Last year, the pair of Australian Wood Ducks successfully raised eleven ducklings to maturity, and we were hoping they would be able to do the same for the twelve ducklings in this year’s brood. The ducks frequently walk from wherever they nest to the grass verge in front of the dam to forage, and this … Continue reading And then there were nine…with apologies to Agatha Christie!
Tag: Wildlife
Sparring Pacific Black Ducks
On Friday night we attended our first Field Naturalist meeting in Ballarat. By asking myself the simple question, ‘What do we have on our land?’ I have discovered the pleasure of finding a bird or a plant, and classifying it. The Field Naturalists seemed a logical progression, but for various reasons Friday was the first … Continue reading Sparring Pacific Black Ducks
A wet Swamp Wallaby
The last two days and nights have been wild and woolly with gale force winds and lots of (very welcome) rain. This Swamp Wallaby had obviously not found much shelter, as it was very wet. Even in its bedraggled coat, the rich golden fur of the chest and belly looks soft and glowingly warm. The … Continue reading A wet Swamp Wallaby
Grey Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
The Story: I’m amazed at how many new bird species we find inside the cat enclosure, which was designed to keep the cats in and the birds out. Hmmm, it is obviously not working as well as it should. Yesterday, a pleasant lunch was interrupted by loud bird calls, and excited cat noises. I went … Continue reading Grey Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
A Taste of Honey – the Eastern Spinebill is back
Our new, larger, laundry window has proved useful in observing this honeyeater feed. Last year, I photographed the Red Wattle Bird feeding on this cactus in flower, but the cat netting prevents the larger birds from coming into our back yard now. Small birds, such as this Eastern Spinebill, sneak through the openings on the … Continue reading A Taste of Honey – the Eastern Spinebill is back
New Brood: Twelve Little Australian Wood Ducks
Spring truly is here. Our pair of Australian Wood Ducks brought their twelve young ducklings down to the dam for a swim. This was our first glimpse of the new brood. I’m sure in the months to come, we’ll get many more photo opportunities, so I’ll just start with this one photo.
Birds in Spring: Nest Hunting
Two of the trees we can see from the house have hollows in the trunk – just about right for nesting birds. Over this first week of Spring, I’ve noticed a flurry of activity as pairs of birds try to find the perfect nest. It reminds me of house hunting. The birds will land close … Continue reading Birds in Spring: Nest Hunting
Guess who’s been eating the wildflowers!
Often when I’m walking around, I see flowering bushland plants bitten off low to the ground. This is often frustrating when I have been waiting for a flower bud to open. I check daily, and just when the bud is about to burst, I head back the next day full of anticipation of what the … Continue reading Guess who’s been eating the wildflowers!
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.
Surprising a Drying Darter
On this day, I was walking, deep in thought, when a harsh call snapped me back to reality. I had come face to face with a bird that I thought was a cormorant. I’m not sure which of us was most surprised. I’m so glad I had my camera with me, so I could photograph the … Continue reading Surprising a Drying Darter
Kangaroo Update – now there are two joeys
I’ve held off posting these photographs for a couple of weeks, as one of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo joeys seems almost ready to climb out of the pouch. I thought I might be able to include photos of the joey hopping around. However, since I took these photos, the kangaroos have been grazing in a … Continue reading Kangaroo Update – now there are two joeys
I found a Striated Thornbill in the Fernery
If it had not been for the persistent, urgent chirping, I would not have noticed the Striated Thornbill in our fernery today. It seemed to be giving an alarm call, as if I were intruding into its territory. The longer I watched it, the more exaggerated the flitting from one place to another appeared to … Continue reading I found a Striated Thornbill in the Fernery
Common Bronzewing Pigeons Return
A pair of Common Bronzewing Pigeons have started to turn up to the bird feeder each day. Toward the end of Winter last year, we had a pair of bronzewings turn up occasionally, so perhaps it is the same two birds? This time, they’re not just showing up once or twice a day. I come … Continue reading Common Bronzewing Pigeons Return
Kookaburra in Winter Sun
Finally, after many frustrating attempts, I have a good photograph of a kookaburra! This one was sitting in the cool afternoon sun. Last night our temperature approached zero degrees Celsius, and it was already very cool when I took this shot.
Scarlet Robin
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a photo of a bird to be added to the Species List. Yesterday I saw two species I had not noticed here before, but I only managed to capture photographs of the Scarlet Robin. The second sighting was a group of small birds which were probably Red-Browed Finch, … Continue reading Scarlet Robin
Baby Joey Photos: A new addition to our kangaroo family
It has been obvious for some time that the mature female had a joey in her pouch, but this is the first time we have actually glimpsed it. This makes five kangaroos here now. The middle-sized female also now seems to be carrying a joey, so I guess five will soon turn to six.
Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers
Being new to this area, I don’t have a history of seasonal changes. What’s normal for these parts? I simply don’t know. When we arrived here in August 2012, the land abounded with native flowers, including ten species of native orchid flowering at one time. This continued in early and mid Spring, then as the … Continue reading Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers
An Assortment of Cormorants
We have cormorants drop in to fish in the dam every now and again. Mostly, they come on their own, but sometimes they bring a friend or two. In the months leading up to Christmas, I was much more drawn to the herons, ducks, and more exotic species of bird, paying little attention to the … Continue reading An Assortment of Cormorants
White-Eared Honeyeater
Yesterday, you caught a glimpse of the White-Eared Honeyeater in My Morning Walk and I promised you more photos today. Here they are! We’ve been catching glimpses of this species ever since we moved in, but they are fast, and tend to spend their time in denser trees. This makes them hard to photograph. On … Continue reading White-Eared Honeyeater
Daily Prompt: Journey – My Morning Walk
I’ve discovered the WordPress blog ‘The Daily Post’ which offers challenges to bloggers. Today’s challenge is to photograph or write about a journey. I won’t do this every day, but today I was inspired to get out and capture the journey I take every day around our property, including the things I look for each … Continue reading Daily Prompt: Journey – My Morning Walk
Spotted Pardalote
Our cats were running up and down the back yard today, in the cat enclosure, making enthusiastic noises about something fluttering just under the netting. It turned out to be this beautiful Spotted Pardalote, which had found its way into the cat enclosure through the holes in the lattice fence. Don’t worry, no damage was … Continue reading Spotted Pardalote
Crackle Crackle…. Plop!
Crackle crackle… plop! Crackle crackle…. plop! This is the sound I heard around me this morning on my walk. It is a still day, and I have heard the same sound on other still days. Having investigated the noise about a month ago, I recognise it immediately and smile to myself. This is the sound … Continue reading Crackle Crackle…. Plop!
Family of Four
At the risk of overloading you with photographs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, here is an update. Three female kangaroos have been coming past the house to graze a couple of times each week. As noted in my previous post Three Morning Visitors, it appears to be a mature female with two female offspring from her … Continue reading Family of Four
Breeding Australasian Grebes?
In my last post about the Australasian Grebes, I left you trying to spot two white fluffy bottoms hidden among the reeds. This time, I managed to get better photos – as it turns out, inadvertently. I was actually trying to photograph the small birds in the eucalypts and acacias surrounding the dam. As soon … Continue reading Breeding Australasian Grebes?
Fifteen Acres 