There is an ancient illegal alien next door. (No, not an old refugee - a spider gum tree!) The half that faces us is dead, and provides an excellent platform for all the birds to roost and rest and for us to observe them without leaves getting in the way. Today I have been lucky enough to have a Spotted Eagle Owl sitting out in the open all day, despite torrential rain, and he has been preening most of the time. Unusual to be awake and exposed. I hope he decides to stay. I've collected owl statues since I was a teenager, but I don't know why - just something I do.
An assortment of doves roost around the owl quite comfortably despite sometimes being on the menu. They occasionally find themselves perched next to a frequent visitor to the tree, a Black Sparrowhawk, and it's a source of great amusement to see their reaction when they look at their neighbour on the branch and hurtle away in a panic. The Sparrowhawk has twice made a successful kill of a dove over my house, once against a window which created rather a mess. You won't believe how many feathers a dove has - they floated from the roof for days.
A beautiful but very vain Pintailed Whydah often flits between the tree and my windows, where he admires his plumage in the reflection. The poor female is rather drab in comparison but he nevertheless seems desperate to gain her favour with his energetic display.
I'm sure I'll be sad when the tree eventually disappears, even though it does block my sea view. I can always take a short stroll down to the rocks for that.
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