The Ragtag Daily Prompt Friday: Security
Everyone needs their Mum
Tag: Australian animals
This is January 2019
January. A month of hardly any rain, only 6mm over 2 days at my place, whereas the average is around 120mm and it rains most days. It was also freakingly hot. Days in succession of over 38C to a top of 42C here. There were some magic moments, a bit of travelling and the return of the butterflies. I spent a lot of my time watering my garden and plants in shade house. The dam became low so I was thinking of water rations to the plants. I became the bad parent having to decide which plants would get water and those who I hoped would survive.
Among all of this I did manage to get out and about and take quite a number of photos. Looking through the folders, I decided that I would have to do special posts that encompassed some of my days out and about, as I have a lot of things I want to show you this month. It has taken me a long time to decide on what I want to put into this post.
Yep……it’s another huge lot of photos. So once again, get a cup of tea or coffee (I have a coffee while writing this) perhaps a snack (I have already eaten my biscuits). For those reading in the evening, a glass of wine will help sustain while scrolling through this mammoth month. I shall try to keep the captions short.
Ready. All sitting comfy. Lets go
I best start off with a bit of morning and sunrise through the trees. I don’t get to see the full splendor of sunrise living in the bush or in a forest for those non-Australians
I liked this morning photo as it has a sliver of our Moon. Can you see it?
This is what our Moon looked like up close
Seeing a full moon in the morning was fabulous. A great start to the day.
While visiting my daughter in Toowoomba, we spent time walking about the streets looking at street art (a post of those wonderful art works to come) and strolling though the many gardens and parks.
I was glad to see that Yarn Bombing was still happening and Council was leaving them in place.
I just had to get a photo of this carrot that was on top of the vege display at the local Farmers Market
The distant hills have sentinel like Grass Trees over looking the valley. Grass Trees grow at around 25mm (1 inch) a year. Some of these are probably 2+ meters tall so ancient wonders on the other side of the valley from my besties place.
Now for the flowers.
The many colours and shapes of (I think) a Gazania
Despite the heat, a red Frangipanni buds and flowers appeared.
The photo doesn’t capture the wonderful red colour.
The flower of a Eucalypt, not sure which one, with a bee. There was lots of bees around in January too.
Just a wonderful flower.
Bougainvilleas flowered well in the heat and dry.
I have many photos of Native Frangipannis but have never seen a seed pod before
The Dahlias in my daughters garden
I saw a flower and while I was looking, some kids came along and said “Look brain flowers”. Yep Brain Flowers or Cockscomb or a Celosia flower.
Also came in red.
More bees and flowers
This one was getting stuck into the pollen at my besties
A Wattle Line-blue Butterfly enjoying a Brain flower. Did you spot the butterfly earlier?
An Orange Ochre stopped to enjoy the afternoon sun
A Cabbage White Butterfly flitted about the garden
and stopped to have a snack
The Dragonflies are all flying around the garden and over the dam. These two stopped for some “relaxation” on a branch on the ground.
Should I have told my visitors that Dragonflies are having sex on their car aerial?
A golden moment with a smiling Dragonfly
The Lesser Wanderers came to feed on the flowers that popped up in the grass.
Wings open to get a bit of sun before take-off.
The Meadow Argus Butterfly seemed to stop anywhere. You can see how dry it has been. The grasses are dead.
With wings open it helps to know what butterfly I have photographed
On the flowers, the Meadow Argus looks lovely.
Another photo of the flowers and butterfly
A Native Australian Bee, a Carpenter Bee flying among the Ponytail Palm flowers with some beetles and ants. Carpenter Bees quite often make their nest in Grass Trees.
Among the dried grasses, the Dandelions still had time to flower (see This is December 2018) and set seed
The branches of a Bunya Pine – Art Direction, my daughter, Photo, me
High in the trees at my besties, late one afternoon, a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos came to roost for the night. Not the best photo as the light was failing and the birds kept moving.
The raucous sounds of the Sulpher-crested Cockatoos sounded all over the park as we strolled about. 
As the weather was hot and dry, the bird bath had to be topped up regularly. The Lewins Honeyeater made enough noise to let us know that there wasn’t much water in the bird bath.
Once the bird bath was filled, the Noisy Miners queued up to get a drink and a bath.
The Silvereyes stopped by to get into the water while a Striated Thornbill waited his turn.
I was spied by an Eastern Rosella who dropped by for a drink
Getting a drink helped show the lovely back feathers pattern.
The Superb Fairy Wrens make a lovely couple.
“Hey babe, check this fancy bit of flying”
“Get out of the way, you’re in my shot”
Do you mind, I’m trying to take a bath here
The King Parrot having a look at what I am doing in my office
Just strolling through the park. Move along, there’s nothing to see here!
The Tortoises sunning on a rock while another is swimming over.
What a face
It has been so hot that I have left nearly all of the windows and doors open. That seemed to be an invitation for a Lesser Long-eared Micro-bat to take up residence in my pantry.
This is one of the reasons I keep some doors closed at night. Brush-tailed Possums like to range about the garden at night. Given half a chance they will wander inside creating chaos.
The Koalas have been active as it’s mating season. I have heard their loud calls at my place. At my besties place we can see this male who has taken up residence occasionally in the trees. Usually asleep, around 18 hours a day, the big feller was not very happy at me walking around taking photos even if he was about 10 meters above me.
Well it’s almost time to say goodbye. A wave from one of the many Geckos who live behind the pictures on the walls.
The sun is setting. Aren’t the colours just wonderful?
The oranges made for a spectacular sunset
I was quite pleased to get a photo of our Moon with the coloured rings. It is a hand held photo. Most time I would use a tripod but didn’t have one handy.
Well it looks like it is getting late so goodnight.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have enjoyed a scroll through bushboys world for January 2019. Did you have a favourite photo?
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In the Gum Tree
The photo challenge from Maria at CitySonnet for January’s colours and letters: Starts with the letter K
High up in
the Gum Tree
I saw
a hand
gripping tight
then a bit more
as he
shuffled about
in the fork
of the Gum Tree.
Koala was awake
in the Gum Tree
Looking around
watching
wondering
what had woken
him from his
sleep.
Oh dear
he thought.
It’s just that bloke
the one with
a camera
Nothing to be
alarmed about.
Now bugger off
I need my sleep
These photos were taken in my besties front yard bush garden. The previous owner planted some trees that Koalas can feed and sleep in. Koalas sleep a lot of the time and are nocturnal generally. When he is in the trees, he can be heard calling, a sound you can never forget.
Here is sound a cute Koala makes
https://wildambience.com/wildlife-sounds/koala/
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Animals in Nature
The weekly word prompt: Animals in Nature
I thought I would show a bit about the Animals in Nature that are around my place. I have snakes that I occasionally see. Most are quick to disappear as I come along.
The Green Tree Snake is a small harmless snake with beautiful colours.
I caught this Carpet Snake or Python in my chook house and had to take him for a walk up the road. Another harmless snake who will give you a good squeeze though.
A Long-necked Tortoise sunning on a rock that looks like a tortoise.
Goannas are quick to run up the nearest thing they find so never pretend to be a tree. Another animal that likes to eat my chooks eggs. When I can I catch them and take them for a drive as once they know where easy eating is, they will keep coming back.
Perhaps I should finish on a bit of warm and cuddly. Rarely are Koalas on my place or actually more the fact that I don’t see them. My place is on the travelling corridor they use to move about so they pass through.
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Serene
The Daily Post word prompt: Serene
From the back verandah, gazing across the garden……..serene
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Animals…Yes I said it….Animals
There are animals everywhere, especially around my place. Some are small, some are large but most don’t mind having their picture taken, as long as I am quick. It is certainly a privilege to have them around, not only in the bush but sometimes close to the house. The garden always has a wallaby eating or resting, there is always lizards of course, or should I say skinks and sometimes a snake or two will rustle through the undergrowth. I have heard Koalas at night but not seen them but possums are always somewhere around even in the chook house.
Other possums, that aren’t here but at my besties place, are the Ringtailed Possums. This bloke was high in the tree and it takes balls to climb high.
At her place at least I can see the Koala!!! This bloke was in the front garden about 10 meters from the house.
There are small bats somewhere around, in hollows and sometimes they stop inside for the night. Summertime, the windows and doors are open to catch the breezes and the little micro bats often whizz around sweeping up moths and other bugs attracted to the lights. This Lesser Eared Bat found a box to rest in.
Geckos have many a spot around the house. Most of the pictures on the walls have a gecko or two behind them, When they get frisky, the pictures jump and bump on the walls. This Velvet Gecko was stalking a moth and didn’t really want my attention.
Outside the skinks have the run of the verandas, garden and basically everywhere, all through the bush.
I have a recycling and garbage area, as I don’t have a garbage service, where I store all my garbage and recycling until I get a good sized load to take to the transfer station in town. I open the bale flaps very slowly each time as there is usually a frog or spider under there. This day as I opened the bale up, there was a small Red Naped Snake warming under the flap.
One of the hard parts of bush living is life and death. I love my chooks but so do a lot of others who mainly love them as dinner. Over the years I have lost a few to Spotted Tail Quolls. One time, after around 6 chooks were killed, I took a carcass and put it into a trap hoping to get the bugger and take him for a ride up the mountain to the National Park.
But mostly it’s the wallabies that get attention as they are quite calm around me and they come closer to the house than most other animals. Here is the “Whole lot of Wallabies” part. I couldn’t decide which one to use so I just included a selection of different wallabies, their young and places they hang out.
Sometimes they come in groups. The Red Necked Wallabies are everywhere.
They don’t mind hanging out with the chooks. The Whiptail Wallabies, or Pretty-faced, seem to hang out in the back.
The Red Necked Males are quite large and in breeding season, the red really stands out.
I was lucky enough to get a photo of a very young joey before it grew any hair.
The Joeys are so adorable.
Sometimes the come to the front door…..
….and sometimes to the back door.
I love the animals that are around my place.
Do you have many at your place?
