Nature in the City

Sydney has been a fun city to live in. Unlike when I lived in North Queensland, there are significantly fewer opportunities for animal interactions in a big city. In Townsville, we had little geckos in our house daily. I missed the sound of their calls when I moved.

In the more temperate city, birds are more prevalent. Ibis and seagulls were common to see everywhere in Sydney. The botanical gardens were full of flying foxes (bats) and the loud cacophony of the sulfur crested cockatoo which were fun to see in the middle of a city.

We lived on the 7th floor of a high rise building. It was normal to have bird visitors on the ledge outside of our building. The lorikeets were my favorite. They were so brightly colored with bright blue heads, rich red beaks, green backs and stunning yellow chests. They tended to visit in pairs.

Rainbow Lorikeet in Sydney

One morning I heard very loud squawk...louder than normal. I moved the curtain over our window and saw that one had come in and was on the inside of the window and was talking to his partner on the outside of the window. They were trying to figure out why they were not able to be next to each other. I left the curtain closed and he eventually found his way out.

He was so much nicer than the magpies that came into visit.

My not-so-plesant visitor came on multiple occasions. I was sitting in our apartment in Sydney. I opened the window because it was a beautiful day and I wanted the airflow. A magpie came into the cracked window and flew into the apartment. He landed on the kitchen counter, looked around, pooped, and flew out. I learned that I needed to close the windows when I left. This happened 3 or 4 times. I did not appreciate the gifts left.

Sydney is full of birds. The Australian White Ibis and seagulls were commonplace. The ibis are not like the common birds I am used to.  They are white birds with black heads and a long, curved black beak.
The whip bird was not common to see but was fun to hear. It has an amazing sound. The song started as a high pitched sound that grew louder and louder and louder in a crescendo. Then the song would drop off suddenly. The effect was like a beautiful whistle whip cracking.

Out walking in any park or forest area, it was normal to hear the laugh of the kookaburra. I love the sound of kookaburras.  Their sound is so much fun and makes me smile.

Nature in the city is fun especially if it stays OUTSIDE.