Life In Australia

In  Australia, you see and hear many types of birds, some of which are very noisy, particularly in the early morning and at dusk. There are over fifty different species of parrot in Australia, including the rainbow lorikeet, shown in the above photograph.

Marilynne in her fantastic series of blog posts about her trip to Australia reminded me of this photograph, taken by a colleague of my husband’s. The bird had perched on his balcony and, amazingly, stayed still for long enough to take this photograph.

We have many parrots, such as the rainbow lorikeet, in the surburban area where I live. Usually you hear them rather than see them. In the evening, just before it goes dark, you can hear them making a loud swarking noise as large flocks of them head for the tall trees. You can sometimes catch a glimpse of their bright colours as they fly overhead. Birds sometimes visit the decking outside of our back door but I have never seen a parrot there. They seem to be quite shy creatures.

Bats also fly through the air in Sydney. Yes, you read that right! The first time I saw one, I was taking the washing in just after it had gone dark. A black shadow seemed to come out of a nearby tree and then swoop down a little before flying off quickly. As I looked up, I realised that it was a bat! I’ve seen many others since then but still can’t shake the feeling that the bat will swoop down and attack me like in some horror film! I am assured that this never happens in real life - bats keep well away from humans, but I still can’t lose my sense of unease whenever I see a bat flying through the air!