Spring springs next Thursday - and it promises an orgy of sex and violence.
Canberra naturalist Ian Fraser says he can already smell a hint of spring but the real test will come with the sound - and the action.
"Pretty much all bird song will increase in spring. It's the male bird telling the female 'I'm strong, active and ready to reproduce'," he said.
"Bird song is basically all about sex and violence!"
He cites the spring call of the kookaburra when it is setting up its territory and signaling to other kookaburras to clear off.
And the swoop of the magpie as they defend nests, chicks and territory.
According to Magpie Alert, a cyclist on Cavanagh Street in Gunghalin has already been injured: "They are out early this year. Chased me for a good 50 metres and kept following despite dismounting," the victim said.
Lina Tiyace reported: "swooped and injured while walking" on Duggan Street, Calwell.
Naturalist Ian Fraser says he can smell the approach of spring and he smells it now: "It's in the air. Maybe it's the wattle. There's something that tells us spring is in the air."
It may also be the Hardenbergia plant which seems to love Canberra and which is starting to bloom in its purple glory.
Glorious flowers, though, are also bringing painful pollen.
"We've started the true pollen season with full-on numbers," Simon Haberle of Canberra Pollen said.
The pollen monitors at the ANU reported the first "extreme day" for tree pollen two weeks ago. The main culprit was cypress pine.
A wet winter provided the perfect atmosphere for allergens, with high moisture and rainfall thought to contribute to increased pollen production.
Professor Haberle, Director at the ANU School of Culture, History and Language, expected high pollen counts for the remaining few days of winter and into the spring. At the moment, it's pollen from trees but the grass pollen would start in October.
The wet winter and increased CO2 in the atmosphere have worsened the plight of allergy sufferers.
"All these things associated with climate change tend to produce a kind of environment in which pollen is much more abundant and can be actually more allergenic for people as well," Professor Haberle said.
Despite the emerging signs of spring, the first day in Canberra next week is likely to be cold, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting "the chance of morning frost".
The below average temperatures are likely to continue into spring, according to the BoM.
For the fortnight from Monday, it forecasts maximum and minimum temperatures below the usual for this part of Australia.
And looking, further ahead, the Bureau says: "Unusually cool maximum temperatures are at least two times more likely than average across much of New South Wales." It goes into no greater detail but this encompasses the ACT.
First EXTREME day for tree pollen in the ACT. Cypress Pine (Cupressaceae) dominates the count with some fungal spores (Alternaria) and Pine (Pinus sp.) present. @ACTHealth @BOM_ACT @ANUmedia
— Canberra Pollen (@CanberraPollen) August 19, 2022
Learn more about Cypress Pine pollen herehttps://t.co/4dzDJYWZAv
The colder than usual weather is caused by conditions in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Differences in sea temperature cause greater rain.
"We are expecting more rain and that means, on average, more cloud cover," forecaster Hugh McDowell said. "More cloud cover means less sunshine and so reduced temperatures."
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