wild life

Encounters with wildlife have been plentiful lately.

Yesterday there were three Tawny Frogmouths sitting as still as statues in the tree above the trampoline, upon which two boys were going ballistic with a soccer ball.



I saw my first wombat around here! (I've seen them elsewhere, and in nature reserves before). I was driving Son #1 to soccer and it was noodling about by the side of the road - after we passed I saw it crossing the road behind us in a most leisurely fashion. I flashed my lights at an oncoming line of traffic and the guy in front waved and nodded. I watched in my rear vision mirror as he braked and held up the long line of traffic and Wombat Divine made it safely to the other side of the road.

Another day last week I pulled into our friend's driveway, reporting for carpool duty, and came to a stop beside a large kangaroo. It watched suspiciously as the little kids exited the car to get in the friend's car (for the ride to primary school) and the big kids all got in mine (for the ride to secondary school), then it casually loped off down the side of the house round toward the clothesline. If the other neighbours had looked out their bathroom window at that time they would have seen a big grey roo going past only a few centimetres away. (They're probably used to it, there are heaps of kangaroos around that particular group of houses).

That night, coming back from taking Son #2 to a party, I came *this* close to hitting a wallaby that leapt out from behind a tree and skidded across the road in front of me.

Son #2 has reported seeing the echidna again, who has been notably absent for a few months. I'm glad to hear he's alive and kicking. The mister said he saw one curled in a ball by the side of the road recently while walking the dog, but possibly the presence of a large greyhound was responsible for the just-pretend-I'm-a-spiky-soccerball act.

The mister also reports that a mob of about 20 kangaroos spend their days lazing about outside the loungeroom windows of the house he's working in at the moment. Rolling around on their backs and everything apparently.

The kookaburras are everywhere right now.



As are the usual Rosellas and Swift Parrots.

And my babies of course ...



Oh! And most exciting - a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos have been hanging about. I heard that familiar creaky door sound the other day and looked up to see the silhouettes of two cockies flying overhead, but couldn't make them out. Then that afternoon I heard them creak again and there they were, sitting in a tree near the front door. I've heard them a few times since, but not been able to get a good photo.

Our resident Welcome Swallows have returned to their little mud nest above the laundry door (a mud nest on a mudbrick house).



They arrive every August and in a few weeks we will be hearing the pitterpatter of tiny baby Swallow feet ...



There is a rooster in the garden at the bottom of our hill, and I swear, I'm going to be making chicken curry if it doesn't stop crowing at all hours of the day and night.

The Dalmatian next door is still as mad as a cut snake but lovably goofy.

The rabbits continue to eat everything I plant in the garden.

The other morning we were awoken in the pre-dawn gloom by the unearthly shrieks of a rabbit being taken by a fox. And so the cycle of life continues.

As for mine own wild life, I am off to craft camp this weekend with a bunch of wild wonderful women. Can't wait.