I lay down again and turned onto my side to watch them in fascination for several minutes. Then suddenly the noise level rose a few more decibels as several small flocks darted off in the same direction. A moment later an exact copy of the bush seemed to rise up from the ground as all the other parrots followed. I listened to the din receding, then it came back a couple of times, until they finally flew off and I was left with a feeling of complete peace in the silence, now broken only by a few isolated bird calls and the faint swish of the almost non-existent backwash on the sand. Meanwhile, the large green parrot was still sitting unperturbed on the top of the bush, ruffling its feathers.
I heaved myself up into a sitting position. The sun had risen above the bushes to my left and I cou
