Dedicated to understanding  the remarkable emotional, social and mental abilities of birds, and the unsuspected richness of their societies.

Blue Tongue Lizards - A Garden's Best Friend

Blue-tongue lizards are gentle and friendly creatures.  They like firm ground under their feet but will let you pick them up even if they haven't seen humans before.  They are nature's helpers in the garden by feeding on snails, crickets, caterpillars and other pests.  The birds don't mind them either in striking contrast to their reactions towards goannas and snakes.  You will see Frieda magpie happily pottering around this gorgeous creature in the slides below, neither upset by the other's presence.  This lizard is the common Eastern variety also called Tilqua sc

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Australian Figbird

australian figbird

Figbirds follow the fruit trail and drop in for a few weeks each year at the start of the mulberry season.  Well camouflaged by their plumage these birds are hard to spot as they help themselves to the fresh pickings.

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Bertie Magpie does the incredible

Vicky, Bertie, and Mindy are having trouble right now visiting our yard because the 'teenage' magpie crew think they own our front yard. I suspect this is only temporary because Bertie will eventually take charge and reclaim their territory. But for now, Vicky is nesting and, I suspect, is also is ambivalent about being stern with the teenage gang because her only son Monty is a member of it. So we have been walking along the road each day to say hello to Vicky's family and give them some bread and cheese. But yesterday when I went, something odd was going on.

I called the gang, but things were strangely quiet. Then I heard a horse's neigh - coming from above me. I looked up and there was Mindy, who promptly produced another neigh to make sure I didn't mistake who was imitating a horse. Why? Good question, but then Bertie explained it all to me in a way that was both unmistakeable and remarkable.

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Minnie Miner saves me from a snake.

As our beautiful queen magpie Vicky is not feeling well right now, I decided to go and visit her. I walked along the road and spotted her in a tree in our side paddock. I called out hello, and took one step off the road towards the fence. Suddenly, I was confronted by one of our noisy miner friends, screaming loudly at me and looking down:

Minnie miner on fence warning me of a snake that I can't see

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Kangaroo Kisses

wallaby Brotherly love fills the yard with sunshine!

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