It was a very bad day to be a Cicada today! The last couple of nights we've heard one or two Cicadas starting up, sounding not quite as summery as they do when there are loads all singing at once, but it was a nice little reminder all the same, of nights soon to be spent on the deck watching the bats fly in and wandering the yard and the street looking for critters and running back towards home with every unexpected noise and bump.
And of course, of Christmas. Cicadas are a much more reliable predictor of Christmas I've found, although having said that, last year we did have quite a few Christmas Beetles bashing into the screen doors which was a lovely surprise. But so far this season, while I have found a few discarded shells on the deck wall and out near the garage, I keep missing the emergence which is my favourite way to while away a few hours (with a camera and a glass of wine too, of course!)
So I don't know where these birds are finding these Cicadas but they are finding quite a few. This is the second day I've spotted the Butcherbirds getting Green Grocer for breakfast! Wasn't quite a full meal though, as the parent who seems to have had just about enough (you know those days when you're on your very last nerve 😂😂😂) tried to snatch the food right out of the bubba's mouth as it was taking too long to swallow and the Cicada was dropped on the ground and subsequently scooped up by a waiting Currawong! Tough lesson for all I reckon.
This afternoon I heard that distinctive piercing buzzing start up again and just near my bee garden so I, of course, grabbed the camera and headed out into the heat determined to track down that damn Cicada and finally get my first photo of a live specimen this season. But let me tell you, you've got to be bloody quick around here, because no sooner had I lifted the camera, searching in the nearest tree for some sign of the insect than a Satin Bowerbird swooped, flying in and then quickly back out of the very same tree. You know how they say, "When you know, you just know"? Yeah, well I knew straight away that that Cicada was not long for this world. It was still buzzing but strangely, sounding almost strangulated I guess. And as that Bowerbird flew out and landed not far from me for a very brief moment, I could see why. It had that little guy held VERY firmly in its beak. Yikes.
Well, it's obviously a bird eat cicada world around here! Can't wait to see what tomorrow's meals consist of. (Spoiler alert: I'm starting the day with home made banana bread 😂🙌)
Satin Bowerbird
Northern Illawarra
