Woman vs Wild

Ok - just had one of those more unpleasant experiences in the wild. Well...not sure if I would call it the wild seeing it was about 300 metres from our house but it certainly feels like its a million miles from nowhere.

We recently discovered, just below our eerie where we live at the top of Cooktown, the old water reservoir that used to supply all the water to the town. Its now a pretty 'dam' with a large metal tower in one corner with old taps and pipes where they would have controlled the water release.  Its now not frequented and you aren't really supposed to swim there but this late in the dry season, it is a pretty dam surrounded by soft grasses and sits at the bottom of Mt Cook. Quite idyllic.
We went there last week and the kids had a swim and it was glorious. After much persistence and with the current closure of the Cooktown pool, I agreed to take the kids there for a swim yesterday afternoon.
They raced into the water and I decided to take a stroll around the dam and check for any birdlife. As I say the reservoir is so close to our house and I often se birds flying towards it or hear unusual bird calls at night.

Well the next minute there is this swooping noise and I am being attacked head on by two Lapwing Plovers (locally known as Milganduur). They flew at me from different directions aiming straight for my head/face and only deflected a few inches from me! I started waving my camera at them and shouting and this seemed to urge them on. 


With visions of Alfred Hitchcock I started to run for it flailing my arms around as they continued their vociferous attack. The kids thought it was hilarious but I can tell you I was not amused in the slightest! After 10 mins in safety with the two birds watching us intently from equi-distant points across the dam, I called for home and we headed off. You have to admire their tenacity I guess. Paradise lost for me.

Smoke on the water....

Smoke over Mt Saunders

The smell of smoke is cloying tonight. There is no wind and the smoke is all pervading. Fires have been burning for days on lovely Mt Saunders and tonight the horizon is blood red with the fire.  It seems to die away and then starts again in another area. Unsure whether it was purpose lit or not, it has burnt out miles of pristine land with lovely old trees, acres of tree palms and goodness knows what animals, orchids and birds. I am still unconvinced by the need to burn off and whether this really some traditional necessity or was the fire lit by some ciggies thrown out a window or an old beer bottle. AS the fire is burning through traditional but 'vacant' land there seems to be no need to put it out or contain it. I cant imagine anyone out there keeping an eye on it...sadly.