I was watching a pair of wagtails enjoy the washing hoist, swirling as it swung slightly in the breeze. A pair of turtle doves were sitting extremely close to one another, gently necking on the poinsettia tree. A trio of ravens flew overhead, cawing loudly as they traversed their chosen territory.
What sounded like a kookaburra laughing through a sore throat was the next I heard or saw from the yard. The strange noise turned out to be a young myna bird practicing the kookaburra laugh from its repertoire, though! It soon informed me it was not a real one, by the fact that it trailed off into a clicking clacking sounds as if an old woman sat knitting outside my window - and then into a screech as it located some morsel of food in the form of a grub.
Smokey is still limping slightly, but his cotton-wound foot has ceased to be a problem slightly. Recently, his middle toe was bent backwards by the too-tight string and it turned black from the pressure. Two days ago, I noticed that the afflicted toe had simply fallen off. Smokey did not seem to fuss or concern himself as much as me over the incident - it was just a troubled toe. I think I would be far more worried should one of my toes become afflicted, turn black, and then drop off…
A couple of city pigeons lazed upon the lawn, occasionally reaching to their side to peck at the grass. A baby starling hopped about, pecking for grubs amongst the grasses, coming and going.
Suddenly I looked out again, over the washing up that my hands were occupied with. A white-faced heron was serenely strolling across the lawn, poking its beak down every so often. The starling stared astounded. I admit we do not often find heron in the yard, perhaps once or twice a year only. However, I guess this little bird had never seen such a monster before, with its elongated legs and huge body…
A silver gull, two myna birds, and the bold and defiant Dusty - a pigeon who hangs with the Speckley gang and flies in to spend time and feasting with our flock - were fighting over who should consume the crust from my apple pie, which I had tossed onto the lawn. Usually, the seagulls win such a fight, devouring all that is beak-sized and carrying away anything larger. Occasionally, a myna bird will screech away all the other feathered friends to claim the morsel. This time, Dusty was determined to have his fill, stabbing his beak towards the startled gull that was definitely not used to so bold a move from a mere pigeon, a third his size. Dusty managed to wolf down several portions before the gull was joined by a few more, stopping by to observe the commotion and spotting FOOD. Emboldened by the presence of more of its own kind, the original gull swooped in, snatched the pie crust up and flew away with it.
sandeye
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