Thursday 10 October 2013

Jottings from the Tropics: 10 October 2013


Still feeling unwell. Ate a chocolate biscuit. Then some more chocolate biscuits because no one can eat just one. Felt less well than I did before. Finished the biscuits so I wouldn't make the mistake of eating them later when I had forgotten how more unwell they made me feel. Now feeling nauseous. I told you I was poorly.

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Spangled drongos have taken over the garden. They and the willie wagtails engage in wild aerobatics while catching insects. The wagtails return to the shed, where they are nesting, whereas the drongos sit on sunny branches to eat their prey. One drongo has a favourite spot in the jacaranda tree. I don't have photos, so you'll have to imagine this bird with its fancy fishtail, iridescent sheen and gleaming red eyes perched in a cloud of blue flowers. It won't be as good as the real thing, but give it a go anyway.

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We are moving into the build up to the wet season. This means storms appearing from nowhere and dropping rain over small areas; big banks of clouds moseying in from the south and east, promising much but delivering nothing; and people talking about the MJO, SOI and ENSO* without actually knowing what they mean. That last one might just be me. I'm running a fever. At the other end of the country, Bogong moths are on the move. They are early. I've decided that next year I'll go to Canberra to see them. Although not as spectacular as vast herds of wildebeest and zebras crossing the Serengeti, the moth migration is a heck of a lot cheaper to view**.

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*Madden–Julian Oscillation, Southern Oscillation Index and El NiƱo–Southern Oscillation. All in all, a whole lotta oscillatin' goin' on.

** From eastern Australia, anyway. If you're in some location remote from Canberra, such as Nairobi, Dar es Salaam or Perth, it might be substantially more expensive than a safari on the Serengeti.