OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

Every Wednesday after MOH and I have been to our exercise group we park in the street near our post office while MOH checks for mail.

In this area there is a large liquor store, an hotel, a service station and various shops. There are also some very, very large eucalypt trees and I always enjoy looking at them and watching out for various birds that often frequent them.

Two weeks back on the tree nearest the footpath I noticed two 28 (Port Lincoln) parrots. I wondered what they were doing and then realised the smaller one (obviously the mum) appeared to be feeding a young one which was in a large hollow quite high up in the truck of the tree. Dad was a little lower down keeping watch. They were a delight to see and seemed to be very safe where they were

The following week we parked in the same spot and on the same tree, using the same nesting site, were a pair of pink and grey galahs. I did see a 28 nearby that seemed to be anxious about what was happening but then it disappeared.

The female galah also appeared to be feeding a chick with dad keeping watch. Had the
baby 28 matured enough to leave the nest or had the galahs just taken over. Were they perhaps looking after a 28 chick as well as their own? One can only hope that all was well with all of them.

An elderly man on his gopher came down the hill, stopped, took out a small tin and proceeded to throw bird seed at the base of the tree. I spoke to him about the birds and he said he remembered when this area was just bush and as he was 90 years old I feel he had lived thereabouts for many years...maybe from when he was married. He said there were hundreds of birds living there at that time as well as the area having lots of wildflowers. He remembered when the hotel was built and eventually the surrounding shops etc.

We spoke about the suburban sprawl and how it is depriving so many native birds and animals of their habitats and now the birds have to try and live with us and in spite of us. We agreed that progress is not always good for every creature in this world and I wondered how many others had noticed first the 28 parrots and then the galahs. I am sure there are many people that do not see these things as they busily go about their everyday tasks and, some of them, even if they did notice them....would they care?

We are told we must not feed native birds but I doubt this old man was doing very much harm just throwing them a handful of seed each day. From the way he spoke I think he also puts some on his lawn where he lives. As long as the birds do not become dependent on him as after all he IS 90 and one wonders how many more years he will be around performing these acts of kindness.