I am surprised that so many people are worried about leeches. Do not be!
They are actually an excellent diversion while you are
bored-out-of-your-brain waiting for the next feeding flock. I have always
found that taking the fight up to them is the best form of defence. This is
how you do it: actively seek them out on leaves and tracks and catch as
many as you can. Once caught, there are hours of fun to be had torturing
them. Some well-known birdwatchers tie knots with them, others specialise
in turning them inside out: I do leech sculptures.
Seriously, once you start looking for leeches, you often find that they are
not as common as you thought they would be. And, if they are, you are the
hunter and they are the hunted. Frankly, I do not know how anyone could
survive the ennui of birding in rainforests with out the theatre of
leeches.
Glen Ingram
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