That's what Charlie, Millie and I were all thinking as we traversed Jacana 'wet'lands this morning. I wouldn't say it was the first piss stop for them but an important one - the posts holding up the orange plastic netting around the latest instalment on the new bike path on-ramp near our place.
I had the heel of an old loaf of bread for the ducks but it, too, was dry as a dead dingo's donger (which is pretty dry) so I didn't bother trying to break it up - just threw it in the creek for the ducks. It caused some interest (this is a picture of a duck in a creek sniffing round a big bit of bread, not a picture of a dead pigeon on concrete with a rock) but the jury was out. I imagine it has been eaten by now however.
I may have said this to you before but I am sure there must once have been a house or some kind of building here, at the edge of the lake. There seems to be earthworks and just the tree configuration suggests it. By the same token the grass is quite green here suggesting some dampness so maybe it's just a natural depression/ quirk.
There are a lot of larger birds around, including on this array of stones which currently serve as stepping stones right across the lake but which are normally invisible. I don't know what bird this is. A python?
Parts of the lake bed are, as you can see, very dry. It is in an unusual state with some patches of soft, damp soil but mainly crusted mud.
I suppose the grass growing in it is kind of hopeful (not for the grass in question, if the water ever comes back which presumably it will in winter).
Until the recent dry, this concrete structure tended to be submerged to the grille on top. Which should give you a good indication of how depleted the water is. I think that bird is just
trying to look like a vulture.
This is how dirty Charlie got in the mud. About 1/3 dirty. Good result, in her opinion.
Some comparisons can be made with the same region 18+ months ago,
here.
