After a pretence of rain-2mm- two tiny Curlews hatched at the front of the Little Darwin den and were moved out of the open into a cooler spot , the nearby area recently the subject of crazed landscaping which turned it into a repository for driftwood , chunks of granite and a beaut future holiday camp for termites , an ideal scratch patch for daily raids by orange footed scrub turkeys .
While the recent flowering of Rain Orchids caused predictions of wet stuff within four days, what the harsh heavens provided was hardly precipitation of any value , a fine mist of short duration .
Then the Queen of the Jungle, one of those who raised the Rain Orchids furphy , rang and said to hurry down again with the camera because another orchid , above, which looked like something from the Little Shop of Horrors , had flowered for the first time in 20 years , another portent of rain in the near future...two lousy mms.
Meanwhile, the Curlew chick which hatched recently at the back of the Little Darwin den , though small , above, is still alive . Hissing and other noises late at night have resulted in having to leap from bed with a torch to investigate , chasing possums , searching for the dreaded Murder Owls , cats ; during daylight, a watch has to be kept for Crows, Currawongs and Kookaburras .
Twice during last night , about 3.30-ish, there were loud explosions , sounding like gunshots , then much louder. Being Magnetic Island , surrounded by water , the mainland media will probably not pick up this event. An island resident said she thought it was fireworks --- at 3.30am on the sabbath, what would the vicar say?
The disruption of much needed beauty sleep and the wood duck local media makes one irritable , bug-eyed, given to expressing hearty expletives. While working on this post, hissing was heard at the front of the residence and on investigation a Kookaburra was spotted and chased away.
