Down by the river

This is the Cudgegong River. It forms one of the boundaries of "Uamby". This spot is about 300 metres from the homestead. It is late afternoon, and Louisa and I have taken a picnic of wine and cheeses down to the point where Uamby Creek enters the river. We are watching the birds. If you have healthy birdlife - lots of different birds - you have a healthy environment. Birds rely on bugs and seeds. Bugs and seeds rely on good soil. So birds are proof of soil health.
On this Sunday afternoon we spot a Little Grebe, an Azure Kingfisher, a Little Wattle Bird in a nest hanging out over the water at the end of a Black Sheoak branch, swarms of Welcome Swallows feeding on the insects rising on the late evening air, cockatoos screeching like rioters as they move along the river in the treetops, and a male Blue Wren. As the sun goes down, the birds cease feeding and quieten. The moon, almost full, rises over the trees. The sound of the water running over the shallows blends with the welcome sounds of frogs singing out to each other. "I'm here... Does anyone want to make some little frogs?" It's no wonder they are getting romantic, on a night like this. The time and place are perfect to be with the one you love. (Frogs are also a good sign of soil health.)