Hi There!

There are many things that let us know the onset of a new season, usually its the weather.  It could also be the amount of daylight or the position of the sun in the sky or where it is rising or setting.  Plants are a good indication of the changing seasons as well.  What really rams it home for me that winter is coming is a dainty little bird, Petroica boodang or simply known as the Scarlet Robin.  It normally breeds in closed and tall open forests and then in autumn and winter it moves to more lower open ground.  Every year since we have been here they arrived like clockwork in late April/May and they are always a pleasant surprise.  The weather might be turning darker, then all of a sudden there will be a bright flash and there will be a Scarlet Robin flitting around on the ground.

Standing at a massive 13cm, this diminutive bird is always a welcome addition to the garden at the onset of winter.

Cheers!