Winter 2010
It has been a cold winter so far with more wind than usual and a lot more rain. The clear nights and frosty days of June went missing this year. Instead the frosts have come later, in July and just a few of them. The lagoons have been full of ducks, particularly grey teal, whose 'chukka chukka chukka' is quite a common background sound throughout the day. A blessing has been that the Canada geese have been late arriving--in fact the 22nd of July. They have been flying around in flocks during the night but until today have decided to stay elsewhere. Last night they arrived en mass with squadron after squadron on a noisy glide path followed by a tremendous splashdown, then a garrulous battle for who could recount the experience at the greatest decibel level. Today they are having their annual patch protection battle--with the same pairs as last year probably the winners for nesting space. Can't wait for them to get it over with, do their business and go silent while the nesting and rearing carries on. Canada geese are lovely then as we get to see the best parenting in nature through to January when they all fly away. The dabchicks are also skittery with sporadic mating flurries, while a couple of swan fly in daily for a bath and a flap around. The tuis are making heavy use of the bird bath and it is lovely to see so many more than we used to have in the early days. The puriri and karaka trees have borne fruit this year which must be a boon for the birds. Be nice if they attracted a few more kereru as well. As for the stock, feed is hard to find at the minute so they get a different view every few days in a new paddock, also with little grass, while they wait for their feed out times. Inside we have fires, eat slow-cooked curried goat, and hearty pea and ham soups. As ever, life is quiet but life is good.