Just a little background to this post. The state of New South Wales (along with the rest of eastern Australia, especially)are in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years. I won't even attempt in this post to describe the conditions in the west of the state. Out here on the coast we are dry and dusty too. Town water supplies are also extremely low and strictly rationed. We are lucky if we get even a trace of rain - and usually we get inches of it at a time. For several weeks we haven't even had a sprinkle! Then one day this week it started to sprinkle - just enough to make you want to get out in it and enjoy the moisture. The birds loved it too and all started 'talking' and calling at once. I heard a lot of parrot noises so went looking for the source of the noise. It was a small group of galahs on the overhead electricity wires. I have no idea if there was some complicated bird reason for their antics but what they looked like was a bunch of children frolicing under an outside shower. They danced on the wire! They held their wings open! They hung upside down on the wire and flapped their wings open in that position to let the rain sprinkle under their wings! All the time they were screaming at the top of their parrot voices! They kept this up for the 5 or 10 minutes it was raining. Such a funny sight. And we got about 2 mm from the rain. Not sure what that is in the old measurements - its 25mm to the old inch measurement. So barely a trace of rain but it caused so much enjoyment.
btw Galahs are 360mm overall in length and a very pretty pink, white and grey colour. There are great flocks of them in the west of the state but out here on the coast just small groups of maybe 10 or 12 at most. I think this is a family group as I had a funny experience with a young one a few years back. It decided to practice its flying in my yard - and I have a very vigilant cat! I came to the rescue with a towel, grabbed it and covered it all up, and carried it about 500 meters away and put it up in a tree. However, the parents were watching and were quite sure the baby was still in my yard somewhere - they hadn't been able to see it covered up in the towel. It wasn't until I went out again and shook the towel open in their view that they went away - apparently thinking that the young one had somehow disappeared. I thought the young one may have been injured because it just satin the tree where I had put it for a long time. However, when I finally went back to look at it more closely it flew off back towards where the nest was - and you should have heard the noise the family made at its return!

Mikk, that was a delightful post about the dancing parrots!

I am very sorry about the drought you are experiencing at present.

It was wonderful that you could enjoy with the birds their moments of pleasure.

My Cockatiels do the same in the avery when I put the sprinkler on. Wings outstretched trying to get some on their wings. They drop so low, one would think they would fall off!

Wonderful when we can have a helping hand in a rescue.
This week I was staying 100 mile away with a friend. We were both out in her garden in the early evening, when I heard a terrible squarking. I looked around and there was my friends cat with a mouthful of feathers. I couldn't see a head, but it sure was screaming - let me out - let me out! I pounced on Tom who promptly dropped the bird.
It was a fledging blackbird with not a injury on it. Tom sat there on the grass wondering whow his bird had escaped! While the bird sat in my hand screaming till Tom disappeard round the corner of the house.
I held it in my hand, it's little feet screwed up in a ball with shock, it's head dropping so that I thought it would die of fright.
After a few moments, it flew off towards the trees, but landed in the hedge where Tom could easily retrieve it. Picking it out, I placed it up in the tree which gave it enough height to fly off to safety.

I was just saying in church this morning that the day will come where the cats will lie down with the birds on the new earth.

I did make it to church, in spite our own problem with our own eye infected cat. It was at the vet's office where I saw a picture on the wall of two cats lying down in a bird feeder with the birds.

Grinning, Daryl.
Glad you made it to church ok, not the same when we miss out.

Watching out the kitchen window Sabbath afternoon, when I noticed a blackbird fly onto the back lawn with a red berry in it's beak. Ate what it could and then flew off.
I went out and checked , and sure enough it was a strawberry off my plants.
So this morning I watched for him, and when I saw him down there, I went out and told him off!

Now that it is summertime here again - where did the year go to? - I have put a concrete shallow dish out in the front garden for the birds.

I also put my 'well' hose on in the daytime as if it is a very hot day the birds are able to drink and cool down. The hose creates puddles on the footpath that eventually drain into the grass verge, and the blackbirds and sparrows enjoy their midday bath.

Reading about those birds dancing in the rain reminds me of when I lived in S California. It was very dry, hot and smoggy. i was having a flat tire fixed when as I was in the waiting room - it thundered and great drops of rain came down. I was so happy after suffering thru all of that dry heat - that I ran out into the parking area with arms outstretched and looking up to the skys - just crying for more rain. I got wet - but it was worth it.

I wonder how it will be when the latter rain falls. Now we live in a drought for the word of God. And how will we rejoyce when we go to heaven. That'll be the day.

--Ðøug 2003.12.20.1.01.39 PT

Yes, Doug, the thing I long for most is to be able to sit at the feet of Jesus and 'drink' in words of truth.

Special moments call for special responses as with the unexpected raindrops, and it always reminds me of the painting of Jesus 2nd Coming and the saved standing there with their arms outstretched.
It's a day to long for.

I am in the process of building an elaborate bird feeder - all so the birds can have dry seeds in the rain. The thing is 2 ft square and 5 ft tall. It will have a peaked roof of aluminum that extends about 6" around the sides. The actual feeder is on the middle layer about 2ft up and is raised up about 10" from that and is under the roof. I cant believe it got so complicated. But I usually do things like this.

My old feeder was electric. It would dispense about one cup of seeds from a 50 lb hopper. Thats all they got in a day. Reason was to limit them, otherwise they would waste 5 lbs a day. I have to feed birds because they like me for it. I whistle and make tweeting sounds and they all come down and eat their seeds. I have two feeders now and they are enjoying both of em. The new big feeder will replace one now that is getting old.

I've got mostly Junkos in the winter but now that spring has sprung the birds are mostly out somewhere else getting native bugs.

The birds dont eat too much from my 10 Cherry trees - but they have taken a liking to my 9 Bloos Berry bushes. I may have to cover them this season. Course with bees all dying off because of the Varroa mite my trees are not as full of cherries as possible. I was going to get into beekeeping but after reading a book on this and asking questions on the bee forum I decided against beekeeping. At least this year I should have many more cherries than I can possibly eat. I plan on making fruit leather of a lot of them.
--Ðøug 2004.4.17.1.56.53 PT

LOVED THE STORY ABOUT THE PARROTS IN AUSTRALIA. I WOULD LOVE TO GO THERE SOMEDAY AND SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL CREATURES THAT YOU HAVE THERE.
THE ELECTRIC BIRD FEEDER SOUNDED TERRIFIC! I WANT ONE OF THOSE!

I LIVE ON HOODS CANAL IN WA STATE,USA. IT IS NOT REALLY A CANAL BUT A BAY. SO WE GET A LOT OF OCEAN BIRDS AND DUCKS. THIS MORNING WE SAW 2 EAGLES SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER ON A LIMB THAT STRETCHES OUT OVER THE WATER. I WENT OUT THE BACK DOOR TO GET A BETTER LOOK AND MY LITTLE DOG WENT WITH ME. JUST THEN A BABY EAGLE FLEW OVER US SO I SCOOPED UP MY DOG FOR FEAR THAT HE MIGHT GET CARRIED AWAY.
WE GET SOME VERY BEAUTIFUL DUCKS AROUND HERE. THE HARLEQUIN DUCK IS MY FAVORITE.
I KEEP A BIRD BOOK AND WRITE DOWN THE DATES THAT I HAVE SEEN EACH SPECIES, THEN I KNOW WHEN TO START LOOKING FOR THEM TO COME AGAIN THE NEXT YEAR.
I HOPE OTHERS WILL WRITE HERE AND TELL ABOUT THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BIRDS IN THEIR AREA.

Dru-san!
I like your posts, but could you knock off the CAPS LOCK THING? It hurts my eyes.