I was day-dreaming, enjoying the midday warmth as I took my lunchtime walk with the dogs. The unmistakable, raucously shrieking calls of a Channel-billed cuckoo intruded into our reverie. His cries shrieked and echoed around the neighbourhood while four Australian ravens followed in hot pursuit around a metre behind his tail. I chuckled to myself, wondering if the ravens nests were unguarded. Last night we had a southerly change arrive, and it rained most of the night.
Right on cue, the spring cycle of renewal continues like clockwork. The both species of large migratory cuckoos are here now. It will be interesting to compare relative abundances as we are very much headed for drought this year. The last three or four years we have enjoyed very good winter rains. This year, drought is making itself felt already.
The Masked plovers who had four tiny little golf-ball sized chicks are down to two, but wow, they have grown. The surviving chicks are very large now, 3/4's adult size and it appears it wont be long before they will be able to fly. The other pair that had two chicks have vanished. I expect they have lost their brood, and have moved elsewhere to try again.
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