In the last couple of weeks there has been a sudden invasion of species from the northern hemisphere threatening to raise the average IQ of the region by at least a couple of percent. Behavioral biologists. There was a world-wide conference for behavioral biologists in Cairns. They let other biologists shoot them and stuff them, dissect and dismember, sample and genetically analyse them. No, this worthy brotherhood of dedicated scientists prefer wildlife not to be mounted on a stick, but observe what they actually do when left to their own devices. I have to correct myself here, it seems to be more of a sisterhood. Last weekend five came to Possum Valley to stay at the homestead and four lady biologists to one guy. What a wonderful mix of people from the UK, Brazil and the US, living in Switzerland and working in Sweden, but not necessarily in that order. As I had presumed before inviting them to stay FOC at the homestead with meals provided, they were wonderful sensitive people passionate about the environment. They spent long hours observing and filming the tree roos, possums, birds, platypus etc, but what really seemed to catch their attention was the bower birds. They are only found in Australia and PNG. The complex behavior of the bower birds in courtship was of great interest. Lets face it. The paternal input of male bower birds to the nurture of offspring is nil. Their whole life’s work is devoted to seduction and nothing else. Hmmm…. I missed out there.
I think they really enjoyed seeing some of Australia’s wet tropics fauna and flora and in many ways appreciated it much more than the locals. I greatly enjoyed their company and conversation. One unfortunate memento that one lady had was contact with a stinging tree. She and her partner were following a tree roo and her joey as they came down from some trees and moved on, but pushing through the undergrowth came across a stinging tree with her hand. Fortunately, she was well dressed over the rest of her body. She was most impressed by the amount of pain a harmless looking bush can cause. Sadly, I had to inform her that her tales of wracking pain and feelings of barbecued flesh would not impress people back home. The stinging tree leaves no sign of the agony caused and most other countries are well aware of our deadly snakes and spiders, ferocious sharks and lurking crocodiles, so if someone says “no problem with that lot, I was attacked by a bush”, well, it’s not going to get much attention or sympathy. An unforgettable experience in Australia.
Tomorrow I will host the last wave of biologists as the wrap up their extended conference and explorations. Hmmm… should I serve the kangaroo pie again? No. Going for the barramundi/silverbeet/fennel mornay pie this time.
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