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
Tag: Wildlife
“Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob
Recently, I wrote about a new mob of six Eastern Grey Kangaroos which seem to have displaced our usual mob of three. Unlike the previous mob, they are not on our land all of the time. Kangaroo Diary If I see kangaroos of a morning or evening, I do take at least a couple of photographs to … Continue reading “Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob
A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks
I’m not sure what is happening in the Kangaroo world, but we’ve had quite a bit of change lately, with a new mob showing up on occasion. For more than a year, we have had a fairly stable population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, with rarely more than three here at a time. Mostly, this has … Continue reading A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks
A Swamp Wallaby Sighting
Since the sad February drowning of the female Swamp Wallaby, I haven’t seen any Wallabies around – until this morning! This one came up and over the wall of the dam, which it skirted, and then up to the house to feed on a patch of cape weed leaves. However, it didn’t hang around for … Continue reading A Swamp Wallaby Sighting
Disputed Habitat: Pacific Black Duck vs Australian Wood Duck
This morning I awoke to a wonderful surprise, a Pacific Black Duck with approximately eight ducklings (it was difficult to count them from a distance). I’d not noticed a nest, so I don’t know if they were breeding on our property or a neighboring one. With such young fluffy ducklings, they had obviously walked … Continue reading Disputed Habitat: Pacific Black Duck vs Australian Wood Duck
Our Eastern Grey Kangaroos are Back
My last post on the Kangaroos was in June, when it looked like the young joey was going to emerge from the pouch for the first time. However, from that moment, the kangaroos kept their distance from the house. Then, late in July they left the property. One morning, a different mob of five kangaroos arrived, … Continue reading Our Eastern Grey Kangaroos are Back
What’s Nesting Here?
In the last week I’ve noticed evidence of something nesting in a relatively low to the ground hollow – approximately 6 feet off the ground. The hollow seems to have recently been refurbished with carefully shredded pieces of bark and small sticks. I’m not sure how long this has been occurring, so I will make this one of … Continue reading What’s Nesting Here?
Regrowth Forest
In Australia, regrowth forest has been in the news recently. Our conservative Government requested that an area of regrowth forest be removed from the World Heritage listing. Thankfully the request was refused because this regrowth is part of a beautiful old growth forest in Tasmania. Over the last few weeks, when I ventured into areas of local … Continue reading Regrowth Forest
A Gallery of Favourite Shots 1: Birds
As a companion piece for the “Mind Shifting Moments” series, I will also compile some galleries of my favourite photographs from the last two years. My A – Z Species list Birds page currently has links to 38 different species of birds I’ve photographed on our property. In reality there are more as I have … Continue reading A Gallery of Favourite Shots 1: Birds
A Better Look at the Red-browed Finches
Much to my surprise, the Red-browed Finches were back at the bird feeder today, and they allowed me to walk toward them with the camera without getting too frightened. Knowing it was best not to push my luck too far, I managed to capture a few photographs which show off their beautiful plumage. The … Continue reading A Better Look at the Red-browed Finches
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
A Gallery: Twenty Minutes at the Bird Feeder
On this day, only three bird species turned up to the bird feeder, but it was still a constantly shifting feast. Each species jostles the others out of position, and it is a constant flurry of wings. Missing were the Galahs, Bronze wing Pigeons and Australian Wood Ducks. The Ducks tend to wait for the … Continue reading A Gallery: Twenty Minutes at the Bird Feeder
Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)
It has been a long time since I’ve had a new bird species to add to the A-Z Native Species list, and small birds are hard to photograph, so I’m especially pleased to add the Red-Browed Finch. Technically it was Richard who saw and photographed these birds. I was somewhere else and missed them. Looking … Continue reading Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)
Touching the Earth
I feel as if my patience has been rewarded – at last the kangaroos came right up the house again. I was able to photograph the fast growing new joey, leaning out of the pouch and touching the earth. It won’t be long before it is hopping around with its mother and brother.
Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
Last year, I photographed a Black-wing Currawong, which is a race of the Grey Currawong. Here is a Grey Currawong for comparison. The Grey Currawong has light grey colouring, with black primary wing feathers and black around the yellow eye. The bird also has white tips on the tail feathers, white tips on primary … Continue reading Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
Common Brushtail Possum
I can’t believe it has taken me almost two years to photograph a Brushtail Possum! In urban areas, possums can be a pest, often living in the roof space of houses and feeding on prized garden plants. Here, we never see them because they have their natural habitat and don’t really need to come near … Continue reading Common Brushtail Possum
Two Joeys: An Update
Almost one month ago, I posted a photograph of a new pink joey’s face peeking out of an Eastern Grey Kangaroo pouch, with the promise of better photographs to come. Then the kangaroos disappeared for three and a bit weeks. My guess is that the female sought out a more protected location for the first few … Continue reading Two Joeys: An Update
Granny Moth (Dasypodia selenophora)
We found this moth in October 2013. It seemed quite willing to sit still while we photographed it. Since then, I’ve been trying to work out the species. Most of the moth identification websites I’ve found seem to be organised around the scientific names of species, so if (like me) you don’t know what you’re … Continue reading Granny Moth (Dasypodia selenophora)
A Very Tiny New Face
The Eastern Grey Kangaroos were absent over the drier parts of Summer and early Autumn. Now that it has rained and fresh green grass shoots are growing, they are back. Last year’s joey is growing fast, and now he is almost up to his mother’s shoulder when they both stand up. We knew the female was carrying … Continue reading A Very Tiny New Face
Kookie on a Foggy Morning
From time to time I’ve mentioned the Kookaburra without a tail we often see around the house. We’ve affectionately dubbed it Kookie (we don’t know if it is a male or a female). Here is a photo of Kookie on a foggy morning, sitting on the stump just next to our decking. Kookie has found … Continue reading Kookie on a Foggy Morning
Common Blackbird
It astounds me how many of the new additions to the Bird Species List have been photographed inside the cat enclosure. Here is another one! Although, due to its size, I can’t imagine how it got into the enclosure. Thankfully I noticed it before the cats caught it, and was able to catch and release … Continue reading Common Blackbird
Long-Billed Corella Flocks
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a single Long-Billed Corella which is often seen with a small flock of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos. I wrote that the flock of Corella we see fly over us twice each day NEVER stops here. Almost as soon as I published that post we have been visited by … Continue reading Long-Billed Corella Flocks
Just one of the flock: A confused Corella
We’ve noticed a single Corella flying and eating with a flock of Cockatoos. Not once, but over an extended time period. Does it think it is a Cockatoo or has it decided that they have a better lifestyle than the flock of Corellas that flies over the property twice a day? It doesn’t even seem … Continue reading Just one of the flock: A confused Corella
Australian Wood Ducks
It has been quite a busy week. In those moments where I just want a break, I have been very thankful for the return of the Australian Wood Ducks which are back after spending the Summer elsewhere. For some reason, they seem much more relaxed near the house, which is fantastic. It has given … Continue reading Australian Wood Ducks
Fifteen Acres 