The Koels are back in town

Last night I went to bed ridiculously early, because I was wretchedly tired (I missed crafty night unfortunately, as not even crochet was going to keep me awake), but lying there hoping to go to sleep soon I heard the first Koel. It wasn’t in my own fig tree, alas, but it was there all the same. Koels are to me one of the heralds of Spring. They are birds (in case you’re wondering) which migrate to Papua New Guinea and areas of South-East Asia in March for the winter, and return to our neck of the woods around late September/October. You might think you don’t know what a Koel is, but I am sure you do if you've ever heard one (if I knew how to write their call I would) and while they are not very visible birds and can be quite elusive they are actually quite large. You can read more about these lovely winged creatures here (and you can actually listen to their calls down the right-hand side - listen at about 11 seconds for their distinctive escalating call).