Wednesday, November 23, 2016

STARTING EACH NEW DAY WITH A SURPRISING WILDLIFE ADVENTURE

While eating cereal on the back  veranda at the Little Darwin  ranch early in the morning a variety of  bird  calls can be heard , the resident  Curlew  family position to be  fed , a mosquito  or two is swatted  and  now  wasps  are  out  and about looking for  odd   items to  cement into a  nest , one being a piece of quartz, below ,  picked up on  the beach and placed  with seashells and  odds and ends on a  side table. Care has  to be taken entering the den as another wasp is building a  nest on  the  step . 


 A few days ago , shortly after  5am ,  a   fluttering , black ball  suddenly landed on the  veranda - a  Scrub Turkey  chick ,  which  bounced up  against its reflection in the  kitchen  glass  door, continued  along  the way chased by   a hissing   adult  Curlew , had another  peek at itself in the den glass door, then  flew over the  fence . The  Curlew  family is shown below with early morning sun  shining through   the  fence palings  onto  them.
 

One of  the  Curlew  chicks  was  snapped , below ,  having a splash and several sips in  a  baking  dish.