More Tragedies in the Garden

We have had Murray Magpies making their beautiful mud nest in the Holm oak this spring and they seemed to have hatched two chicks. Every time I had to go out the front door the parents would shriek and carry on warning the youngsters we were predators so to be very aware. This gets a bit tiresome after a while as the Willy wagtails take absolutely no notice of us at all. They have raise two separate sets of chicks. Only two survived out of the first batch as I found one chick drowned in the pond because the nest was right over the water.

Getting back to the Murray magpies, it was quite a shock yesterday morning as I was looking out of the window waiting for the kettle to boil for my early morning cup of tea, to see one of the birds dead under the Holm oak. When I went out to see what had happened there was a little chick sitting there quietly as well. This one slowly went and hid itself while I got the shovel to pick up what looked like it's older sibling.This one was added into the little bird cemetery I seem to be creating....I may need to put little plaques up......BIFCUS, Black bird, Willy wagtail.....Later in the day I found the little one dead also.It is a mystery why they should have died really as they are mainly insect eaters I thought.

Meanwhile the Willy wagtails have built another nest in the Wisteria tree next to the Holm oak. this will be their third brood. there must be plenty of insects around for them to feel so full of beans and start another family. They recycled their old nest from the patio would you believe....

On a brighter note, the first figs of the season which are always quite large have made their presence known and wonder of wonders, the birds have not found them as yet. We haven't netted the trees yet but will do so within the next day or so.

 The other fruit which comes early are the cherry plums. Usually the birds get them before we do but I did hang a bright Twenty-first birthday balloon which had blown in from somewhere Sunday morning and hung that in the tree.... it glitters and sparkles and perhaps deters them a bit.
I have saved up all the quandongs from August/September and will now make quandong and plum sauce with them. It is quite a tart sauce but goes well with sausages or BBQ meats.

Last week these cacti were in flower and they always amaze me with their stunning beauty.
The plants sit there all year and you need hardly water them and then they bring forth these lovely blooms...
The diversity of plant life  is a constant source of  awe to me, from huge trees to tiny little plants and even tinier flowers.....
Also all the edible plants we have never heard of before. I didn't know that Nardoo leaves are edible ...but beware its spores, they are toxic I have heard...
Do remember to click on the photos to get a better view won't you......