A lot of our native forbs responded magnificently, too, and our eastern plains went, almost overnight, from largely exposed, bare soils, to lush and green. Subsequent rainfall events have sustained that response, and while many of the plants have gone brown and crinkly now, that’s the nature of life here.
Perhaps the most amazing response though has been from the birds.
Two days before the rains arrived in September, flocks of budgies started showing up.
At the time we had some volunteers helping us out on reserve, and we were standing there looking up at these birds, wondering where they’d come from! They obviously knew something we didn’t.
Since then, we’ve had many more birds arrive. The rain allowed some perennial and annual grasses to regenerate, providing seed for granivorous (grain-eating) birds, and attracting insects for the insectivorous (insect-eating) birds. The October bird surveys, conducted by Birds SA, recorded more species per site than previous years, including two new species for the reserve.
That response from the land is ongoing. Now, I’m hoping for an average rainfall year that will keep promoting the growth and regeneration. If the rain could come nicely spaced throughout the year, that would be good, too!