Idyllic ... but a little noisy

 This title says it all.
This afternoon ... this evening was just one of those afternoons. Cool breeze, softening skies and the local bird life. That is where the noisy part comes in. It is cockatoo time in Cairns and those birds like to cause a ruckus and the 100s of them around cause a HUGE ruckus.

The morning sees them squawking and moving around but the evening that is when the real show begins, especially when they decide to get up close and show off in the trees outside our place.

I know they can be destructive little buggers, eating crops and fruit as well as stripping trees but that doesn't change the fact that I love having them around.

I was thinking, as I stood on our little balcony birdwatching and capturing, that there has always been notable things I have missed about places I have been. Station One it was the galahs, hundreds of them every day, all day in every tree carrying on a treat. From Station Two it is the curious emus around the house and along the roads and the resident brolgas and babies coming back year after year. And from here ... I think I will miss the cockatoos (not that we are going anywhere anytime soon) and our swampy bird life.

The other thing I thought of ... well actually I thought of it earlier while delivering catalogues in that softening evening light ... was that we needed a table and chairs for that balcony of ours so that on perfectly beautiful relaxing evenings like this we can sit and enjoy a 'soft' drink or two and each others company while watching the day fade into night and listening to the screeching music of cockatoos as they feed and move for the night. 

And now that I have been so deep and thoughtful I will leave you with a tonne more photos of our 'perfect' Cairns winter evening that feels nothing like winter at all.

Ibis flying into the distance.

Birds over the mountains ... it can't get better (well not much) than this.

Ibis coming in to land in our 'swamp' out the back.

Two cockatoos that landed in the tree out the back ... maybe Beauty and the Beast.

Showing off for all to see.

Making sure we admired and took note of that golden yellow crest.

Ah all is calm and right ... no warnings needed from that fearsome crest.

Checking out the audience.

Beauty, a beautiful specimen fully feathered and preened.

Beast, the poor fellow looking very bedraggled.
(oh now I feel mean maybe he is having a bad hair ... I mean feather day)

 

The view of the coming night from our balcony.

Cockatoos flying off into the night.

Do you have any memorable bird life, animal life or other things you miss from past homes?
How do you like to spend an idyllic evening?