The Beauty of Bin Chickens

So I'm happy to say we've just about completely recovered from Cyclone Alfred we had a few weeks ago.   Repairs are being made, roads are open and for the most part there is food on the shelves.  All the studies and events we enjoy are beginning to be happening again. Several of our friends went 9 days with no electricity.  Who knew that the Eucalyptus tree that Australia is famous for has a root system of about 11 inches deep?!  I could probably write a whole blog about that.  And, "Surfers Paradise", our world renowned beach, has no sand, but they say it'll come back.

And on another positive note, I’ve had some 'extra' time when everything was still down, to do some 'study' out my back window........looking out over the flooded floodplain.

What an interesting time that was.  I don't want the 'lake' to stay there, but it gave me something beautiful to look at while we waited.  Now it's gone again. 

Our neighbours have been here 47 years, and they said they've 'seen worse'. but no one else has and it made for a nice camaraderie with people on the street helping each other clear rubbish and sharing advice on how to avoid the roads that are still closed and make our way (finally!) out of the neighbourhood. 

Anyway, sitting there, staring out, I began to be fascinated with the Ibises who it seems have taken up residence in our back yard. Maybe their former habitant is still under water, but they don’t seem to want to talk about it.

I don't know about you, but no one here thinks much about these awkward, dirty birds.  They're technically called "Royal Ibis" and are found in Egyptian hieroglyphics and whatnot all around the world.  But among our neighbours here, they are also widely known as "Bin Chickens", since they seem to love trying to get the trash can lids off to see what’s on offer. That often brings them close to the roadside, bringing them into the family of “traffic hazards” right up there with the bothersome kangaroos.  I’m sure all of you have similar menaces. Tell me about them; I’d love to hear!

 The reason I started watching them was because, well, I had time, for a change. I was impressed, I must admit, with their grace and beauty (Ibises, not kangaroos).  After the storm, they seemed unusually clean and “fluffed out”. Nothing like nature’s “bird wash”, I guess. I had never observed this before, but they were actually working in tandem with each other, spreading out in the water, then all diving at the same time. Then on some signal, they would take to the air, circling and soaring as one, with all of the majestic splendour you'd think of a much more noble bird.  

Google and I came up with some interesting facts.  For example, did you know …

That a group of Ibises on the ground is called a "colony" but when flying they're a 'wedge' (for obvious reasons).  They mate for life, which is around 30 years and get this.....

They've worked out how to eat our most dreaded pestilence, the CANE TOAD.  These guys were imported into Australia in the 30's to control a beetle that was destroying the sugar cane.  Good idea, well-meaning solution, but someone didn't do their homework and soon, but too late, it was realized that while the beetles came out in the day, the cane toads didn’t show up until after dark.  Alas, predator and prey to this day have never met each other. I'm not sure what happened to the beetles, but the cane toads have flourished, having been no help whatsoever, as do most invasive things in Australia. And today they are responsible for so much loss of native species, pets, you name it.  

They are quite poisonous when they want to be, excreting something toxic when they get upset. Just a lick of their skin can be fatal to most pets. We have friends whose dog had a drink from his water bowl where a cane toad had passed in the night. He survived, but not until after many days and thousands of dollars in the hospital.

So how have the Ibis dealt with this menace?  I’m beginning to think they may be a bit more intelligent than I’ve given them credit for. They've been observed numerous times holding a cane toad by the neck, beating the daylights out of him, thus making him stress-release a lot of his toxins. Then they give him a good wash in the nearby water source before gulping him down with no obvious injury!  

So my point: 

Some of us out there may come across as dumb, dirty, and (we might think) of little worth.  They (or we) may be standing around a trash can looking for a snack, but inside is a beautiful, loyal and graceful being, intelligent enough to grasp something toxic and make it benefit us all. As Tony would say, “There’s a sermon in that!”

Just sayin' …

Marsha