The brilliant yellow blossom of numerous Acacia species welcomes Djilba. One of the first to be noticed is Mindaleny (Prickly Moses – Acacia pulchella). Birds are seeking refuge from sudden downpours in the chilly weather and preparing their nests during the mild sunny days. Animals begin pairing up to prepare for offspring when food is plentiful. As food becomes abundant and water supplies have been refilled, kangaroos and emus take advantage of the new growth and move further inland.
Emus’ foraging behaviour teaches their young how to survive and also aids in spreading seeds to new locations for future growth, sustaining the reliable food source. Ngwir (Possums) are highly territorial animals that will occasionally leave their home tree at night, but they always come back to build a den for their young while the male possum assists in gathering soft materials. The Galyang (Ridgid Wattle, Acacia cochlearis), and Kudjong (Orange Wattle, Acacia salinga), which are mid-season bloomers, are anticipated to explode into brilliant colour.
As the season progresses and the temperature rises, we can expect protective koolbardi (magpies) to guard their nest location by swooping upon trespassers, and the djidi djidi (willy wagtail) to dance to distract and swoop down to scare off larger birds and predators with a loud clicking sound. As the season draws to a close, the grass tree (balga) will produce magnificent flower stalks and the poolgarla (Bull Banksia, Banksia grandis) will begin to produce its large yellow-green flower cones. The cones were historically used to light campfires (karla) and to move the smoldering embers to a new area.