Bird is the Word

So here I am at the other end of the world. I am reminded every morning how I live in a semi tropical environment...beginning at about 4:30 AM.

Around that time, the birds begin their version of constant communications...and while they are in effect 'tweeting' it is very different than Twitter. There's noise...lots of it.

Perhaps the most notable contributor to the noise is the cockatoo that we have named Kingsley. His favorite perch is atop the tallest tree in the neighborhood. This tree happens to resemble a Christmas tree, and Kingsley sits atop it like an angel ornament...except that he's no angel.

He (making an assumption on the gender) is quite territorial, sitting at the top and squawking at every bird that dares to sit at his level. His squawk sounds very much like an imitation of Burgess Meredith's signature Penguin laugh in Batman. Holy feather ruffling, Batman, I think we need to get to the Batcave. And yes the connection to Batman is bigger than just the Penguin. More on this later.

But Kingsley has numerous foes to chase. First to mind are the Magpies. Remember Heckel and Jeckle? Well, they live here. And the cartoon was less imagination and more reality based. One tried to walk its way into my kitchen last week. And its gait was very reminiscent of Heckel, or maybe Jeckel.

Then there are the 'cheeseburger' birds. Anyone who has spent any time in Hawaii knows the birds with the shrill, short staccato cry that sounds like 'Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger' Well the Aussie version has an Aussie accent, and I'm not sure if it's asking for vegimite.

Of course, let's not forget the green parrots that are abundant, and the myna birds that do their fair share of cackling.

But nothing compares to the non-bird flying beings. The bats. Every evening at sunset, the bats take off from the Royal Bontanical gardens that sit across the bay from our apartment. And for about 20 minutes, 'Bat TV' is on air. Thousands of these magnificent flying rodents go past our window. Some settling in the fruit bearing tree behind our apartment, some soaring off to distant feeding grounds. With a wing span of close to 3 feet, it is really a sight to behold.

Now I just want to sleep past 4:30...