I’ve been on a couple of bird-watching expeditions and had a great time. I remember being particularly impressed with a National Parks & Wildlife ranger who produced a freshly baked cake and a coffee plunger from the back of his car!  But I hate ticks and leeches, and my distance eye-sight is not the best, so I’ve decided that traipsing through the bush hoping for a momentary glimpse of a disappearing drongo is not for me.

Much better that I set up my garden as an oasis for birds, with plenty of water, native flowering plants and small snacks. That way I can sit on the veranda with a coffee (or a glass of wine), a camera and my bird book and wait for the birds to come to me.

Yes it’s lazy, and so far it’s working quite well. On a hot day, there’s a queue of birds waiting for their turn in the bird bath.  You’ll have to take my word for it that this is a Satin Bowerbird …

And there’s a constant procession of birds dropping in at the feeder to check if there is anything there that they fancy.  Sometimes it’s a bit of paw-paw, a piece of bread (wholegrain of course!), a sprinkling of seeds, a dead bug or a piece of sweet corn – not enough to make them dependent though.

As of today the count is at 34 confirmed species, and a few manic birds who won’t stay still long enough for me to identify them let alone take a photo. Visit my Bird Gallery which I update as I identify new bird species.