Member-only story
Making Willies Wonky
Just before we went on holidays to the coast, my husband asked me to take our kids for a long walk. We have motion sickness winding through mountains full of curves and hairpin bends. While he drives, it’s better the rest of us slept through some of the 6-hour road trip. So, we went trekking down the hill, wandering along the creek to wear ourselves out.
It was October school holidays, hot already in mid-spring. There were tadpoles of various sizes in shallow pools. Male frogs croaked about their amazing prowess to help make another gazillion tadpoles not far from where we stood.
A Willie Wagtail flew overhead, admonishing us with some aggressive chirping. The bird pirouetted, tumbling and twisting to get our attention and lead us away.
We spotted the nest.
A neat round bowl sat in exposed branches nearby. Mum or daddy Willie, swooped over us so close we could hear wing beats near our ears. Responding to their chirps, 4 wrinkled nestlings popped up from a space too tiny for them to fit. The babes were stretched high with beaks wide open. More than half way out, their downy wings quivered with excitement, begging for food.
