The wattlebirds were being a little insistent that, in their opinion, at least, there wasn't any food around.
I don't mind feeding them because apart from the occasional squabbles they have with neighbouring wattlebirds, they're quiet.
Of course, they chatter to each other, but they don't serenade the dawn in a way that makes a faulty car alarm seem like a classical symphony.
As wattlebirds go, given their reputation for putting the "noisy" in noisy wattlebird, I got the good ones.
I stepped back inside to grab them a slice of bread, and left the door open, after all I'm only going to be a tic.
Okay, note to self - shut the door.
I grabbed the slice of bread, turned round, and there's Mister Wattlebird, himself.
Somebody decided to invite himself in.
I don't think he was impressed by the large, dark, cavernous room, so he turned and exited.
Phew!
What have I learnt from this? Well, shut the door, for starters, ha ha.
They're great birds. I've known them for a couple of years, watched their little ones grow up, even rescued one of the little ones from a cat (which might even have earned me some brownie points with them, certainly the cat learnt a string of expletives, ha ha).
They're like the other birds in that they like their late afternoon snack.
There was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, today. There's an old, old cockatoo who likes to drop by, and he caught the eye of the baby magpie who had to show off to whichever parent it was that was watching - look at me! I can swoop this bird that is hiding in this wattle tree.
He's nobody's fool - he stays down in the cover of the branches while she shows off how skillful and dedicated a magpie she is. It's almost comical, eventually he got bored and climbed down the tree, then over the fence and found something to eat.
A couple of minutes later she was at the other end of the garden, having completely forgotten about him.
They have their fun. Sometimes you could be mistaken for thinking they're deadly serious, but no, it's all just part of being birds.
He's a scruffy old thing, feathers thinning on his back, huge bald patch, literally from neck to knees, no crest, just a big, blue patch of skin. He was in a couple of days ago, when it was really cold, and windy, and he wasn't shivering, he was shaking.
I gave him something to eat, which cheered him up, and threatened to learn to knit so I make him a jumper.
He didn't seem too impressed by that idea, ha ha.
