I’ve mentioned our new honeyeater garden in a few recent posts, so I thought I would tell you a little more about it. The idea began approximately a year ago, when I noticed that all of the flowering plants in our garden were not visible from inside the house. We had plenty of honeyeaters on our … Continue reading The Honeyeater Garden
Month: February 2015
Archive Photos: Welcome Swallow
One of the reasons the Welcome Swallow images are in an ‘Archive Photos’ post is that I was hoping to get better photos of them. On a cold August day a pair arrived and began constructing a nest of mud on top of a high beam beneath the tin roof of our deck. As it was … Continue reading Archive Photos: Welcome Swallow
Out of the pouch, but still suckling
Female kangaroos can have one joey in the pouch and an older, almost independent joey out of the pouch but still suckling, while an embryo waits, suspended, until the pouch is once again free. I never tire of seeing the females tending their young. They are so patient and attentive. Joeys usually vacate the pouch … Continue reading Out of the pouch, but still suckling
Crimson Rosella Bathing
Crimson Rosella have claimed the water feature we placed in the middle of our new garden. They use it to bathe in each morning, and it has become their source of drinking water as well. The water feature is the centre of a new garden we are planting, just outside the study window. We’ve chosen … Continue reading Crimson Rosella Bathing
Tall Spike-Rush / Tall Spike-sedge (Eleocharis sphacelata)
I’ve often posted photographs of birds or the plants around the dam, featuring the thick clump of Tall Spike-rush in the background, so I thought it was high time to put this plant in the foreground. It seems that Tall Spike-rush is a former name and the current name is Tall Spike-sedge. I’ve included both names … Continue reading Tall Spike-Rush / Tall Spike-sedge (Eleocharis sphacelata)
Do Magpies Play?
I often see Sulphur Crested Cockatoos at play, but Magpies always seem so serious in searching for food or defending territory. Even when caroling, they seem to scan their surrounds, just checking to make sure everything is as it should be. Lately, I’ve witnessed a young Magpie engaged in a few incidents that could be … Continue reading Do Magpies Play?
Rain and Kangaroos: Is there a link?
Just as the rain has been sparse, so have the kangaroos. Since Christmas, I think I can count on one hand the number of kangaroos I’ve seen here. Those that visit just seem to spend one night, and then disappear for weeks. It has been very dry, which means most of the grass is brown … Continue reading Rain and Kangaroos: Is there a link?
Eastern Long-necked Turtle
At long last I have seen the Eastern Long-necked Turtles in our dam. We were told they were in there when we bought the property, but they have proved to be very shy creatures. On a couple of occasions we’ve glimpsed them for a split second. Until now, the dam has been so deep that … Continue reading Eastern Long-necked Turtle
Archive Photos: Little Black Cormorant
Featuring the Little Black Cormorant, this post is the first of a series of photos from my archive. We’ve been here for two and a half years now. As I look back through the photographs I’ve taken for the blog, I notice that some of them never made it into a post. Often this was because everything … Continue reading Archive Photos: Little Black Cormorant
Austral Brooklime (Gratiola peruviana)
Investigating the species of plants which are naturally re-vegetating the dam bank, I was pleased to discover that the most plentiful plant is a native species: Austral Brooklime. The seeds of this plant are apparently long-lived and can remain dormant in soil until the right conditions occur. The flowers are tiny – approximately 3mm to … Continue reading Austral Brooklime (Gratiola peruviana)
Natural Re-vegetation Around the Dam
Recently, I wrote about the falling water level in the Dam. I’ve noticed many small plants growing close to the new perimeter of the water. These have all grown naturally from seed dispersed in the air or deposited when birds and mammals go to the dam for a drink. I thought it might be interesting to … Continue reading Natural Re-vegetation Around the Dam
Fifteen Acres 