Fine feathered friends

“Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone’s horizon sweeps someone else’s. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.” So said Gregory Maguire, the author of Out of Oz.

Quietly observing nature expands the consciousness.

All you need is time and patience.

Birds keep me amused for hours when I’m pottering in the garden or exploring the outdoors.

I am often rewarded with an attention-seeking squawk, an acrobatic dart from branch to  branch or the graceful flap of wings in full flight.

These colourful Lorikeets are frequent visitors to my back yard in summer, eyeing the trees weighed down with apples.

Portly Mr Owl took us by surprise when he paid a daytime visit one fine morning.

Perched on a lemon myrtle tree, he sat still for a long time unperturbed  by the excited warbling of resident wattlebirds.

On long trips, listening to Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” puts me in the zone.

The song popped into my head when I encountered this gorgeous little trio hanging out at the Dunkeld Arboretum in the Grampians.

Over in Ararat by the botanical lake, I wondered if this lusciously fat fella might have been the inspiration behind celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant?

What a fine display this pair of pelicans put on in Warrnambool.

Preening and basking in the sun (at times with their magnificent wings stretched out), they certainly stole the show.

So the next time you head outside, be sure to keep an eye out for feathered creatures that come your way.

It is a great way to detox the mind and to get in tune with nature.

Alzheimers Australia launched an eBook, Bird Watching in My Back Yard, some years ago promoting bird watching as a beneficial mind and body activity for people with dementia, their carers and families.