Arrival of friar birds

The arrival of noisy friar birds marks the end of winter -- at least for me. As I listen to their raucous shrieks and cheerful squabbling my eyes linger among the bright red callistemon flowers. In another month or so our silky oak will burst into flower and provide another feast of nectar. Many of the trees we've planted here over the past few years have been chosen to attract birds and butterflies. Gradually our three quarter acre block is looking more and more like parkland, especially with newly mown green grass. After an exceptionally wet winter, no one would know this was an arid region in outback Queensland.