In our move from Mount Riverview I was afraid that birdlife would be less of a feature (and amusement – see previous entries about the lyrebird and Sue). I needn’t have worried.

At 33BBC the major avian annoyance (as far as Sue was concerned) was the Lyrebird. We have not been visited by a lyrebird since the move, but fortunately (or not) the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos have been able to fill the gap. I have posted pictures of these birds before. They gather in flocks of many birds and are notorious (in Australia) for ripping wood apart on verandahs, and doing all sorts of other mischievous things. Sue didn’t like them at 33 BBC because they would wantonly rip the flowers off orchids if they were not supplied with food, and when I supplied the food I was “just encouraging them”. Sometimes you cannot win ….

Anyway, when we first moved to 47 Park Street all seemed well. Sure the Australian King Parrots ate our tomatoes, but they are beautiful birds and the tomatoes were tempting.

Then the “Liquid Amber” tree over our from driveway started producing seeds. These seeds are about 3-4cm in diameter and covered in sharp spikes. Nevertheless they are clearly irresistible to a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. So the cockatoos congregate in the late afternoon and proceed to drop a few seeds on the driveway, just as provocation, in advance of Sue arriving home. When she does arrive, they start to throw the seeds at her (I am reliably informed), with malice clearly aforethought.

It is difficult to know what to do: express scepticism, sympathise, express doubts as to the cockatoos motivation, or buy a shotgun. The Liquid Amber tree has been threatened with cutbacks worthy of Margaret Thatcher, but it grows on our neighbours land, so that it difficult. I offered to buy a catapult to fire the seeds back at the cockatoos, but Sue seemed to think that was more fun for me than an effective deterrent. Fortunately there can only be a limited supply of the seeds, so this problem should have a limited lifespan.

I think the King Parrots must have a different Karma, or something, because although they eat the tomatoes, this is regarded as an acceptable price to pay for their providing entertainment. Earlier in the year the bowerbird was given tacit permission to eat the tomato crop also.

We have also been visited by Koels. I have to admit that even though liking Koel(s) is not trendy in these days of climate change, they are rather beautiful birds – like blackbirds on steroids (they are about the size of a pigeon). Koel-black but with a red ring around their eye. In edition to all this we have the usual common birds: Australian Mynas, Rainbow Lorikeets (rats on wings, in my opinion), crimson rosellas, feral blackbirds, bower birds, etc. So it’s not too bad, really.