And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him, In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wonderous glory of the everlasting stars.

Banjo Paterson (1889)

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Water

We sometimes forget that our most needed and greatest resource on the planet is clean fresh water. Without it we would not last much more than three days!

Water is so important in arid Australia and a great wildlife magnet , especially for birds. When we were in Alice Springs a few weeks ago, the strong hot dry wind blowing throughout most of the day, dehydrated everything very rapidly. As this video shows, birds can quickly dehydrate, and need regular visits throughout the day to water sources. A dripping tap or a water-filled old hubcap often make an important source of water.

So if you're visiting the outback of Australia and see a dripping tap, if there's a good water supply, maybe just let it drip. That tap may be providing a whole community of animals with much needed water.



4 comments:

Wilma said...

Great footage! Hmmm, I suppose "footage" is obsolete; but you know what I mean. ;-)

Madibirder said...

Wonderful video.The clip of the bird drinking from the tap is facinating.Well done.

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely video and good advice too

James said...

Another superb video, excelent!