Morning, K.B.
Is the water naturally that low? I’m not going there! Problems with salinity via a vis overclearing vis a vis how much of what is the fault of the blue gums (depending on whether you work for a blue gum company or not) – these are complexities that cause the rapid collapse of people’s equanimity. But yes, there is no doubt that the Original Swamp was far far larger, and that humans have everything to do with its demise as such.
Dry season? Back to front, K.B. – we are coming into our dry season now.
Drink that water? I am learning. There are a number of obvious ‘eco-systems’ in the water in the dams. That one yesterday was distinctly different – the blue colour. Some have reeds. Many look suspiciously sterile. Some are frequented by wild ducks while others are not.
Chemicals are repeatedly sprayed on these plantations. (were sprayed – the GFC stopped that in its tracks). There are piles of old drums in the shed here that contain suspected carcinogens. The two gentlemen who farmed on either side of my place both died of cancer in their 50’s.
The water tastes okay; and that dam is the very first one where I’ve found tracks – no, I’ve found one other track, in a puddle by the National Park. But yeh, K.B., the water in some of the dams doesn’t look good. (I’ve seen Felicity nonchalantly drink pretty icky water from a puddle by the track.)
Readers, please pardon the seriousness of the material above. I suppose that we want to understand whatever we can; and what is a detail in passing for me may be a key datum for someone else.
I recently read a book about the Pitjantjatjara aboriginals of central Australia. There’s a detail there that surprised me in the sense of Hmmm . . . how come we didn’t twig to that? The anecdote describes how they ‘harvest’ water from the early-morning grass. (They use a ‘coolamun,’ a sort of elongated all-purpose dish.) The respondent states that water gathered thus contributes substantially to daily needs.
Guys, surely we can assume that some proportion of an emu’s daily water requirements are supplied from early-morning grazing in some seasons. The daily water intake of the emu remains a puzzle to me. I’ve never seen a bird take more than eight or ten beakfuls at a time, and I see them drink less than I would have thought necessary (and getting data on this will be a real, an ornithological-level, challenge, requiring cameras).
S.E.
