89. Wild Willies

We have a high walled courtyard off the main bathroom. 

When my children were preschoolers, they planted a branch of cypress there.

Surprisingly, a pine tree grew. It must have come up from a seed on the stick. 

The kids thought themselves master gardeners, especially when a pair of Willie Wagtails built a nest in that pine. 

55. Firetails Against the Odds

This is a Firetail. My neighbour Neil calls them Diamond Sparrows. 

38. WHERE I LIVE IN DROUGHT

A farm in the mountains

once full of grass fed cattle,

a home near a cliff edge

where Wedge-tailed Eagles soar.

36. FEATHERS AND MIST

Waking before six this morning, I looked out the window to see the valleys where we live shrouded in fog, in thin cloud, in ghostly mist.

12. THE ITCHY TWITCHER

I’m not really a birder, not an authentic bird watcher. The binoculars mostly stay in their case. I see birds with the naked eye when I’m gardening, or inside through the windows without curtains.

No authority on breeds or types; I’m not even a member of the local bird society. I flirted with the idea of becoming a proper twitcher when I passed a dam on the dirt road to town years ago.

Google image of some serious bird enthusiasts.