fish – bushboys world

This is September 2018

Published on October 4, 2018October 3, 2018 by bushboy7 Comments

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.

Fishing on the River – A Cormorants Tale

Published on September 13, 2018 by bushboy4 Comments

Down by the Clarence River in Grafton, a Great Cormorant spent a bit of time with a fish. Here is the Cormorants Tale of fishing in the afternoon.

One afternoon, a head popped out of the water. Yes!!! I have a fish.

It is a rather big fish, I hope I can eat it.

I wish it would stop wriggling about.

oops….almost dropped it

Phew, managed to get it back again.

Ahhh…………this is the way to get a fish down, head first here we go.

Perhaps a bit of a dunking will help the fish slide down my neck.

Bloody hell Janice, it’s my fish, now go away. I’m not sharing!

Peace at last. Now to get it in the right position.

Watch this folks……a bit of flip and catch

Bugger the fish is sideways again.

Ah well, perhaps it will go down after all.

With all of that, the Great Cormorant decided to fly further upstream to enjoy his snack. Did the fish get eaten? I suspect so.

Thursdays Special: Pick a Word in July

Published on July 5, 2018July 26, 2018 by bushboy18 Comments

Some easy words, so Paula says, for this months Pick a Word. How would you go?

Canicular

Splash

Feathered

Marine

Scenic

This is July

Published on August 9, 2017August 16, 2017 by bushboy24 Comments

At last I am able to sit down and write this blog. I have a chest infection which made my concentration levels drop and a lack of interest in doing anything. Looking at the screen made my eyes sore as well. July was interesting as the days became more like Summer than Winter. There hasn’t been much rain so the garden is suffering. Most of the flowers are from elsewhere, some of the birds are from around here and there is a bit of what is that photo. There is a bit of excitement but that will come later. There are quite a number of photos so perhaps a cup of tea or coffee or whatever you drink while sitting have a look at my July.

This is the view from Raspberry Lookout in the Gibraltar Ranges, about 70kms from my place, which is somewhere to the left of the photo a few gullies over.

I thought I’d start with the bugs I found. A moth isn’t really a bug but an insect but this beauty had to go in somewhere.

We found a caterpillar munching a plant. Look at how much it has eaten for such a small sized caterpillar.

The winter flowering stone fruits are alive with bees.

I was enjoying a cuppa on the verandah when this bloke came buzzing around. I like the confusion of fly and shadow.

At the Raspberry Lookout I found a log. Not just an ordinary log but one that had a lichen that made it look so green.

Can you see the face on this old tree stump. The big cut mark on the left is where the timber cutters used to put a board to stand on to cut the tree down with an axe. The “graffiti” isn’t all that old though.

My bestie found this fantastic leaf.

One day the clouds just decided to look rather special. Something to do with a hot day, cold upper air or whatever.

“What are you looking at?”

I call this photo “The Electric Fish”. I would love to tell you how I took the photo but have no idea. The leaves and flowers were in the bottom of the bowl and the spots on the surface are fish food.

Late one evening when going for a walk, I saw the red and green leaves glowing in the afternoon sun.

A neighbours place glowed in that afternoon sun. This plant is called Firesticks.

I have never looked at a Dandelion flower. Isn’t it beautiful.

In a garden in Grafton the rest of the garden was bare and a few of the flowers were doing their last gasp but this Gazania stood out among the rest.

A fragrant Rose. I love Roses.

The Grevillea flower shone in the early morning sun.

Some birds come back every year to spend Winter here or perhaps just drop in for a snack and rest on their migratory route to further warming climes. The Blue-faced Honeyeaters stay around and nest. The mornings and evenings are filled with their calls.

The Silvereyes flock through, some keep going but some hang around for a while eating and building their strength for the next part of their journey.

The Figbirds are after the fruiting trees in the rainforest gullies. This Figbird seemed to have an interest in a Eucalypt nut.

The Lewins Honeyeater found a tasty morsel in the bark of the tree.

It doesn’t look like it was that appealing does it?

A White-throated Honeyeater, a bowl and a garden bench. There are a number of places where birds can get a drink in my garden.

Going to my besties one day, I came across a flock of Brolgas in a farmers field beside the highway. This is only the second time I have seen Brolgas and to see around twenty was wonderful.

Some birds will do anything not to have their photo taken. The Eurasian Coot did a great dive.

Have you ever been so angry that you just had to shout at a tree?

I hadn’t noticed the rich orange around the eye of a White-throated Tree Creeper before. Since the blog was published, Carol Probets who often lets me know what’s what informed me that this is a Red-browed Tree Creeper. See Carols blog at Lyreades

The Welcome Swallow was ignoring me as he sat on the old bridge watching the workings building the new one.

The Spotted Pardalote had a ritual of checking out the verandah every morning for snacks.

The Grey Shrike-Thrush have set up home at my besties.

Adorable looking birds aren’t they?

The Grey Fantail was a bit puffed up in the cool afternoon breeze.

Another regular Winter visitor to my place are the Noisy Friarbirds. Their calls resound through the forest all day long. These two were having an in depth conversation.

Every now and then a large flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos descend on the pine trees to feed and then take off to find a place to roost.

The lovely little Rose Robins are occasional visitors. So cute as the bounce in the garden looking for snacks.

This is excitement number one. First time I have seen a Grey Goshawk. It was high in the trees at my besties place.

Excitement number two. The first time I have seen a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. It was so happy to sit on a post and pose for a minute or two at my besties place.

This was the sunset in some of the photos mentioned before. So it must be time to go.

Thank you for stopping by. Drop me a note if you found something that interested you.

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: July 9, 2017

Published on July 11, 2017August 17, 2017 by bushboy8 Comments

My Odd Balls from the weekend.

The plane and the tree
170711_the plane and the tree

The electric fish
170711_electric fish

Have a look at Cee’s Photography for more Odd Balls from great photographers

Birds, bugs and things in April

Published on April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 by bushboy4 Comments

As you know I love to get about when I can, discovering new things or rediscovering stuff. I love living in a bio-diverse region where the trip to the mountains or to the coast always sends a surprise encounter. Over the month so far I have seen so many wonderful things this world has, sometimes it may just be something that I saw that I found to be wonderous whereas others have just walked by probably thinking what the hell is that bloke doing with that camera.

So…..this wander through my days I hope fills you with a bit of love for our nature and environment in which we inhabit as it does for me.

I do find butterflies amazing creatures, as you probably have noticed as a lot of my blogs seem to have a butterfly or two. This small butterfly, about 17mm in size, has been whizzing around my besties garden and mine as well – a Small Green-banded Blue butterfly.

I was wading through the water at Taylor Lagoon when all bout there were dragonflies zipping here, zipping there on their mission to do…..waht do dragonflies do when they zip about like that. Well after a while some settled on the sticks poking out of the water. Their irridecence was amazing to see. Unfortunately the dragonfly isn’t quite in focus but I love the effect of the water, don’t you?

This dragonfly has a great grip on the stick.

While wading in the shallows I looked at the water and the reflections of the over-hanging bottlebrush and sedges around the edge. I think it was facinating the way the image always changed as the water rippled and moved with the wind. This photo was my favourite of the couple I took.

The shadow of the tree looked like it was walking across the rock face. What do you see?

I love the contrast of colours, the shadows and where the rock landed (or was put by my bestie lol)

Shells. I love seeing the shells and stuff that is on the beach. The light shining through the shell caught my eye form a distance.

I wonder how the small creatures can survive when the tide is out or is it how do they survive when the tide is in? This one found a nice little niche in the rocks. Aren’t the colours subtle but striking at the same time?

The number of tiny sand balls that were spread all along the shore was incredible. Some of the patterns made were so artistic.

And here is the little bloke who spend a large amount of its life making those tiny sand balls.

“OK fella…..how about a bit of privacy. I didn’t come down to the beach to sit in the shade of my lovely green umbrella just to have you come along taking your photos….”

“If you are going to hang around with that camera, I’m off….”

As I was walking along the shore, all of a sudden there was a whoosh and a couple of Pelicans came flying along looking for a place to land. They are so big up close.

As we walked along the beach, we were discussing how we hadn’t seen any White-bellied Sea Eagles or Brahminy Kites, which are nearly always here. All of a sudden, at the other end of the beach, there was a commotion with Seagulls wheeling about and then appeared the Sea Eagle with a fish. Even with the lens at full stretch they were still a long way a way.

Here is a close up as best as I could manage. The image is heavily cropped just to show the size of the fish.

There was also another White-bellied Sea Eagle just soaring around the sky looking for it’s own fish.

Meanwhile at the waters edge, a group of Crested Terns were having a bath and preening themselves trying to get their “hair” in order.

I have no idea what this plant is but the spots of white among the rocks certainly stood out.

Even the Eastern Spinebill was too heavy for the Pentas making hanging on a bit of a chore.

The Whipbirds are always pocking around in the garden, flicking over leaves and bits of bark to try and find some insects and bugs to snack on.

Over the past few weeks the Eastern Yellow Robins have seemed to appear in numbers in the garden. This one was sitting out front on the warm gravel early one morning. They are such sweet little birds.

Heading into town early one misty morning, I spotted this Black-necked Stork (I really prefer Jabiru) stalking about the small pond where the “Tyre Turtle” lives. It was one of a pair. The other one was further back in the paddock in the ffog.

Aren’t the colours great. I never noticed their red cap before either.

The Water Dragon has set up home in my besties garden. Such a lovely prehistoric looking creature.

But they still enjoy a good laugh. Not really. He really enjoys a few bits of apple. The inside of his mouth is so pink.

That’s the end of what I have found in April so far. Hope you enjoyed seeing what I have seen.

Flowers, birds, bees and fish

Published on August 19, 2014August 20, 2014 by bushboy7 Comments

The title says it all, except not in that order. Sometimes it’s nice just to sit in a lovely place and see what the world brings. These are some of the flowers, birds, bees and fish that happened along whilst I was at my besties Mum’s place at Banora Point.

Down by the water, there was a fish who was swimming here and there in the shallows. I wasn’t too sure what it was but you can always ask the people you are in contact with on Twitter. Stan from the South Coast let me know that the fish in the following photos was a Toad Fish or Puffer Fish, depending on where you come from I guess.

This bloke has the most amazing red eyes. It seemed like he was walking on the sand in the clear water.

In the garden there was a small plant with the most amazing seeds. They just stuck out with the black ball seed in the middle of the star-shaped flower.