Still No Rain

here we are well into April and we are still waiting for it to rain. I have been so busy keeping water up to the garden that I seem to have neglected all the other things I had planned to do. Now that Bowls is over for the season, perhaps i will be able to get on with it all.

One of the few positives to come out of this extended dry spell is that we have had an unprecedented number of birds visiting the garden - probably for the constant supply of water in the bird baths and   the extra seed we are putting out.

Each day we are visited by a family group of 9 Superb Fairy Wrens - one of them a little male who has gradually been getting his blue colour. We have had up to 40 red-browed finches at a time, numerous New Holland Honeyeaters as well as several Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and White-naped Honeyeaters and others which I am too slow to identify. For the first time in several years we have reasonable numbers of Sparrows and while they are not indigenous, we have missed their cheery presence.

We have had many other species as well, but the wrens will do for today.

These feisty little females are my favourites. So cheeky have they become that they come right up to our chairs while we sit on the veranda. Unfortunately as soon as I go off to get my camera, they disappear!! I love the long spindly legs the youngsters have.

This is the little male who is gradually colouring up.  I was watching him last week as a mature male encroached on the front lawn. The youngster sent him on his way in no uncertain manner.

Here his colour is just starting.

Below is the mature male who was sent on his way.

Liz Needle