Birds enjoying the fruits of nature

Leaning against the fence watching the Cape White-eyes darting in and out of the ivy and coprosma shrubbery, feasting on the berries in the late afternoon, as is their wont. These little birds are so fast, I don't know if their flight speed has ever been measured, but over short bursts they must surely be the cheetahs of the avian world. And they never miss a branch. Always perfectly parked.

I'm wearing my floral shirt and obviously doing a good imitation of a rose bush, because a bird swooped out of the bush like lightning and nearly stuck its beak up my nostril! He must have had the reflexes of a fighter pilot as he veered off to the left and into the hibiscus, while I was still blinking.

At this time of year, when the berries are ripe and the birds are stocking up their fat supplies for winter (although I can't imagine a fat Cape White-eye), the ground is a minefield of brightly coloured bird droppings, each one revealing that particular bird's favoured diet. While the White-eyes relish the sticky, bright orange coprosma berries and enjoy spitting out the pips into your hair if you are sitting underneath the tree, Redwing Starlings prefer the glossy, dark purple milkwood berries. These form 'bombs' that splatter against the washing flapping spotlessly on the washline in perfect drying conditions and by the time you have discovered the large purple splashes, they have set nicely and it requires a few washes to get the stains out.

The berries that fall on the ground are also hazardous, sticking in the treads of your shoes and getting walked into the carpets if you don't notice. Or if you are like me, lodging between the toes and under the soles of your bare feet, necessitating long soaking in a bucket of hot foam bath to try and clean it off. No detergent footbath for me, thank you, even if it is more effective.

I love the smell of milkwoods in berry, but that is not something shared by many others, who turn up their noses and associate it with all kinds of aromas which shall remain nameless, as I don't want to spoil my own assessment of the smell! But there is no doubt that the accompanying mess is something I could do without.