Orange Footed Scrub Fowls

Most consider them a pest.........they excavate mulch and toss it everywhere in their hunt for food in suburban gardens.

Yet, are they filling a role in turning over the mulch and surface soils, eating army worms and sod worms and generally improving soil quality?

Anyhow....... captured them in action in some photos at our house block over the past week.  If a local I am sure the same scene has been noted if you live in a house, and not an apartment.  Enjoy the action photos.

There are also Torres Strait pigeons nesting in the palms - with one enjoying a bit of sunshine last week.

Torres Strait pigeon

Orange footed scrub fowls in action  - excavating - what they do well!

It is Raining in February 2016

Rain fell in late January.......so lowest ever records of rain for January were not broken.

But that said.......the total amount for January was VERY low, compared to the average or median values.

Rain started to fall over the last weekend of January and has continued into the first week of February.  The met bureau describes it as a weak monsoon burst, but heck.......it is raining, and quite regularly, the sky is overcast and cloudy.......typical monsoon conditions, and predicted to continue next week as well.  

And Darwin River dam is inching closer to being full, as are local aquifers.

And it is considerably  cooler.  Blessed relief from the burning sun, although there is mostly enough solar energy to keep the solar HWS ticking over nicely.

Pleasant weather.