A king parrot and his mate hung around a lot earlier this month, we enjoyed listening to their calls and seeing their bright red and greens flash past. Sadly, it turned out that the female bird could not see out one eye. Then one day....

The grass moved, but no, a bird sat on, it and only became visible as it moved. The dog padded up, silent, until with a leap and yelp he landed next to the bird and snapped at it with his teeth. He caught one feathered wing. The bird sent our terrified, piercing calls that anyone, at all nearby could hear, and not forget. 

The bird did not die from the dog, but that would have likely been a mercy. It hung around in a tree just over our side of the fence, but that night it disappeared. I have seen nicer things in the bird world this month though! A thin, black and white Willy Wagtail sat on the fence of the chook yard. Singing his endearing little tune he waged his tail a while before flying off. We almost never get to see his pretty dances and song unless we go for a walk. It had been a few years since I last saw a wagtail at our house and that time about three Noisy Miner birds were on his tail.

 I sat in the lounge room reading "Mere Christianity" on a Sunday afternoon when an odd bird call came through the glass with the warming sun. I got up and went outside. I heard another call then, the call of an adult Rainbow Lorikeet. It was then I realized what the sound was, baby Lorikeets! Up the very top of a tall, Lemon Scented Gum, I could just make out the forms of a few birds. Then out flew a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets, soon the squeaking call stopped. But when, a few minuets later, the parents returned the calls started again getting louder and louder.