31/07/2025
With the start of August, the Noongar season of Djilba begins. Djilba is sometimes called “First Spring” and is the start of the massive flowering explosion that happens every year in the South West. This begins with yellow flowering plants such as the acacias.
Djilba is a transitional time of the year; very cold days with clear bright skies alternate with warmer overcast and rainy days, or with wild and windy storms, mixed with the occasional sunny day which give us a taste of the “Second Spring” to come.
Traditionally, the main animal food sources at this time of year were larger land-based grazing animals including the yongar (kangaroo), the waitj (emu), and the koomal (possum).
Spring brings new life. As the days start to warm up, we will begin to see and hear the first newborns with their proud parents out and about providing them with food, guiding them through foraging tasks, and protecting their family from bigger animals, (including us!). Baby woodland birds are still nest-bound, hence the protective behaviour of the koolbardi (magpies), the djidi djidi (w***y wagtails), and the chuck-a-luck (wattlebirds). Don’t get swooped!
As the season progresses and the temperatures continue to rise, we'll start to see the flowering stalks of balgas (grass-trees) emerging in preparation for the coming season of Kambarang.
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