Dryandra Birds and Roos

Maris picked me up in Perth at five this morning to give us plenty of time to make the two-hour drive to Dryandra before the sun came up. We managed not to run over any emus or kangaroos en route, though I saw both by the side of the road (the emus are wild and native here, though some farmers also keep them as pets). The kangaroos ran away, and Maris and I spent the day prowling the birdy forest preserve, among Eucalyptus trees, spiny Dryandra bushes, and red dirt.

Incidentally, after waking up at 5:00 yesterday morning and 4:30 this morning, I can attest that jet lag is an excellent way to stave off early-morning sleepiness. Even with the ridiculous morning hours, I have woken well before my alarm yesterday and today feeling totally refreshed. After all, the middle of the night is actually mid-afternoon back in the US!

It’s a good thing, because I have to wake up at 2:15 tomorrow morning to catch a plane to northern Australia. After seeing about 100 species of birds in the last two days in Perth (more than half of which were “lifers”), I’m headed to bed early, at 7 pm, in anticipation of a day in Derby, on Australia’s north shore, tomorrow.