Backyard Zoology · 8 July 2022
2022-07-08T17:55:31+10:00
https://www.facebook.com/backyardzoology/posts/pfbid031do6GKh69doaQdFaQ8Xkx2WNJwQrEBJauyNEi6tkjE6fYjyNrXukVjBQUnNsWXDQl

I'm back with a bang! Literally, unfortunately. Well, more like, back with a scccrrrraaapppee. That was the sound of me pulling into the car park at the Royal National Park this morning and somehow scraping my car along the car next to me!!! 

I still don't know how it happened but after a frantic search through my car that turned up exactly zero writing tools (what writer doesn't have a spare pen or pencil at least rolling around on the floor?) I desperately asked the car over for a pen and left a note with my details and a liberal sprinkling of apologies all written in green pen. What a start to my adventure!

It was cold and windy, very windy, but, believe it or not, sunny. I could have screamed with joy once I shook off my accident and just started to wander. It felt so damn good to be back out in the wild. The water didn't have its usual aqua tones, turning a more brownish shade of blue courtesy of all the rain and churn, but it was still absolutely beautiful. No reptiles as it was far too chilly, loads and loads of wrens but I really wanted to see the Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos that I could hear calling.

After many, many steps I caught a glimpse as one beautiful bird flew up and out of a banksia, its eerie call hanging in the air, long after I lost sight of it. And that was okay. I was happy with the brief glimpse. But as I started to make my way back the way I came, I noticed half chewed banksias thrown messily over the path. Take notice of the little things, because they often lead to the bigger ones!

And just as I rounded the corner, a lovely male (pink eye ring for the boys) launched itself up off the ground, banksia firmly held in its beak and landed nearby. I was behind some trees and it was behind some branches so the photo ops were very limited but how lucky am I? Even better, I heard from the other car owner and they said that due to the damage being minor and my honesty in leaving my details, they were happy to do nothing further re the car. John and Colleen, if you're reading this, thank you and I hope your day was also filled with good moments and lovely humans, like mine was.

Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo
Wattamolla