The word prompt from CitySonnet: Olive
There are a few birds that come around my place that have lovely olive coloured feathers. The featured bird is a Figbird.
This one is actually an Olive-backed Oriel
The little White-throated Honeyeaters
Blue-faced Honeyeater
A Silvereye
This months square challenge from Becky: Blue
Well here is the second last day for Becky’s #Blue #JulySquares photo challenge. Why not get a favourite photo with a bit of blue crop it square and show us what you have and join the Square Gang.
This one is also for Debbies Six Word Saturday challenge
On Saturday while sitting on the verandah and having a cuppa, a Blue-faced Honeyeater just flew into the front garden and landed on the ground. Most unusual for them to be on the ground. I wondered why and then he looked up and flew off. This is one of the photos of a Blue-faced Honeyeater gathering nesting material.
The prompt for the Weekly Prompts Photo Challenge: Blue
Agapanthus flower
Blue-faced Honeyeater
The blues of an Australian landscape
Blue Triangle Butterfly
A Blue-banded Bee in a Blue Ginger flower
Superb Fairy Wren
Just a blue bottle and a splash of paint
Of course nothing is bluer than the sky
Two photo challenges caught my eye today.
Lens-artists: Around the Neighbourhood
Jenns: Feathered Friends
Come for a quick walk around my neighbourhood. There is my dead end gravel road which is about three kilometers long which has an intersection with another gravel road which is paved about sixteen kilometers from my place. It goes from the highway to a long way away, perhaps fifty kilometers.
Lets get going.
The Noisy Friarbird will often let others know we are about
Listen for a chip chip and look at the tree trunks to see a White-throated Treecreeper scouring the bark for an insect or two
The lovely face of a Blue-faced Honeyeater
You might hear the wings of the Eastern Spinebill before you see one zoom past
The Pied Butcherbirds song will fill the forest as we walk along
We may see a Jackie Winter sitting on a fence
Lovely little Eastern Yellow Robins will be chip chip chipping seemingly endlessly
Of course the familiar sounds of Kookaburras will resound around the bush
Small Brown Honeyeaters will be silently having a snack on a Bottlebrush
A flash of colour and a Spotted Pardelote will fly by
A Forest Kingfisher, a sudden flash like a blue jewel, as he flies through the bush
The unmistakable squawking of Rainbow Lorikeets as they argue about whose branch it is will get your attention
The beautiful song of a Rufous Whistler will kep you spell bound for ages
A whistle, a flash of red, the smallest honeyeater is unmistakable in the bush
High in the tree, the resident Square-tailed Kite will keep an eye on you
While overhead it’s mate will soar
Up the road a bit, some Crimson Rosellas have a snack on the horses feed
What’s that chatter chatter chatter? I hear you say. The Grey-crowned Babblers walk about the forest floor snacking on unsuspecting insects talking about their day
More jewels in the sky as the Rainbow Bee-eaters gather
Another remarkable song and bright yellow of the Golden Whistler will make you stop and listen
Musk Lorikeets can be seen as they feast on the nectar of Pink Euodias
The largest bird of prey, a Wedged-tailed Eagle on the lookout for an unsuspecting wallaby or animal, will sit silent until we get to close
A bit more whistling heralds that we are near some King Parrots
A strange metallic sound draws our attention to the iridescent and distinctive tail shape of the wonderfully named Spangled Drongo 
A Satin Bowerbird who is similarly coloured to a Drongo will be in the bush sometimes finding food
or finding sticks or blue stuff to decorate and construct his Bower
Thanks for dropping by and having a bit of a walk around my neighbourhood. I hope you had a good time.
V.J’s Weekly Challenge: Upside down
Sometimes the world looks better upside down
or the flower goes upside down when you sit on the branch
or when your lunch is easier to eat that way
The word prompt from Debbie at Travel with Intent: Blue
Here is a bit of Blue from my world
Tiny Native Flowers
Blue Triangle Butterfly
More butterflies. This time a Butterfly Bush flower
A double blue, a Blue Ginger with a Blue-banded Bee
Blue Figs, the fruit from a Quandong Tree (Elaeocarpus angustifolius for those playing along at home)
The lovely Blue-faced Honeyeater
A delightful Superb Fairy Wren
And the blue of blue………..
The featured image – a Blue Tiger Butterfly
OK folks strap yourself in for this ride. You will need stamina, food, drinks and a possible toilet break as I have been unrelenting in snapping away with all manner of things. I was going to break the photos down into subject groups in separate posts, but I thought “What the heck, you can scroll through at your own pace.”
What better way to start the day (or post) than with a sunrise from my besties new place
Let’s start with things. I don’t know what to call this bunch of photos as they are different. Enough talk. Off we go!
I found these gelatinous blobs on the beach, hundreds of them. Perhaps baby jelly fish?
When you see a land form that resembles something else
The planes have been showing themselves a bit in October.
Just love these rock cliff, the colours and again, can you see a face?
The moss gave the tree a bit of a dress with a vine for dramatic effect.
More moss. This time at the waters edge at the beach
The rock pool took on an ethereal mood
Just the shelf at my besties place
When I put on this lamp, I just had to take the photo. Another shelf at my besties
October saw the rain come. This dam, I use the water around the house and garden, was about one-eighth full. Seeing the water flow into the dam cured my blues.
The waterhole on my place never is dry but came very close this year. Seeing it full again made me happy. I think the birds and animals are pleased as well
Waterfalls make such a soothing sound don’t you think? Even little waterfalls that help fill the waterhole.
Of course a bit of rain and sunshine brings out the fungi
Fungi of all shapes and colours. Some big….
…some small
and some are edible
I love Grass Trees. These are at a place called Naughtons Gap. They are bigger than some of the Grass Trees on my place.
A wonderful discovery was a whole street in Grafton lined with Bottle Trees. This will be investigated as to why and how and perhaps a bushboy post about the history of the Bottle Trees in Grafton may evolve.
The early morning dew and spiders webs. I can’t resist
Sitting having a cup of tea with my bestie when a large Skink wandered about the garden. Wonderful markings aren’t they?
Would you believe that this tree is called a Cheese Tree?
Just an ant having a swim. He did get out eventually.
The flower and a bee. The flower is on what is called a broad leaf weed which is supposed to be undesirable in a lawn. Look at the bees pollen sacks. I don’t think the bee would be as happy if the “weed” wasn’t there. Think before you mow please.
Just a feather
and another
The Forest Kingfishers have arrived. The male looked about for anything that moved in the grass or the garden.
The colours on his back are lovely.
This photo shows a bit more of the iridescence
Galahs are funny birds. This bloke is sitting on the stock trough on next doors place at my besties
It’s a bit of a way down to get a drink.
Another arrival in Spring are the Grey Shrike Thrush. They are in the trees around the garden and sing in the morning and in the afternoons. What a delight to have in my garden.
The Pied Currawong didn’t mind a bit of rain.
Doesn’t he look great. The black with the red of the Flame Tree
The Fig Bird was spotted eating Mulberries
So was his mate
A Coucal Pheasant came for a visit and sat high in the Gum Tree.
Later on, I think he was checking me out through the undergrowth.
Another October visitor, a Brown Honeyeater
He soon found the bird bath
The Blue-faced Honeyeaters have arrived in numbers to feast on the Honey Gem Grevillea
The female Blue-faced Honeyeaters also drop in for a snack
Remember the post about the Post where the Noisy Friar Bird was chased away by the Spangled Drongo. Here Rainbow Lorikeets get a serve from the Friar Bird. A bit of a peck to the head.
The Rainbow Lorikeets were a bit bemused by all the carry on.
A female Satin Bowerbird enjoyed the nectar in the Yamba Sunshine Grevillea.
But like everyone else, the Honey Gem Grevillea is the best place to get a meal.
Yellow-faced Honeyeaters seem to have a constant scowl on their faces.
I think this Yellow-faced Honeyeater spotted me and my camera
The gravity defying White-throated Treecreeper taken from the comfort of the chair in my office
They are lovely as they hop up and down the trees looking for something to eat.
Another photo from my office chair. I call this one, “I can see what you are doing” is what the King Parrot is saying.
A young King Parrot morphing into a male
Getting a good Eastern Rosella photo quest continues
Out for a drive, we spotted a smallish bird run across the road and into a paddock. A new bird has been seen, an Australasian Pipit.
On another adventure drive, we spotted flashes of green zooming across the road. A flock of Rainbow Bee Eaters were hanging about. This is a breeding pair
Aren’t the males colours amazing?
You may wonder why we are back at a couple of young King Parrots. I thought it was lovely to have them sitting on a hanging pot under the verandah, until I spotted what they were doing
Yes, these “lovely” young birds had eaten half of the succulents in the pot. All around the pot, the succulent trailed over the edge. Can you see the bit trailing over the edge now. This hanging pot is no longer hanging where pesky King Parrots can get at it.
Water drops and new growth
I love the colour of this Succulent. Was tempted to pinch a leaf or two
I love the colours in this photo of a Hanging Violet with red in the background
A lovely Native Geranium growing in the “lawn” Another reason not to mow
Pansies, pansies, pansies
and more Pansies
This year the Silky Oaks flowering was spectacular
A flower of a Succulent
The Budlea flower spike wonderful and smells delightful
Some of the Roses looked a treat this year
A pink Bottlebrush flower
The native water lillies on my dam. Water Snowflake
The rain knocked a lot of the flowers off the Flame Tree. The little cups filled with water
Some native flowers that grow on my place. This yellow beauty is Dogwood
I think this native flower is a Hairy Guinea Flower
I have been encouraging a lot of Egg and Bacon plant to grow on one part of my property. It’s spikey habit is good for protecting small birds when it is in a fairly dense thicket
Plus the flowers are lovely. You can see the sharp points in the leaves
A small pink Grevillea.
My besties flower beds are looking great
and yet more flowers
This flower has caused great excitement for me. This is the first time I have seen a Hakea Florulenta on my property.
Aren’t the tiny flowers delightful?
The early morning fog gives a sense of wonder to start the day
Of course when it rains, you also find rainbows. This one had a faint double above.
Well, the sun is setting and you have reached the end. Well done for sticking around to get to the end and thanks for having a look at my October 2018
Did you have a favourite photo?
The word prompt from Debbie at Travel with Intent: Blue
A pile of Blue Figs from a Quandong Tree
A Superb Fairy Wren looking down
The Blue-faced Honeyeater and a Bottlebrush
The wonderful Blue Triangle Butterfly
A Blue-banded Bee buzzes past
The clouds are dark and stormy
The blue hour
Well I have had a big September. So much is happening probably because it is Spring, although the temperatures haven’t changed much as Winter was warm. There are the birds that come here, flowers are blooming and the tadpoles are hatching. I have written some posts this month and have included some of those photos but not all as this is a large post.
Yes, get a cuppa, wine, beer and some snacks and off we go
There has been a bit of teasing by the clouds. Promising rain but either not delivering or just a few drops. I have had some good falls but no run-off to put water into the dams. The water tanks are full which is good. 59mls has kept the garden happy as well as supplementary watering from the dwindling dam.
I have put the flowers in early this post. Walking among the Mangroves stalking a White-faced Heron, I came across some Hibiscus flowers. There wasn’t a Hibiscus bush nearby so maybe had left a trail to find their way out.
My besties Gymea Lily has flowered. This flower is about two meters plus in the air.
Here is the whole photo. The plant is the strappy leaved one.
This year has been a fabulous year for Grevilleas. The first flowering of this Grevillea in my garden.
So many succulents are flowering too. This succulent is in a hanging pot on my verandah.
I have these flowers in my garden but not in mass like a garden in Grafton.
My Begonias are flowering well this year too.
The Iris that is a reminder of my mate who passed on last September. This was one of his plants.
The hanging Pelagoniums are a constant flower on my verandah.
I love this flower display on a stall at the Farmers Market in Lismore.
Flame Trees are spectacular when they flower. My poor struggling tree has started to flower even though it hasn’t had enough water.
I have garden borders of Dietes. They look great when they are in flower but they are spreading to places I don’t want them to go. Pity the Wallabies don’t eat them.
Bromiliads are flowering too. Some flowers are so wonderful aren’t they?
Banksias are a sight when they flower
Back to the Farmers Market. I spotted this bloke carrying a large dog. I have no idea why as the dog has a lead.
The Beetroot looked lovely
The old truck of the vegetable farmer is a great vantage point to see when people drop food.
Ah…look, an unattended fishers bucket.
Damn……I was spotted
I love Gulls as they fly along the shore
The wooden walk bridge over the estuary so you can walk to the beach.
The White-faced Heron stalking crabs in the Mangroves
Out to sea I spotted something breaking the water. I was hoping for a Whale and got a Dolphin.
In the mist a ghost ship appeared
The power company has been inspecting the power poles by helicopter. I think the pole at the front of my place will get replaced as they circled around for a while looking at the pole.
I guess the party is over. Found this on the track to the beach.,
The butterflies are starting to appear as well. The Line-blue Butterfly was rather shy.
The old swimming pool is a great place for the dragonflies. A bit of action is going on watched by a Bleating Tree Frog Tadpole.
There is quite a number of tadpoles who like to snack on the algae.
Thee are calves in a lot of the paddocks. Who could resist a little white calf?
The property next door is a miniature goat farm. On a walk a while ago I saw they had some little kids so next walk I took my camera. When I was at the fence I couldn’t see all of the little goats. And then I saw these two.
Another young animal. This foal was camera shy but I managed to get one photo.
Why fly when you can get a lift.
The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters have found an easy way of getting nesting material. When I have been walking on my place, I often come across nests that have fallen from the trees. Not only has the Yellow-faced Honeyeater been gathering material but the White-throated Treecreeper from last months post is also getting in on the act.
They were quite quick to get some nesting material and get back again. I found this lovely little nest in a Paperbark just outside of the sun room. They used some air fern to help bind the nest.
Remember the post about the Welcome Swallows. Well the babies are starting to learn to fly but still like to get back in the nest for a feeding.
Spring also heralds Magpie swooping season. Not many people don’t get a swoop or two. Even a Wedge-tailed Eagle was getting the Magpie treatment.
A farm near my besties has Sulpher-crested Cockatoos. I hope they don’t come to her place. They are quite destructive and squawk quite loudly when they get into a bunch.
Little Friarbirds are timid but enjoy the nectar of the Honey Gem Grevillea in my garden.
King Parrots have set up their breeding pairs. This couple have taken up residence in the garden.
I had to include the Satin Bowerbird. Such a spectacular bird to have in the garden.
Here is the Great Cormorant who caught a fish from the Clarence River in Grafton. Scroll back a few posts and see the story if you like.
The Intermediate Egret has to have the longest neck I have ever seen.
I think the horse may be in for a surprise!
A small flock of Galahs are hanging around the farms near my besties. They sometimes come to her place to get a drink of water.
The Figbird didn’t know I was under the tree.
Spring brings the Blue-faced Honeyeaters back to my place.
My arty Pelican photo
The best arrival has been the Grey Shrike Thrush. Their lovely song fills the garden in the morning and afternoon. They too are nesting. I have them “knocking” on the windows in search for spiders webs and any insect who happens to be around the windows. It’s a constant tap tap tap most of the day.
Thanks for taking the time to wade through my rather large This is September post. If you would like to know more or have a comment, please leave me a note in the comments.
life through my lens
I'm Victoria Stuart, a poet who philosophizes and sings about family matters and entanglements.
Capturing the tiniest details of God’s artistry
Less is not enough.
Everyone Has Something To Teach Us
age is just a (biggish) number
Taking the camera for a walk!!!
Capturing the beauty of God's creation through the lens of a camera
Expressing Thought Through Photography
Reflections on Life through poetry, essays and photos
a painter´s attempt to conquer the great white canvas
Wits End Photography
Creative Exploration in Words and Pictures
Dil se Dil tak...
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Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Short Stories
Mostly photographs with some words by this arty scientist...
Rural doctor, mom, writes poems, dance, sing.
Lifestyle, Travel, and Traditional Art
