Category: nature

I do seem to have a lot of favourite photos from August. I have done quite a hard cull. I hope you are able to get through all of this blog. It was a busier than usual month. The rain hasn’t come and the place is dry now. It is a pity the dam I use for around the garden leaked as it was full in Autumn and that would normally have seen me through Winter until the Spring storms arrive.  Being so dry the number of birds are reduced but I have maintained the water points around the garden for the birds and animals. I almost feel like a bad parent, selecting the plants to water and hoping the others will hang in there until I start the pump and give the garden a good soaking.

Enough of the sob story and let’s get started with the things I found in August.

I just love the colour of this leaf.

Late one afternoon while I was searching for a new log to cut firewood, I went down to the water hole. This water hole has never dried even in some of the severe droughts in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Camera settings 1/320 F6.5 ISO 800

Driving about the property, mainly gathering firewood and pulling lantana out, I often come across a family of White-winged Choughs as they patrol the bush, walking about looking under leaves and bark for insects. It was good to see that this family group has grown from five to seven.

The wily Currawong was sitting in the Bottlebrush waiting for an unsuspecting small Honeyeater to drop in for a meal.

At the small paddock dam, in reality a wetland now, the Peaceful Dove was walking down the slope heading for a drink.

In one of the water points I have placed a stick so if a bird falls into the old drum, they have something to grab onto and get out. The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters like sitting on the stick after having a drink or plopping in the water for a bath.

The main sounds that were echoing through the bush in August were the calls of the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. They loved feasting on the Bottlebrushes.

The Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike was surveying the scene at Modenville.

One morning the Bowerbird was eating the grass for breakfast. It had quite a number of beak-fulls before it flew off.

The Bowerbird looked stunning in the afternoon light.

I love having King Parrots around. Their whistle resounds through the bush.

A Restless Flycatcher dropped in for an afternoon.

The Superb Fairy Wrens were bustling about the garden at Modenville hardly sitting long enough for a photo.

The little Variegated Fairy Wren was very busy with his flock of females as they explored the garden at Binna Burra.

I wondered what had happened to my beautiful blooms on my Cyclamen and then I saw the culprit. It is almost like the caterpillar has a straw in its mouth.

I found this tiny “house” that an insect has constructed on the bark of a block of firewood I had cut. I have bought it home and hope to see what come out of this beautifully constructed nest.

I found this beetle marching with purpose along a log.

The Common Jezebals have been flying about the bush and garden for a few weeks. When they fly they have an intense stroboscopic pattern flashing of black and white. When the wings are flat you can see the predominately white side of the wings.

I love it when there is an unexpected spider on a flower or seed head as well as small grasshoppers and ants. The seed head is about the size of a 20 cent piece.

This is the rest of the spike

There is a lot of native flowers popping up this August. It was unseasonably very warm. A lovely circle of yellow flowers about the size of a 10 cent piece.

I called this flower a Buttercup but it’s probably not. The leaves are similar to Oxalis.

Look how hairy the leaves are and the flower has a lovely reddish brown centre.

The Egg and Bacon plant is growing on the top of the dam wall. The flowers are beautiful and yes the leaves are spiky. A great place for small birds to escape into.

I call this vine a Native Wisteria. It is also called False Sarsaparilla and a few other names. It looks lovely when the vine entwines with a wattle threading purple among the wattle flowers.

Scattered throughout the bush these little star shaped flowers are easy to miss as they are about ten millimeters across.

The Bottlebrush flower is photo-bombed by a Stingless Native Bee.

This Grevillea flower is called Lemon Daze.

Isn’t the inside of this flower interesting?

Love the colour of these flowers.

Pansys. Who doesn’t love smiling Pansy faces. The colours are spectacular.

The camera can’t catch the deep purple of these Pansys

One August afternoon the sunset was spectacular.

I love the effect of the hills and trees on the horizon.

One of my Canon Powershot camera setting is called “Creative”. It takes a number of photos with different setting. This one made the sun look explosive.

Looks like the sun has set so goodbye and thanks for stopping by.