fungi – bushboys world

Small

Published on August 12, 2018 by bushboy24 Comments

The word prompt from Debbie at Twenty-four: Small

It is good to see that people are taking up Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge while she is on vacation. Thank you all.

A tiny Soft-shelled Snail
snail_soft shell_named_binna burra_april 2018

Whats smaller than ants
ants_black small_tree_lismore_named_june 2014

A lovely Line-blue Butterfly, about 15mm in size
line blue butterfly_named_binna burra_feb 2018

Hidden in the folds of a flower, a small Crab Spider waits for something smaller to drop by for a snack
spider_yellow flower_named_oct2013

Stingless Native Bees having a feast on a Crocus flower
native bees_crocus_named_jan 2014

I love finding small fungi on my place
fungi small red_named_home_march 2017

A flower which is a big 10mm in diameter
yellow flower small_home_named_crop_dec 2014

Baby birds are cute especially in a small nest
fantail young01_nest_binna burra_named_small_nov 2014

The smallest Honeyeater, a Scarlet Honeyeater
170823_blog challenge_small subjects_scarlet honeyeater 03

Getting Close

Published on July 27, 2018 by bushboy17 Comments

The theme from Terri: #Macro or Close-up Photography; Is there a difference?

I enjoy getting in close to our world, exploring the small details in nature. Here’s a few photos for your enjoyment.

Macro – The face of a fly

Macro – The miniature world of fungi and moss

Close-up – Getting in close with an Ibis.

Close-up – with a Pelican

Macro – A rivet head on the Grafton Bridge

Close-up – the rust on a chain.

Close-ups or Macros? What do you think?

All Time Favourites

Published on May 31, 2018June 28, 2018 by bushboy22 Comments

This is a sad post. The Daily Post, where a lot of people interact with words and photos is closing. I am hoping the Daily Post can keep going. It takes a lot of work to maintain such a fantastic blog site. Please please find a way of staying. I have found lots of people who do fantastic stuff and people have found my bit of the world as well.

Welcome to the final installment of the Weekly Photo Challenge. In wishing you a fond farewell, we wanted to share our all-time favorite photos with you. We welcome you to share your favorites with us. Happy photographic trails!

I think a slideshow would be the best way to dig out some of my favourites if I can decide which ones.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thank you Daily Post editors and contributors, it has been fun

This is May 2018

Published on May 31, 2018June 28, 2018 by bushboy29 Comments

Another wrap up of whats been happening in bushboys world in May. This month has been so dry. Many of the usual birds that are around here in May are absent. The most exciting thing is that I have two new birds that have dropped in on their migration to warmer places.

Some of the photos are from my besties place where it has been raining almost every day. There isn’t a huge amount of photos but I still recommend grabbing a drink suitable for the time of day you are scrolling through This is May 2018.

I think I’ll start with a couple of flowers. I can’t wait for some of the plants which flower in the cooler months to flower.

I love the purple colour

The last hibiscus flower

Just a mud puddle with a bit of the sun and sky

This is the shell of a Frasers Banded Snail. One of the advantages of following scientists on Twitter is that if I can’t ID anything, there is always someone to ask. Bronwen Scott gave me the name of the snail. Bronwen is at Snailseyeview

Another view of the Frasers Banded Snail shell

When the cooler weather arrives, quite often so do some of the marsupial mice from out of the forest looking for somewhere warm to nest. I have a live trap where I can trap, ID and release back into the forest.
This is a view into the trap with a House Mouse, not an Antechinus as I first thought, who has been enjoying a bit of peanut butter. ID help from Dr Dave and Dale Nimmo

Here is the little bloke ready to hop off and find another place to spend Winter other than my pantry

Another new discovery at my besties was this Eastern Stoney Creek Frog. The ID on the frog was also from a Twitter. The wonderful Jodi Rowley

Here’s a bit of orange fungi growing on the side of a tree glowing in the afternoon sun

This fungi was so soft and really did feel like velvet. Also an added bit of Lichen as well as some Moss. Yes it was a wet habitat.

Here is the usual warning for those who have an aversion to spiders. Try to have a peek as the Golden Orb Weaver is a rather beautiful spider.

Lets break in gently with a tiny but lovely web glowing in the morning suns golden glow. Not an Orb Weavers web as this spider is tiny

Here she is, a Golden Orb Weaver looking lovely against the blue Autumn sky.

The markings underneath are so wonderful. She is not quite 75mm long.

This is why she is a Golden Orb Weaver. She is attending to her larder dangling on the golden threads of her rather messy web

A rainy day in Ballina. A Willie Wagtail found a place to try and stay dry during a downpour

Only a few bits of green grass when this photo was taken of a Willie Wagtail hunting for a snack.

The Eastern Spinebills have arrived. A few will hang around over winter as long as the Grevilleas have flowers.

A small flock of Silvereyes have taken up residence as well

Not sure who this Silvereye is yelling at while at he bird bath

On a drive I spotted a group of Ibis resting and preening. Among the group were a couple of Spoonbills having a rest.

It was disturbing to see 4WD wheel tracks on a section of South Ballina Beach which is a no go zone as the birds rest and nest on that part of the beach.
A Sooty Oystercatcher and a Little Tern in the wheel tracks, with some Crested Terns in the background

A Little Tern resting on the beach
Sometimes you have to wait for your turn in the bird bath. A White-throated Treecreeper hangs about waiting for a Lewins Honeyeater to finish his bath.
Ahhh……that’s better. I love how the White-throated Treecreepers sit in the bird bath, the totally opposite to all the other birds.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters are on their migration too. Some of the flock will stay here over winter. They are the bullies of the bird bath and chase the other birds away.

The Northern Yellow Robins are always around the forest . This bloke and his family are hanging around my garden

My bestie has sold her place. Here is one of the last photos of Bobbin, the Northern Yellow Robin who lives at her place on the garden chair where he loves to survey the garden for something to eat. Bobbin is such a cutie isn’t he?

An Emerald Dove found a good drinking spot in the garden. A stem of a Bangalow Palm filled with rain water.

Here is the first of the new birds at my place. This is a Striated Pardalote

The other new bird is a tiny Varied Sittella. A small flock dropped in one day for a drink, rest and a bite to eat before continuing on their way north. Another little cute bird.
The butterflies are becoming scarce as the weather gets colder. I have been lucky enough to get some photos of the inside wings as well as the usually more colourful outer wings. This butterfly is a Yellow or Common Albatross showing the inside wings
The outer wings are a lovely yellow with a brown edging.
A Zebra Blue or Plumbago Blue Butterfly. You can see the blue on the inside.
The outer wings have a lovely marbling and striking pattern.

The inside wings of the Common Jezabel are rather dull compared to the outer wings.

Here is a Common Jezabel sitting high upon a flower stalk on a sunny day.

I hope you have enjoyed a scroll through my May.

This is April 2018

Published on May 4, 2018May 24, 2018 by bushboy20 Comments

You will be pleased to know that this month I have been picky in choosing what to put on my April post. This is not a marathon so maybe you won’t need a drink and a snack to get to the end.

Let’s get going then.

It’s just a leaf I found. I just love the colours.

There is a whole ecosystem on this fungi

Down the hill from from the above fungi, a whole miniature forest was growing.

I love the sunsets and these grass seed heads.

More grass seed heads against the late afternoon sky. The camera knows how to lie as these aren’t very big.

One of my favourite garden flowers – Cats Whiskers

I don’t know the name of this flower. We call it The Pink Thing. Bees love disappearing inside of the bell or where the flower joins the stalk.

The small flowers of the Bangalow Palm are waiting to burst out. The outer casing had fallen off early in the morning and the palm was full of buzzing bees.

Trying to get some bee photos I didn’t realise I have taken photos of little Dwarf Eastern Tree Frogs. I don’t know if they were hunting bees or other insects

I only found these two but I am sure there were many more among the hanging stalks.

The snail was having a good time exploring the leaf

I found an interesting looking Shield Insect walking along the electric fence tape.

The Caterpillar was quite disturbed at my presence as you can see the red warning bits shooting out. It certainly made short work of the small bush lemon tree’s leaves.

Just a bee getting some nectare and pollen from the Singapore Daisy flower.

In the Fan Palm, I saw a black shape. Now I am sure I will be careful around the palm with Paper Wasps setting up a nest.

I think this is a Lemon Migrant Butterfly among the purple flowers.

I have lots of photos of Brown Ringlets but none taken from the underside. It was almost like a mother of pearl shining in the sunlight.

The Orange Palm Dart flitted around the Pentas flowers.

There is always someone who pokes their tongue out when a photo is being taken.

I seemed to have an obsession in April with spiders webs. The sun glowing gave the web a golden sheen.

This web was damaged by the rain leaving little gems of water on the web.

Some webs were so traditional looking. The tiny spider sat waiting for someone to get snared.

This is a first for me. An Eastern Curlew was walking about the Gulls and Terns.

Some Pelicans had a snooze while others got on with the washing.

This bloke was a bit late but glided in to try and find a spot on the sand bar.

A Lewins Honeyeater was scanning the Fan Palm for something to eat.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters loved the bird bath on a warm Autumn day.

After their bird bath, a couple of Red-browed Firetail Finches sat about doing their laundry.

This Red-browed Firetail Finch showed his firetail

A couple of Buff-rumped Thornbills contemplated going into the water

I am sure the Spangled Drongo was ignoring me.

I have been looking for Royal Spoonbills to photograph for ages. I spied a couple in a flooded park in the middle of Ballina. Not in a wetland as I expected but in town with cars whizzing by. A couple of people wondered what I was doing as they went past.

Don’t my orange eyebrows give me a certain something.

I couldn’t not have a post without a photo of everyones favourite Northern Yellow Robin, our little regular garden visitor, Bobbin.

Thanks for stopping by. Did you have a favourite or two?

Orange

Published on April 27, 2018May 24, 2018 by bushboy13 Comments

The word prompt from Nancy’s A Photo a Week Challenge is Orange

Of course we go to nature for our orange. I found a selection that I think work better in a slideshow. What do you think?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

With an orange sunset and clouds to say goodnight

This is March 2018

Published on April 1, 2018 by bushboy25 Comments

Here we are at what I saw in March. There has been a couple of photo challenges I have done in March so some of those photos aren’t in this lot. It is another big photo post. There are a few photos of snakes, spiders and other insects but try to have a peek through your fingers when they come along. Nature is full of wondrous colours and shapes.

Of course there are flowers and birds plus my March obsession of spiders webs. So I do recommend getting your favourite drink and perhaps a snack as you settle in and have a look at my month of March.

OK, I’ll get the insects out of the way first for all those who have told me of their dislike of bugs. You will be rewarded with seeing some lovely little creatures from my world.

I’ll ease you into the insect section with a lovely Wanderer Butterfly

Remember My Quest to photograph a Blue Triangle Butterfly. Well now it seems they are waiting for me. This Blue Triangle was on the road when we went for a walk.

There were a lot of Easten Common Brown Butterflies around this year.

A long range photo of a lovely bug with orange feelers. Some close ups are coming next.

When you are a small insect you really have to hang on if there is a breeze about.

I look fearsome but I’m not.

A small Fly with red eyes came to sit with us while we had a drink on the deck. Spiders next

Remember the spiders web from my March Squares. Lots of people were glad the spider wasn’t in the web. Well here he is, all 5 or 6mm of him. Better watch out if you are a mossie.

Some spiders hang up side down on their web.

First prize in the messiest web. I love the droplets on the web from the morning mist.

As part of my obsession, I have been playing with my photo editor. Do you like this one?

A bit of respite now. A Lemon Migrant Butterfly on Lantana

While on a day trip, we stopped at an art gallery which wasn’t all that great. Outside life was far more interesting. I found a Praying Mantis eating a Bee in the flower bed.

This poor little bloke couldn’t get his wings folded

Photographing some grass seeds I was photo-bombed by a Dragonfly

I don’t think it was this lovely red Dragonfly. I love the shadow

My favourite Australian Native Bees are the Blue-banded Bees which are in other posts this month. This Australian Native Bee has the best named of all. Let me introduce you to the Teddy Bear Bee. Do you know of a cuter bee name?

When we look out of the kitchen window at my besties place, neatly framed in the arch, waiting for his breakfast too is PJ the horse. He knows where to stand to get attention doesn’t he?

The grass seed photo I talked about earlier.

An Australian Native flower that grows at my place. This one was on the side of the road.

My besties Roses are lovely this year. The camera couldn’t capture the wonderful red colour though

A great year for Bromiliad flowering too.

This plant is called Ink Weed. Apparently you can make ink from the plant. Not sure which part but they did in the early days of the colony.

I have often shown the Blue Ginger flowers up close, sometimes with a Blue-banded Bee in them. This is one patch of them in my besties garden.

I love Cats Whiskers flowers. They are just opening in March.

Aren’t the colours of the garden striking?

Remember the many posts about the Dancing Lady Hibiscus. Here is a shot of the many flowers that came out this year taken from the verandah where we sometimes have breakfast, the most flowers we have ever seen. The Hibiscus bush trails up the Poinciana tree trunks. How many Dancing Ladies can you count?

A tiny Eco-system in a tree trunk on the side of the road.

The fence post was covered on one side with these fungi.

A lone fungus on the side of the hill.

I love this shot from under the Poinciana tree at the small fungi high up.

The Common Garden Skink, I call a Copper Headed Skink, doing its best not to look at the camera before it scurried away.

Apart from flowers, fungi, birds, the Poinciana also has a non-venomous Green Tree Snake who lives in the hollows. These Pythons are harmless

Beautiful little snake. Aren’t the colours and markings lovely?

I wondered why the chook was hesitant about coming out of her yard. When she did she would run across the yard to a sheltered spot. She never came into the front garden. Then I spied why. The Square-tailed Kites have built a nest in a eucalypt in the front yard

The Black Kites are everywhere near the Lismore Waste Center
On a drive to Caniaba, while waiting for some dairy cows to cross the road, I saw two Wedged-tailed Eagles wheeling about high in the sky.

The Little Wattlebird enjoyed singing and searching for food in the Poinciana tree

He saw me with my camera while up side down looking for grubs.

The tiny Buff-rumped Thornbill defied gravity looking for a snack in the Poinciana tree too

A Golden Whistler was in fine voice in the Poinciana tree.

Another singer in the garden is the Varied Triller

A flock of Silvereyes called in to have a feed

A Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike strained to see if it was food or just the wind blowing leaves about

On a recent walk, I spied a young Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike harassing its parent for food

“Where is everyone?” the Pied Cormorant seemed to say as it looked around before diving for fish once more in the Brunswick River.

Meanwhile on the beach at Brunswick Heads, a Welcome Swallow found a convenient stick to perch

Remember the Bromiliad Flower? The Lewins Honeyeater has been sticking his head into the flower to get a snack. The flower also rewarded him but giving him a pollen crown.

I love Wonga Pigeons. This pair were sitting in the garden preening and looking about.

The Grey Fantail looked like he was walking on stilts.

A great moment in March was seeing the Green Catbird feeding her young. Seconds later another young one came along which disturbed the scene and soon all three had flown off.

I can’t do a post with birds and not included Bobbin, the cute resident Northern Yellow Robin. I recently discovered that I have been calling the Yellow Robins around here and at my besties, Eastern Yellow Robins. There are two distinct races of Yellow Robins. So from now on Bobbin and his friends are Northern Yellow Robins.

Thanks for getting this far. I even made a second coffee to keep me going to the end.

The afternoon colour and trees looked so lovely

The Full Moon earlier in March looked great with the clouds drifting by.

I like to put the captions before the photo. What do you do? Do you prefer the captions before or after a photo? Let me know what you think?

Did you have a favourite photo from March?

March Square – number 7

Published on March 12, 2018March 9, 2018 by bushboy11 Comments

A bit of nature for this #MarchSquare showing the fungi we are having

180312_fungi

Drop into Beckys blog to find out how march square is going

This is January

Published on February 6, 2018March 6, 2018 by bushboy35 Comments

January has been a month of hot weather a bit of rain but most of all the butterflies are around. The hot days have made the birds a bit scarce. Now the Summer flowers are out they’ll return. The rain over the past 5 days has seen a lot more smaller birds in the garden.

Ok lets get going. Another huge lot of photos so maybe your favourite drink you enjoy while looking at blogs may be in order again.

Perhaps some flowers and plants to get going. Isn’t the bark on this Australian Native Fig Tree wonderful

The Red Tower Ginger flowers are looking after the garden

More red flowers are emerging

The Blue Ginger buds are ready to burst

I did find a bit of wood fungi in the forest

I have never seem Macaranga flowers before. I am still not sure if they are flowers or buds

The flower buds are high in the canopy. When they open they are tubular white flowers which drop to the garden floor.

A mixture of weeds. A Camphor Laurel leaf on a Cobblers Peg plant

The Cunji are growing so well on the banks of the spring

The spring is a lovely place to be on a hot day.

I discovered this Australian Native plant when I was mowing the front of my place. It is almost two meters tall, covered in white flowers which ants love.

Some bits and pieces
Holding the cattle yards together

The trawler setting off in the afternoon to fish through the night

The rusty seat on the old tractor

Reptiles I have found
The Geckos live in my house. This is the Gecko who lives in the hallway.

You never know who is sleeping on the verandah rafters.

Such pretty markings

Time for some birds
I didn’t know this bird as it flew about me. I have taken photos of Jacky Winter birds before. This is a young bird