We are fortunate to have friends who know all sorts of things about flora and fauna. So, when I was talking about what I thought was the discovery of a new bee hive, my friend enlightened me. The European Honey Bees were swarming. Apparently this occurs approximately once a year, when an existing hive splits … Continue reading Games with A Bee Swarm
Category: Wildlife Stories
European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
We have, of course, seen European Honey Bees in our garden since we moved in. However, until today we had not seen a hive. This one was discovered by Richard when he was mowing the grass around the house. The hive is hanging beneath the nest of a Red Wattle Bird in a native Australian … Continue reading European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Two Kookaburra Chicks
I thought I would start off 2018 with a happy story about Kookie, the kookaburra without tail feathers. Looking back through my posts, I can see mentions of Kookie “the tailless Kookaburra” since late 2012, but we first really began to observe her in 2014. Back then, we didn’t know if she was male or … Continue reading Two Kookaburra Chicks
A Resilient Echidna
Last year I photographed this Echidna hiding under a log. It was dug firmly into the ground and I had no intentions of disturbing it. As you can see, the spines on its back are badly damaged, as is the fur. We have had bushfires in our area, so perhaps it survived a fire, or … Continue reading A Resilient Echidna
The Latest Joey – 3 photos
At long last the newest Eastern Grey joey left the safety of its mother’s pouch in a spot close enough to photograph. It was only momentary, and to our eyes, it looked like the joey might have fallen out while trying to hang too far out to eat grass. This one is very active inside … Continue reading The Latest Joey – 3 photos
Kangaroo Courtship
Over the last three years, I’ve been fortunate to observe some of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo courtship behaviour. In Winter, a new tiny joey peeks out of its mother’s pouch and the dominant male returns to the mob for a while. This year, the new tiny pink face appeared toward the end of June. … Continue reading Kangaroo Courtship
Colour Variation in Eastern Grey Kangaroos
Recently, we’ve had four Eastern Grey Kangaroos grazing near the house – our usual female and her joey, a young male and a new female. All four have slightly differently coloured fur. The new female is especially pale. I haven’t seen another Eastern Grey this pale, so I thought it would be interesting to introduce her … Continue reading Colour Variation in Eastern Grey Kangaroos
Eight Ducklings Are Flying Now (5 Photos)
If you have been following the story of the eight ducklings being raised by one male duck, following the disappearance of the female, you’ll be happy to know they are now flying! Two popular flight destinations are the bird feeders and the dam. Their father is still very vigilant. Today I saw him chase away … Continue reading Eight Ducklings Are Flying Now (5 Photos)
Duckling Update: Growing Adult Plumage
It is now 25 days since I wrote about the female Australian Wood Duck being taken, and the male duck raising eight ducklings. In that first post I mention we had sighted the ducklings about a week before. So, give or take a few days, the ducklings are now a month old. We still have … Continue reading Duckling Update: Growing Adult Plumage
Hot Bats
On Wednesday, we had a fairly warm day which must have heated the space behind the fascia board on the deck, where there is a small bat colony. All of the bats were clambering over each other to get out of their den and into a place where they could cool down. Some bats chose … Continue reading Hot Bats
Gallery: Young Joey Practices Wrestling with Mum
A short time ago I posted photographs of a young joey jumping all over its mother. Well, this time the kangaroos were right in front of the house and the joey was quite aggressive – kicking the female kangaroo in the head and torso, as well as apparently drawing blood. I guess this is what … Continue reading Gallery: Young Joey Practices Wrestling with Mum
Marsupial Spring
I was so focused on the ducks this morning that I wasn’t even looking for marsupials – kangaroos or wallabies. Then something fast-moving and small caught my attention. The camera was already out and active taking photographs of ducklings, so for once I was prepared for a spontaneous joey run! Yes, for those who have … Continue reading Marsupial Spring
“Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra
I’ve written about Kookie, the tailless Laughing Kookaburra before. We keep wondering if the loss of its tail is temporary, but after at least 18 months of no tail, we guess it must be a permanent state. I would love to know if this is a result of genetics or an accident or attack. As I’ve … Continue reading “Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra
A Tragic Summer Drowning
On hot Summer days, it gave me great pleasure to see the Swamp Wallabies cooling off in the dam. They would move slowly through the water, parallel to the shore in the shallows. As they moved their hind legs, the rounded shape of their knees rising and lowering at surface level suggested the motion of a … Continue reading A Tragic Summer Drowning
Cats, Bats and Beds at 3am
Hearing an unusual noise at 3am last night, we turned on the light to see that one of our cats had caught a bat, and was in the process of dragging it under the bed. In our half-asleep state, we noticed a second bat laying on the carpet. We’re not sure how one cat managed … Continue reading Cats, Bats and Beds at 3am
Familiar Faces: Wildlife, Home, and Making Contact
The first thing I do when I get out of bed each day is look out the window to see ‘who’ is there. We recognise individual birds and animals within a species because they seem to have made their regular patch of turf the land outside our windows. It is their home as much as … Continue reading Familiar Faces: Wildlife, Home, and Making Contact
How Gorgeous! Joey Antics Outside My Window.
About twelve hours after I posted the photos of our kangaroo mob, lamenting that they had not visited for days, they all showed up. This included the mature female with the older joey. For some reason they showed up at noon – almost on the dot. As a habit, the kangaroos are gone before 9am … Continue reading How Gorgeous! Joey Antics Outside My Window.
Fifteen Acres 