Category: Insects

Welcome to the things I found in August. Again a strange month for me as I have been still living between two properties, my besties and mine, trying to do as much as I can when I get to my home as I haven’t gotten used to posting using my tablet and phone combo. So easy using my computer.

I don’t have much to blah blah about so let’s get into the images that are my August. I would suggest a cup of your whatever for whatever time of day or night it is in your part of our world, a snack as well as there are quite a number of photos. The weather hasn’t been what is expected in August, temperatures are rather warm for the last month of what is called Winter but the August winds arrived late in the month and did they blow hard for a while.

Being unseasonably warm, lots of birds have started nest building. Around the garden at my besties there are five different birds nesting. Two Welcome Swallows nesting on the verandah as they did last year, a Brown Honeyeaters nest in the bushes at the front (too far into the middle to get any photos) Striated Pardalote nesting in the garden soil heap and the Willie Wagtails the gazebo a post.

Wagtails nest construction has started

Yes I have nesting material. What are you laughing at?
Reminds me of Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters or Dick Strawbridge from Escape to the Chateau and Scrapheap Challenge

Time to sit for a while

A sneaky overhead shot while getting harassed at the same time

Other birds have been collecting nesting material too. An Eastern Yellow Robin finds a feather.

A female Figbird has just the right twig.

The Male Figbird watches on from a tree nearby.

While out on a walk around my place seeing if there has been anything new happening with the fire recovery of the bush, a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike watched me.

Nearly every morning while at my besties, we go for a walk. Always along the way there are birds. A Scarlet Honeyeater was singing high among the branches.

A White-faced Heron flew around after we startled it on the creek and landed in a tree.

The Eastern Rosellas love the berries on the palms in the garden.

Hearing a loud squawking and carry on, I went out to find the local Square-tailed Kite in a tree watching something intently.

This is what the Kite was concerned about, a small Goanna near the Kite’s nest tree.

While on our walks, most days there is a Black Kite coasting on the air currents over the paddocks.

Birds on posts. Not sure which one this is. I have since been informed by Tracy that this is an Australian Pipit.

Bar-shouldered Doves enjoy sitting on a fence post to take in the morning sun. A bit of a chilly morning is evident when the doves are all puffed up.

Female Superb Fairy Wrens are always flitting along the fence lines where the grasses are tall and seeding. They can be heard on the other side of the fence twittering with the males and every now and then hop up onto a post.

The males like a bit of a post sit every now and then too. Perhaps to get a bit of morning sun.

The Red-browed Firetail Finches like the short grass in the garden to hop about and then go into the paddock next door to feed on the tall grass seed heads.

Chestnut-breasted Mannikins hang around in a flock of about twenty or more. I suspect this one was the lookout to warn the others eating the grass seeds on the ground that danger approaches.

The female Figbird found a good berry food source in the garden.

A Double-barred Finch found some grass seeds which had dried after the grass was mowed.

A Chestnut-breasted Mannikin had these seed heads all to himself

A bit of a windy day at the beach but the Crested Terns didn’t care.

While walking along the break wall, there was a Crested Tern swooping up and down the wall over the water hoping to get a snack. Speaking of snacks, how are you doing? Maybe need a drink refill? Probably about half way along. I’m going for a drink.

These fish didn’t seem to mind being near the surface. Luckily the birds weren’t in this part of the harbour.

Time for a bit of whimsy. Some abstracts – some found as the feather stuck in the sand

Some constructed as the pattern took my fancy

Anyone for lunch?

Some made by nature – I love the surrealness of clouds

and the wonders of water drops on spiders webs

The warm weather has bought out a cicada or two far too early and I guess would have been too cold to survive and been eaten

The Rocket Lettuce in my besties garden has gone to flower. On the dairy flats across the road, a Beekeeper has put some hives. The garden is full of bees. They love Rocket flowers and also the Basil is in flower as well.

A Stingless Native Bee wants in on the action too!

This Native Bee is much smaller than the one above. This one is at my place fossicking around a Lomandra multifloras flowers

Down near the creek where we walk, the Mistletoe is in flower. Some of the flowers are white

and some of the flowers are red. Not sure whether it is the same species and different sexes or age of the flowers

All around the bush at my place, the Native Lilac or False Sarsparilla is flowering scattering purple spot all through the bush. Sometimes a few long stem appear

other times there is a riot of purple

Another colourful plant at the moment is the Ink Plant, a tropical plant from America. It is said that ink was made from the berries and the root was a medicine. The red tinged leaves look quite ca treat in the bush. I should pull them out as they can take over.

The berries go from green to purple/black and red. It does look quite a sight.

The berries are reported to be toxic to humans, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs fowl and dogs.

I was sure I had the name of this Australian Native flower. I just call is a purple star flower. This tiny flower is all through my place popping up here and there. Tracy again has informed me that this is an Australian Bluebell.

This is an Erect Guinea flower, a small flower, 12 – 24mm across and is about 50mm or 2 inches tall.

I love finding Banksia flowers when we go out exploring around the countryside. I don’t have any in my place but really should put a plant or two in my garden.

The Zygote Cactus flowers were quite spectacular this year.

I can’t remember what these flowers from my besties garden are called.

Her Nasturtiums always look a treat. I have too many animals that love to eat them to have these wonderful flowers at my place.

I love Gerberas

and my Daffodils didn’t flower this year. It was too warm perhaps so I had to buy my bestie some for her birthday this year.

I think this is a Cosmos flower. They look so good in the garden.

Time for the Grevilleas. A great year for their flowering. This one is Coconut Ice

We have lost the name for this one, it is possibly Blood Orange

This may be a Sandra Gordon species

I think the Blue-faced Honeyeater saw me come onto the verandah. Look at all the pollen on his head while getting the delicious nectar from the Honey Gem Grevillea.

Remember the story of the plumbing tape. Here on the left-hand side of the photo of the Satin Bowerbirds bower is the blue part of the reel.

The grass seed heads with a bit of dew in the morning sun.

The White Fig Tree in the garden has attracted the Fig Birds to my place.

My bestie had one of the best small tomato crops this winter. We had tomatoes all the time. In fact I still have a small bowl in the fridge.

OK everyone, the sun is setting so it’s time to say see you next month. I hope you had a lovely time.

Did you have a favourite photo? I’d love to hear if you did.

Here is a song I have never heard before. Hope you like it as much as I did

Also for Su’s Changing Seasons