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Up close and natural

22/9/2017

4 Comments

 
PictureDiscus fish by Drriss & Marrionn
You don’t have to go far from home to observe the splendours of nature, writes Mark Robertson.

By Mark Robertson

GIVEN a healthy bank balance and a lack of concern for carbon footprint, it is still possible to witness the many splendours of nature – herds of wildebeest sweeping across the African plains, Icelandic volcanoes juxtaposed against glaciers, the death throes of our Great Barrier Reef …
 
Closer to home, for those of us with more modest budgets, there are frolicking whales, migratory shorebirds, even late-Cretaceous dinosaurs, to marvel at.
 
Many years ago I discovered a book by Konrad Lorenz, King Solomon’s Ring. The author related tales about the goings on of the various species surrounding his European home. It opened my eyes and mind to the study of ethology – how species interact with each other and their surrounds.
 
Once the enthused wildlife fancier moves beyond the stamp-collecting mindset of ticking off lists of species sighted, a whole fascinating world opens, where even the most mundane and common organisms reveal their beauty and complexity to those of us who take the time to really observe. 
 
Take the wattlebird, often dismissed as a raucous pest who chases other birds from the garden. I suggest you sit quietly near a native shrub on a still, summery evening and enjoy the show. This nectar-feeder will be taking advantage of the cloud of insects attracted to the perfumed flowers of grevillea or banksia. Perched on a branch, the bird will suddenly launch, focused on a single, tiny insect, literally turning cartwheels in the air as it chases its chosen prey. This is known as hawking, and the skills and aerodynamics involved are far beyond anything we humans (or computers) could attempt, let alone accomplish. All this joy and fascination from a scummy and unloved wattlebird!  I would bet that watching this display quietly and respectfully would deliver more mindfulness than any guru or adult colouring book. A native shrub, and perhaps a birdbath are the only requirements, along with a dose of patience. 
 
My favourite method of studying – ethology – does not even require leaving my house. I keep two aquariums. Not the sterile bowl containing gormless goldfish. Mine house tropical jewels from the Amazon, although mine were spawned in the wilds of Oakleigh!  One tank contains four discus fish. Brown, saucer-shaped bodies with scribbles of turquoise and deep red eyes. Their natural habitat is the mysterious black water of the Rio Negro River. They are about 18 months old, not yet mature, and behave remarkably like a flock of chooks. There is a definite pecking order. The largest is the boss, the next two want to be the boss, and the smallest is probably the smartest. It waits whilst the others are bickering and head-butting, and then swoops in to get the food. I feel that it will soon become dominant.
 
I hope they will soon reach sexual maturity. There is no sexual dimorphism in the discus; the males and females appear similar. If I have a compatible pair I will witness the spawning ritual and – hopefully – a brood of babies. Discus fish are exemplary parents. They care for the eggs and guard the young from predators, thus maximising the chances of passing on the DNA to a new generation. This care extends to a most unusual behavioural strategy. The new parents exude a thick mucus from their flanks, a type of mothers milk, upon which the young graze.
 
If you happen to have an electron microscope handy you would find that the tiny babies are equipped with a set of triangular teeth, perfectly adapted for the purpose. In relative terms, this set of choppers would be the envy of any pirhana! Nature really does think of everything. 
 
Please take the time to really observe your surroundings carefully, and over an extended timespan. Whether it is watching the toadstools growing in the corner of a shower recess, the multitude of life in a coastal rockpool, or the pattern of clouds scudding across the Bass hills as a cold front approaches, there is much to be gained from pondering our surrounds.
 
Show your children and grandkids, and instil in them a sense of wonder and respect for our little bit of planet Earth – all will be enrichened. 
 
Next time I will describe the goings-on in the other tank - a seething hotbed of lust, forsaken love and spousal abuse. When angels behave like devils ...
4 Comments
Heather Fahnle link
23/9/2017 09:53:00 am

Thanks for your words and insight! As I work in my studio situated in my garden I share your wonder of nature and observe the going ons in my small garden.
Lots of birds, blue tongue lizards, little insects and happily bees buzzzing to blooms and the water in my bird baths !

Reply
Anne Heath Mennell
23/9/2017 04:15:19 pm

Thank you, Mark, for reminding us of the wonders of nature and the benefits of taking time to look around, pause and then focus quietly and patiently on what is around us. Thank you also for introducing me to the concept of ethology - how species interact with each other and their surrounds. I hadn't come across the term before but I am aware of the complex ecosystems involved in the various connections between organisms, including within our own human bodies. I'd like to put in a plea for people to learn about and respect the life forms which we can't see because they are too small. They help us to digest our food, ferment and break down organic matter, make soil fertile, allow plants, including trees, to communicate with one another, among many other things. Spare a thought for bacteria, microbes, fungi, mosses, and many other types of microscopic flora and fauna without which there would be no life as we currently know it.

Reply
Mark Robertson
23/9/2017 06:31:23 pm

Thanks Anne, it is so important for us to realise that all life is important - not only the exotic and endangered, along with the supposedly-superior humans. The world (both organic and inorganic) cooporates and thrives due to incredibly complex, yet simple interactions and natural laws. The sooner man realizes this, and stops the hell-bent craziness to dominate our shared world, the better.I hope that our children realise what a mess that modern society has made in such a short time, and brings the leaders to their senses. Celebrate the mundane and common, before they too are gone, and never be afraid to tell the emperor that he has no clothes on!

Reply
Anne Heath Mennell
24/9/2017 01:18:40 pm

I could not have put this any better, Mark, thank you. Good to know I'm not alone - hope we might be members of a growing minority which will one day help humans to recognise we are only one part of a miraculous web of life and begin to make amends before it is too late.

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