I neglected to write an anecdote yesterday; I had no excuse as Marilyn was out all morning and I had nothing else to do; however, whatever else I found to do took up all my time.
Marilyn spoke to her sister this morning and, apparently, Tasmania's weather woes are being shown on the national news. I suppose it's better to be famous for your weather than not to be famous at all. The good news is that Spring is upon us and things can only get better. There was a solitary blackbird on the fence opposite this morning, singing his heart out. He seems to think it's mating season. I have a soft spot for blackbirds and look forward to seeing them about and, of course, hearing their call. Extra settlers to Tasmania were nostalgic for their call and those who could afford it paid to have them imported from Britain. Captain Langdon brought in a shipment of dogs and birds, including blackbirds in 1827 and a Mr Muston brought in a pair in 1834.
They thrived in Tasmania and, by the 1920s, growers of raspberries were complaining about damaged crops so in May 1930 a bounty scheme was introduced. The Government offered sixpence for each blackbird head and twopence for each egg. It seemed to work; in the period 1941-42, for example, 19380 heads had been handed in and 8709 eggs, for a total payment of 557 pounds,1 shilling and sixpence. A good way for kids to get pocket money, apparently.
Thankfully, the eradication program didn't completely work and we still have blackbirds to entertain us today.
No comments:
Post a Comment