day where we learnt about making a bushfire plan. So we now are alerted to the “go or stay” issue and how to defend your home.

Here is an example from a local authority:

Ask Yourself
* Are you ready for the bushfire season?
* Is your family and home at risk?
* Will you and your family stay and defend your home or leave early before the fire starts?

Things to Consider
* Does your family include, children, elderly or people with disabilities?
* Can you or your family physically or mentally defend your house during a bushfire?

Put together an emergency/survival kit
* with spare batteries. Candles to provide light.
* Matches or lighter. Battery radio with spare batteries.
* First aid kit. Medication.
* Fire extinguishers. Fire blankets.
* Bottled drinking water. etc

(I learnt something new from the story of a survivor in today's newspaper: leave a car in your driveway, out of the garage, as a final escape option. AND don't lose the keys)

Although we argue that we are not really in danger in our location (on the Hills Face Zone overlooking Adelaide), we still are prepared.

We have decided to be “stayers” so we have our bushfire kit ready in a spare bedroom (boots, long pants, long sleeved wool shirt, buckets, spare water hose).
We also have a generator to pump water from our rain water tanks; a system to start the sprinklers on the roof that will fill the gutters with water (no good if the power goes) and a bolt hole to hide if all else fails. We should keep buckets filled with water at various spots around the house.

They say that as the fire front approaches you stay inside, with curtains closed. Once the front has passed you can go outside and put out spot fires and watch for embers. Many houses are burnt by embers travelling before or after the fire front.

Our bolt hole is our wine cellar! It is between a huge rain water tank and the basement of the house. All walls are concrete. And we will not fall short of sustenance!

Many people die when they decide to leave at the last moment and get caught in the thick smoke, darkness and are unsure which route to follow.

The gum trees (eucalypts) are another concern. We love our trees, plant more and protect them, but in a major fire, gum trees are the fuel. So you have to remove any that are too close to the house.

These terrible fires will go down in Australian history.
Famous ones are “Black Friday” in 1939 and the “Ash Wednesday” fires of Feb 1983. Factors combined to make for extreme fire conditions.

It has happened again and I wonder what the fires of Saturday, 7th Feb, 2009, when “fire fell from the sky”, will be called.

The Heat is on in Adelaide, South Australia

This is the 6th day that the temperature in

Adelaide has been over 40 o Centigrade (104 oF). We are told we can hope for a milder cool front next Saturday when it will drop to 30 degrees. But still no rain is expected. The top of 45.7 C(114 oF) last Tuesday was some sort of record for Adelaide. People are talking about 100 year records and that would be since records began here.

It is the main topic of conversation between locals: how to cool down, how to care for your garden, pets, wild birds and animals. At over 46 degrees C birds start to perish.

Round our home on the hills overlooking Adelaide the birds have used our garden as a refuge. They hide in the shade of the larger trees, creep under our outside tables and drink copious amounts of water from the many containers that we have put out.

The shy Common Bronzewings come in close to the house and I can see their throats fluttering. Wikipedia states that: "Birds also avoid overheating by gular fluttering which is similar to panting in mammals since their thin skin has no sweat glands".

Meanwhile, I worry about going outside and disturbing them in case flying off will cause them stress. At the end of the day we put on a water sprinkler for the little birds. They come in droves: striated paradoles, honeyeaters, superb wrens, willie wagtails and thornbills.

We are the lucky ones as most people cannot water except according to the tight restriction rules of Level 3 - which means you can use a hose or dripper system for only 3 hours a week during determined hours according to your address. Our fortune is to be in a one of the few suburbs where all homes depend on bore water systems that don't yet have restrictions.

Climate change seems very real in South Australia at the moment!