Bird Walk

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Bird Walking on Saturday...

It's Saturday
no rush to get up today
not that I am ever
in much of a rush
to do anything these days

I looked over the river
and saw a group of egrets
bunched in a tree
looking rather silly

as they stood
longlegged
on flimsy branches

I was ready
for my mid morning coffee
but needed a walk
and some fresh air first
and the prospect of seeing birds...

and look who is back in the park
after a two week's absence
on walkabout
the plover parents returned
unaccompanied...

I didn't want to tell you
that they had gone walkabout
because it was an ominous indication
that all was not well
in the little family

and what do you think she is doing
nesting again?

I will take the car into the park later
and place a stake
at the nest site
if that is what I suspect it is


Oh, the resilience of Nature

the cream grevillea
are flowering

as are all the other varieties
attracting
the many nectar feeding birds
in our area

across from the grevillea
the casaurina trees,
She oaks,
grace the river bank
with their delicate sensuous tendrils

and chains of nutty seeds

that are hard and prickly

the skittish magpie lark
or Peewee
is always around the river's edge
where he builds his mud and grass nest
on a horizontal branch
over or near the water

He puddles in the muddy shallows
for insects

the pale pink grevillea cloud
provides food and protection
for a variety of honey eaters
and parrots

their giant stamens
an architectural feat

friendly little Willy Wagtail
I meet most days
hops along the nature strip
swinging his tail
from side to side

and perches on letter boxes,
signs and vehicles
to sing his sweet song

as I approach loud bird song in a tree
I realise that I am not
the only birdwatcher
this morning

I see puddy
and he sees me

The rainbow lorikeets
are quite adept
at hanging upside down
to feast on the grevillea
extracting nectar
with their brush like tongues

the sun catches
their rainbow jackets

and they screech discordant notes
to each other
telling their mate
of their whereabouts



and here comes my Beloved
in his truck
wondering where his mate
had wandered off to
this wonderful morning...






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