Thursday, January 14, 2016

DEATH STRIKES IN THE GARDEN

Start mowing the garden and you  are often joined by one or more  Kookaburras intent on  snaffling  a   tasty , bite -sized lizard ,which are  given a tenderising whack or  two before  being  swallowed.  Fast  moving  lizards at  times survive  an  attack and exhibit damaged , bitten off  tails ,  like the ones  below , to show for  the  close encounter with  death .
Soon after  starting to mow today, two Kookaburras , both young and scruffy looking , arrived on the scene  and  took  up  positions from which they could  detect any  movement . One made an unsuccessful  dive on a lizard, and  they both departed soon  after . Lizard  below  with  tempting, undamaged long  tail.
Curlews  followed  the  mower  picking up  moths  and beetles. A sudden  movement attracted  attention-a  large Wasp  dragging  a  bigger Cicada . It was  attempting to  lift  the victim  up  the wall to seal it in  its nest under the  eaves , but  it   kept   on   dropping  the  catch.
Eventually  the  frustrated  Wasp gave up  trying to carry  its  paralysed prey up  the  wall and  buried  it  in  a  cleared  dirt  patch.