Purple excrement: a clue!

One of the most intriguing things I learned while researching Charles Darwin (for a children's book I was asked to write called 'Charles Darwin's Big Idea') was the way everything in Nature is interconnected. Life on earth is like a web.

On our walk to the beach I've been noticing that the seaberry saltbush (Rhagodia baccata) is bursting into bright reddish-purple berries, brought on by warmer days. Set against the green-grey of the coastal vegetation, this splash of colour is a welcome sight.

Birds are feasting on the berries, as evidenced by the splashes of purple excrement left on the boardwalk and along the bush track.

PS
I've included a photo taken from Opal Point, the furthermost part of our daily walk with the dogs. You can see the distinctive hump of The Nobbies, which was the feature of my past two blogs.

Cat up a tree overhanging river

Although I love cats -- especially Katie my 14-year-old Siamese -- I don't like the way feral cats and other people's cats kill native birds. Therefore, we allow our two German shepherds to chase any cat that steps into our garden.

For the last month or so a cat from up the road has been teasing Major and Del through the fence, causing our dogs to bark hysterically. This was becoming a problem, noise-wise; however, yesterday Del took the situation into her own hands and chased the cat down to the Maranoa River and out onto a branch overhanging the water. Here the cat stayed for at least an hour or so.

Today the cat has kept well clear of our place and hopefully will have learned not to tease our dogs.

Katie is an indoors cat and both our dogs adore her. As far as they are concerned Katie is not a cat! As I write, Katie is on my lap purring loudly and kneading my jacket like a kitten. She has never forgotten the fact she was the runt of a large litter and had to battle to get a feed. By 10 p.m. she'll be yowling to tell us to come to bed, where she sleeps between us, her head on my pillow.

The photos shows Katie in her favourite sun porch overlooking the Maranoa River, and Del the cat chaser relaxing in bed.

Like a sedative, rain falls in outback Queensland

After the harshness of repeated frosts and extreme dryness, soft rain is falling throughout outback Queensland. It's almost as if a light sedative has been sprinkled over the land; softening the vegetation, yet at the same time heightening the colour of red dirt and green foliage.

The family of apostle birds (affectionately known as squarkers) that live in our garden here in Mitchell, are happy about the rain. Together they forage for food; together they raise their young; together they protect their territory. Cheerful chatter makes up for their drab plumage. The name -- apostle birds -- came about because these birds usually live in groups of about twelve, like the disciples of Jesus Christ.

'My' willie wagtail is also telling me about the rain, going from window to window and chattering excitedly. Birds give me great pleasure and as I watch their behaviour I find myself learning more and more about their unique place in the web of life that surrounds me in this semi-arid region.