Spring in the "Bush"

 Yet another view of Perth from atop Kings Park

My accommodation for the first week was halfway down the hill from the famous Kings Park. Thus on my meanderings of the Perth suburbs yesterday, I took a spontaneous adventure through the bushlands of the park to see the spring wildflowers.

 

That big green space is Kings Park

On my flora tour back from the airport, I was told that typically the bush (translated for me to "forest" or "woods") is brown and a brownish green. But in springtime, there are lots of beautiful, bright wildflowers, including my new favorite, Kangaroo Paw.

There is a beautiful botanical garden in the park with flowers I have never seen. But being in a major metropolitan area, the park lacks fauna. Appareently, there were kangaroos decades ago, but now there are mostly just birds.

I have a fear of birds. You may think that's ridiculous, as birds are small, feathery, and yes, small. ell in Columbia, South Carolina, there are Northern Mockingbirds that on several occasions have attacked me (an other people too, I'm not hallucinating!). So every time I hear birds near me, I automatically duck. Thankful to be away from the Menacing Mockingbirds of Columbia, my fears were not abated when on the second night here, I was warned about the Magpies of Western Australia that are known to attack. Yes, they usually small children. Yes, it's only if you are near their nest. All I needed to hear was "attacking birds" and I am back to duck and cover at every chirp, caw, and tweet. On my stroll through the park, I came upon Magpie Trail. I was terrified that nesting Magpies were going to fly down and peck my eyes out. Instead of turning the other way, I braved the path. Needless to say, I was not attacked by birds. Or did I see any Magpies, not that I even know what one looks like except that they're black and white. (And by the way, the birds here seem to be much louder and more terrifying sounding.)