Let’s hear it for wildlife

This week I did a guest post on Shellyrae’s Book’d Out blog. I talked a bit about how I came to write ‘Liar Bird’ and how much it was inspired by wildlife and my experiences working for National Parks and Wildlife.

It has been nice to see readers commenting on their own wildlife experiences. We’re so lucky to live in a country where wildlife is still such a part of our lives. I know that isn’t the case everywhere. Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk and was treated to two humpback whales breaching over and over again. On my way back I passed two kookaburras calling in a tree. A young girl was standing down the bottom copying their call.

This morning I was startled in the kitchen by my regular visitor, a large water dragon, who seems to believe our house is actually his. Over the years we’ve lived here, I’ve frequently had a possum in my bedroom, a couple of carpet pythons on the verandah, several magpies stalking through the house, and a delightful green tree frog in the toilet. I’ve seen wallabies on the beach, an echidna in the garden and of course the dolphins that duck underneath me while I’m out surfing.

In some ways ‘Liar Bird’ is a celebration of the joy that wildlife adds to our lives. I’ve included a picture here taken on a wildlife survey in the Border Ranges National Park last year. In my bag I’m holding a native rat, which is weighed and recorded before release. The border area between Queensland and New South Wales is one of the most biologically diverse areas of Australia and also very beautiful, so where else would I set ‘Liar Bird’?

Do you have any interesting wildlife experiences to share?

I’ll be reading from ‘Liar Bird’ at the Brisbane Writers Festival on Saturday 8th of September – 6.30 pm – Breezeway, Maiwar Green (it’s outside the Gallery of Modern Art). The reading is part of a showcase of students of creative writing from a range of universities (I am currently studying at the University of Queensland). It should be good fun and is a free event, so if you’re at the festival, do come along.

There are a couple of copies of ‘Liar Bird’ to give away over at Book’d Out, so head over there if you’re keen.