“Colours are the smiles of nature…”
Leigh Hunt
Spring is a time of renewal and the resurgence of nature. It is also a good time to take stock of what is happening around us. In recognition of this, the third week of October is reserved each year for the Aussie Backyard Bird Count. This is a virtual event hosted by Birdlife Australia. It is perfect for social distancing. Participants enter their gardens for 20 minutes per day and use a nifty app to document the birds they encounter. This year’s count ended a couple of weeks ago and the number are being compiled even as we speak. In 2020, 108,00 people participated, sighting over 4.6 million birds. The top species were Noisey Miners, Magpies, Galahs and Cockatoos. The much maligned Bin Chicken was tenth. Interestingly, the bird with the biggest jump in annual sightings was the Rainbow Bee-eater, as shown above in one of my wife’s photos. #mostlymagpiesincollinswood #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 