Nearly 40ml of rain in two days was the best medicine for flora (and people) on the block. Still very few flowers and an absence of birds, especially honeyeaters. Waiting it out here - a Superb Fairy Wren family, Magpies with five juveniles, Crimson Rosellas enjoying the seeds, a small number of New Holland Honeyeaters, two Forest Ravens and some Striated Thornbills. The ubiquitous Common Bronzewing Pigeons are growing in number and forming pairs. Have also heard the White-browed Babblers and Grey Shrike-thrush, also Galahs and Kookaburras around occasionally. In the absence of birds and flowers to photograph my lens has turned to the smallest residents. Invertebrates - insects, spiders etc - seem to thrive in the heat. Ants, wasps, bugs and crickets are abundant during the day while at night the moths, beetles and spiders emerge. Have been getting some expert help from the generous folk of iNaturalist to identify some of the vast array - and the closer I look the more astonishing some of this life in miniature is. Here's a Jewel Bug just emerged from moulting - Two types of Spider Wasps - they dig a hole, place the spider they've paralysed into it and then lay their egg. The hapless arachnid then becomes a living larder for the larva to feed from. I also spotted some Click Beetles doing what comes naturally - and a tiny ant taking a grass seed to the nest. When it comes to ants, though, there are few more impressive than the Bull Ants. Here's a 'Black-scaped' variety watching me closely. Close enough for me. More mini-beasts crawling and flying into blog soon.
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