Part Seven: Seasonal Change: the Dry cometh

As the Dry season creeps in, known by the indigenous people as 'yegge, the cool weather time', both the parkland lake and the one in the nether regions of my yard slowly evaporate, leaving behind – in my case – the odd patch of tall, weedy clumps of grass, and exposing the rest as soggy, residual MUD!

In contrast, the park remained a well-watered, reticulated, lush, verdant, pasture-like meadow; regular mowing kept it in its manicured state, perfect for man, dog, ibis and other furry or feathered friends. A bit disheartening, but '....into the fray dear friends....'; at least I have a blank canvas to start my new animal-, insect- and bird-friendly garden, with hopes of emulating the verdancy just beyond my back fence.

As the leaves continue to fall from the 'green ant tree', the huge ant nests also come apart and fall with a flurry of white, gummy stickiness, bringing a plethora of ants which seem to treat the whole event as though it is some specially designed roller coaster ride. I sometimes feel that I am wading knee-deep in a tidal surge of green, stinging, biting, crawling ants when I venture out to water my newly-planted bananas.

I fervently wish that some ibis or pheasant coucal would come along into my easily accessible yard on an ant-pecking foray, but my own small, yapping, fluffy slipper dislikes large birds and gives chase on sight!

She is, however, more tolerant of the bar-shouldered and smaller peaceful doves which ground-peck for tasty insects. Bar-shouldered (or mangrove) doves appear in squadron numbers in the Dry, and share patrol duties and breadcrumb reconnaissance with the laconic ibis over the larger park area and into the back yards of dog- and cat-less residents.

Next month: Honey eaters – large and small.