Litha 2000 Newsletter Editorial

Welcome again to another edition of your state newsletter. I hope given the large amount of rain we received in November, that you are all safe and well, and have not suffered too many losses if you were affected by the floods.

For any cataloguers out there, our newsletter has now had an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) allocated to it. This will help locate it in the catalogue of the National Library of Australia. (We have copies of all of NSW newsletters in the National Library of Australia in Canberra, and they are stored there for historical, legal and archival reasons. But it also means that you can access back issues if you're ever down that way!)

I've made many new bird friends in the recent weeks, as the fig tree in the back yard is heavily laden with fruit. Coming in to sample the delights are baby currawongs, koels, bulbuls, minor birds, wattlebirds, and my newest friends the figbirds (lucky they eat figs hey?)

During November I participated in a backyard bird survey, conducted through the Australian Museum and the University of Wollongong. The aim of the survey was to assess the impact introduced species of birds have on the local bird populations. In our area we have had a blend of natives and introduced species, and sitting every morning for a week, monitoring their activities was a great way to get to know the morning feeders. The variety or early morning bird song is quite inspiring.

The spring run of apricots has finished, and the bats will now have to find somewhere else for their midnight sugar snacks. Whilst they are a delight to have in our backyard, their droppings are far from fun to clean up!

Last week I witnessed an orb weaver spin it's web in the evening. What' special about that you ask? Not much, but in the morning, as I was sitting on the back step eating my weatbix, I witnessed the same spider, roll the web up, cutting the supporting threads as she went, and then eat it! After she'd eaten her web, she then went and sat on a leaf. I came back out in the evening, and she was spinning up her web again. And yes, she ate it again the next day! I was reminded of the spyder chant she changes, she touches and couldn't help but think about the spider spinning her web of life, and then destroying her creation. You see, there are mysteries everywhere if you have time to sit and wait for nature to reveal herself to you.

What's happening in your backyard, or on your balcony this season? How are you marking the seasons in your life?

Blessed Be
Adrianne Harris, NSW co-ordinator