birds

  • Slanging Garden With Birdies On

    Wasn’t going to write anything today, but a delightfully sunny winter morning got me fawning over Kangaeroo Corner and feeling absolutely thrilled to have this little garden, especially when it’s attracting the local birds to our Fountain of Strewth. With a later than usual start to riding planned, I got to spend the early morning chatting with our dinosaur, devising more ideas to interfere with the garden’s process and gas-bagging with my sister. Our discussion was a deep one, and I appreciate her care and concern over so many decades. Today, though, we focused on my difficulties in dealing with happiness and coping with a supportive, encouraging environment. I’m now…

  • Bird Brained

    Dominated in our day-to-day lives by a delightful little dinosaur (one of their modern day descendants in the form of a rosy faced lovebird to be precise), Mrs. Kangaeroo and I decided to spend a rare shared day off by playing with birds. And our flying visit to Moff animal cafe in Tachikawa left us feeling chirpy after spending a couple of hours with our avian mates.

  • Gazing at Japanese Tit Birds

    Having put in the most demanding week of work I’ve done in years, then been woken early after a mostly sleepless night, I’ve kicked off this long-awaited weekend by sitting at the living room window and gazing for hours at Japanese tits. In a life increasingly marked by failure, it’s fair to say that one area in which I’ve excelled is in having a good eye for the birds. With a constant companion twittering away while nibbling on my ear, it’s hard to keep my mind of things like boobies and other types of tits, and before I come across like some fluffy-backed tit-babbler or horned screamer, I should note…

  • Fountain of Strewth Frozen Over!

    It’s a gloriously sunny morning today, but bloody freezing, as attested to by the Fountain of Strewth freezing over. Birds are coming to Kangaeroo Corner throughout the day every day at this time of year, largely to enjoy a drink or a bath from the Fountain of Strewth. I broke the ice so our avian mates would be able to imbibe if they wanted to, but couldn’t refill the bath as the hose has frozen over. My sports drink formed ice crystals during the morning ride. I’m not a great fan of the cold, but Tokyo has a pretty good winter if you have to have one. It’s generally sunny…

  • Putting the ‘Ning’ Into Gardening

    Despite parents who were avid gardeners – Dad even worked as a part-time gardener – and growing up surrounded by greenery, I never got into horticultural pursuits until I got a plot of my own and became enthralled, even though I’m a bloody ning-nong in the yard. I don’t really know what I am doing and have a garden of Aussie plants that probably need a little bit of special care because of the climatic conditions they may not be suited for. It’s a case of live and learn, but I love it. I wish my ignorance was less harmful to the plants that suffer under my care, or lack…

  • Don’t Think!

    A good mate of mine often quotes William Shakespeare’s Hamlet by reminding me that, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Kangaeroo is prone to over-thinking, and this week is looming as a tough one. There’s plenty on the schedule, both professionally and privately. And it’s still bloody cold and dark. Moreover, riding up some hills yesterday and being easily overtaken and outpaced by another old codger, then hearing my heavy breathing along the river this morning sparked another reminder from Hamlet that I am fat and scant of breath! But in better news, the relatively mild weather of the past few days has hinted…

  • Not Everything About Winter is Cruddy

    Winter sucks….for the most part. Winter is cold, dark and seemingly endless and colorless. For someone whose daily routine involves rising early and cycling, winter is not exactly the pleasantest time of year. And the cold mornings start from November and linger on until deeply into April at least, and sometimes even May, so more often than not, it’s chilly at least. January ends today, so on the calendar the winter doesn’t have much more time to eat away at us. Winter can’t end soon enough for the Aussie garden at Kangaeroo Corner. Many of the plants are feeling the pinch, most notably the jacaranda, whose leaves have turned brown…

  • Winter Welcomes Bountiful Birds to Tokyo’s Tama

    Winter hit Tokyo for real. Just less than a week away from Christmas, the mild weather has ended. At least for today. It’s cold and bleak. And dark. December in Japan is dark. In Tokyo, it doesn’t get light until about 6:30 in the morning. And by 4 p.m., it’s dark. Only a few days to the winter solstice. The days will slowly start to get longer. But the new year also ushers in the cold. Still, there is some brightness on the horizon. Kangaeroo’s garden has attracted some lovely visitors. Among them, Japanese tits and brown-eared bulbuls. The birdbath was a great idea. And the shoddy Chinese fountain is…

  • Lyre, Lyre, Pants on Fire

    Australia’s lyrebird got its name from the shape of its tale, which is said to resemble the lyre, an ancient Greek musical instrument mastered most notably by the god Apollo. But the lyrebird could also have been labeled the liar bird for its masterful mimicry. The lyrebird (found in the same part of Australia from which Kangaeroo hails) can copy just about any sound, including human voices, with near perfection. Lyrebirds are just one of myriad birds found in Australia. Birdlife down under is amazing! Birds come in all shapes, sizes, colors and types. Nothing can beat the amazing cacophony of bird noises that greet people as they wake in…