moon – bushboys world

This was May

Published on June 9, 2017 by bushboy10 Comments

Ever so late doing my “this is what I found in May.”

So many things have needed doing and my time has been spent doing the many Photo Challenges, which I seem to be obsessed with as they give the opportunity to showcase your photos and techniques and at the same time see what other bloggers from around the world are doing. I love showing my part of this world or some photos of my travels. I hope you have enjoyed these Photo Challenges as much as I have.

OK……….on to my May. May is show time in my town. What I love (as many of you know) are chooks so I always go to the poultry pavilion when I go to the Grafton Show. Here are my favourites from the show.

“Do you like my new hair do?”

“I find the bun at the back is what the fashionable ducks are wearing this season.”

This is the Champion Pair of the Show – I think they are Wyandottes – a classy pair

Even the excitement of the Show doesn’t stop the need to lay an egg.

“Are you talking to me?” “Are you talking to me?”

“Is lunch coming or what?”

One of the Photo Challenges I did was Frames and the Currawong was the first image. This Currawong found the water well in the Poinsettia tree and was enjoying a drink.

The Lewins Honeyeater has been a constant visitor in May to the verandah looking for insects and gathering spiders webs for the nest. I think I was spotted as he looked in the door from the Zygote Cactus.

Another visitor to the garden at this time of year is the lovely little Rose Robin.

The Zygote Cactus have wonderful blooms this year

Some of my besties Pansys

I love this dark purple variety.

Just sitting in a wheelbarrow garden looking fabulous.

Some flowers look lovely at the end of Autumn don’t they?

Sitting in a cafe in Brunswick Heads I spotted the Native Stingless Bees in the garden bed on the street.

The spiders web have a certain magic in the morning light.

One night, there was a banging on the window. We went outside to see what was making all that racket. We found an Emperor Gum Moth sitting on the window sill. Aren’t the antennae wonderful?

You know when Winter approaches when the insects wear their fur coats.

The evening walk had wonderful lighting. I love this old fence with the air ferns and other plant life growing.

The grass seed heads looked spectacular in the late afternoon light. I didn’t do any photo manipulation this is what they actually looked like.

The Moon is almost setting the same time as the sun.

The Sun is setting so I better say good evening and hope you have enjoyed a little bit of May in my part of Australia.

Black and White Sunday: Imperfect

Published on May 9, 2017 by bushboy7 Comments

What a photo challenge set by Paula for Black and White Sunday. Unmask those photos that you probably don’t want people to see.

What a great photo it could have been – the Sea Eagle with a fish.

170509_bandw challenge_sea eagle

I have no idea what I was doing but it’s a nice shoe

170509_bandw challenge_shoe

The cafe had a lot of metal pots, pans and utensils on the top of the cupboard, but most interesting was the watering can. The lighting was great.

170509_bandw challenge_pots

What could be better. A full moon rising with a palm tree in the foreground.

170509_bandw challenge_palm moon

mergeyes_widget

Week 31 – Empty Space

Published on April 26, 2017June 7, 2017 by bushboy8 Comments

With a title like that for 52 weeks photo challenge the sky’s the limit.

A little poem to start

eagle_poem_feb 2015

From the top of the pine tree the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo can see all the empty space around

pickaword_yellow-tailed-black-cockatoo

The Square-tailed Kite was being harassed by the Friarbird

square-tailed-kite_friarbird_named_home_nov-2016

Empty space abounds for the Jacky Winter perched on the old tree branch

jacky-winter_named_home_aug-2016

The Wedged-tailed Eagles getting away with their lunch. The one on the right has a Water Dragon trailing from its feet.

wedged tailed eagle09_named_ramornie_aug 2016

The Ibis soared in the sky.

ibis_lismore_named_dec 2015

The Black-shouldered Kite has the perfect perch to survey his surroundings.

black shouldered kite01_cowans pond_named_mar 2014

The Cormorant has many an empty space. One of my projects is to make some silhouettes of birds.

silhouette-blog_cormorant

Where could there be more empty space than…..weellll……Space

half moon_home_named_dec 2014

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Letters M or N

Published on April 18, 2017May 3, 2017 by bushboy15 Comments

Another of my favourite challenges Cee’s Black & White Letter Photo Challenge

Black and white. The Magpie is black and white

170418_bandw letters_m_magpie

It’s feeding time at the Grey Fantails Nest

170418_bandw letters_n_nest

And one of my favourite things – our Moon

170418_bandw letters_m_moon

Darkness and Light

Published on February 12, 2017 by bushboy15 Comments

Black and White Sunday: Darkness and Light

Black and white images have always been part of my photographic life. When I was in my early teens my first cameras, (one was called a Snappy Camera) were always loaded with black and white film as we couldn’t afford to buy and process colour film. I wish I knew where those photos are now.

I sometimes switch my camera into monochrome when I find a subject that I feel would be great in black and white, especially photographing subjects from the past. Other times I take a colour photo and manipulate it, such as my silhouettes of birds in a previous blog.

I love the moon. It gives me a good feeling when it is full and bright.

I also love taking photos of flowers, their colour, their shape, their form but flowers can also look stunning in black and white.

The photo of the old letterbox is one of my favourites. I must admit that I manipulated the photograph to get the effect I wanted.

I am enjoying the photo challenges.

#black&whitesunday

Novembers finds

Published on November 29, 2016January 6, 2017 by bushboy2 Comments

A bit has been happening in November. First of all my new domain has been registered and I am now a .blog and just a bushboy writing from bushboy.blog

A new sign for the property so any of my Airbnb guests can find me a bit easier. Thank you to my bestie, not only a fabulous artist but a great signwriter as well. Over the next few weeks the old orange “post” will have a bit of a make over as well.

Some of the photos are repeats of subjects that have been in and around my place for the past few months. There is always room for a butterfly or two, a dragonfly and some birds who have been showing off this month. So off we go – have you got your cuppa and are ready to see what I have found in November….

The Square-tailed Kites are still on the nest and I am anxious to see some small heads appear above the nest. Maybe the next blog will have some little Kites for you.

It was a warm day so she was sitting on the edge of the nest with her wings out to help cool her down.

And then see spotted me.

The Caper White Butterflies have started to lessen in numbers but there was a flurry of butterflies earlier in the month.

This is my favourite Caper White Butterfly photo

I am fascinated that some butterflies like sitting on the ground. Australian Painted Ladies seem to enjoy life at ground level even if the ground is bone dry.

I was waiting for ages to get a photo of an Australian Painted Lady with its wings open as I saw the flash of green as it was flying about. An amazing green colour isn’t it?

I always have the little Lineblues flitting around the garden. I noticed that this one seemed different to the others. When I looked in my butterfly book, I found it was still a Lineblue but couldn’t really discover which one it is. Funnily, when I put Lineblue into a search engine for images, there were some of my own photos which didn’t help much at all.

The Orange Grass Dart almost matched the colours of the Dietis Bicolor.

The doors are closed but the Robber Fly seemed determined to get inside out of the heat. It was sitting on the door jamb waiting for me to go inside.

Of course there are dragonflies about the garden especially after I have watered the plants. Their wings are wonderful to look at and the more you look, the more you see the lines and shapes.

With this Dietis iridioides, the little Native Stingless Bees have to venture down inside the flower to fill up their pollen sacks.

As I sit at my desk this Copper-headed Skink is always busy doing his Skink business around the verandah. He moves so fast when he wants that it is so hard to get a photo. One day I’ll be able to show you his face….one day.

I put the bird bath in the old dead tea tree a while ago but it’s not much of a favourite as the terracotta one. One day the King Parrots came in for a drink. Drinking at the terracotta bird bath rises the ire of the Friarbirds who have claimed the garden as their own. Their battles in the garden with the Blue-faced Honeyeaters have been epic. Have a look at this video from my You Tube Channel

All the birds sit on the edge of the bird bath but the White-throated Treecreeper has its own unique way.

Bird number 92 in my list of birds who I have identified (with help of others when I cannot find them) was the Brown Pigeon. Not the Brown Pigeons best side but these colours and markings that you don’t always see.

I was wondering why the leaves and flowers of this plant were on the verandah and the plant looked a bit scrappy. One morning while I was at my desk, along came a Friarbird who started plucking leaves and flowers. The Satin Bowerbirds were also having a go a while ago too.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater was enjoying the morning sun. Another photo from my desk.

This year has been dry but the conditions have suited the Crinums. They have had 2 or 3 flower spikes so far this Spring. Such an amazing flower.

The Lilli Pilli has also had a good flowering. The small tree was just bursting with red flowers which the Native Stingless Bees have been enjoying too. Check out the pollen sack on this bloke and wonder how it can still fly let alone gather more.

Of course, the flowering of the Lilli Pilli has made the tiny Scarlet Honeyeaters sing. Listen to the song in this video. My apologise for some bad camera work but I had to get the song

The Scarlet Honeyeaters also look good from the back don’t you think?

They are lucky to be able to have almost exclusive rights to the Lilli Pilli flowers as the other honeyeaters are too big to land and eat. It certainly takes a bit of acrobatics to utilise the flowers nectar.

It’s almost time to turn on the lights, think about dinner and wash up my cup. Have you finished you cuppa too?

November had the Super Moon. Well it wasn’t very super at my place but still is a lovely sight in our night sky.

Good night…..see you next time.

Birds. Bugs, Flowers and Things

Published on November 13, 2016 by bushboy6 Comments

I love it when I have a mixed lot of photos I have taken. This blog does contain a lot of birds and things that have been previously in past blogs but they keep doing things that are different or I just like the photo and hope you do too. There is one photo that has something different from the usual photos, can you spot it?

The weather over winter and early spring has been dry with some hot days and some windy days. Since 1 August to end of October there only a couple of days where there was good rainfall, but only 14 days of rain over 3 months. Some of the flowering plants have enjoyed the dry. This year the bottlebrushes and paperbarks have had the best flowering ever.

One of the things I like to photograph is when I can see faces in things. These are a couple I have seen lately. Can you see the faces too? The first on was taken at the beach during a walk after a North Coast Landcare get together.

Can you see a dog?

Sometimes the faces can seem rather scary. I had a feeling that someone was watching me.

The Red-necked Wallabies have had a bumper Joey season this year, so it may indicate that the grass in the paddocks will soon turn green and there will be a good summer. These two were eating beside the veranda where there are patches of feed. The Joey may be too big for the pouch but still likes to get a drink from Mum.

One plant that has had a fabulous flowering this year has been the Native Frangipanni. The birds and insects are always around the tree in the early morning and late evening.

My besties garden always has flowers as the rainfall there is much better than at my place. I love the way that this flower seems to explode towards you.

The colours of this small flower are stunning adding a splash of colour throughout the garden.

My hanging pot of bromeliads have never had so many of these striking red flowers. I counted six flowers around the hanging pot. Yes that is a bird’s nest I found on the ground and was placed in the pot.

I wanted a few flowers around and planted some Alyssum seeds and they all came up giving cascades of white flowers from the many pots they were planted in. There were bees and this Hover Fly (I think) buzzing around. What a golden coloured fly!!!

Other visitors to the Alyssum flowers were small butterflies. I managed to get a photo of the Ochre Butterfly before is zoomed off to another flower in the garden.

You can see how dry the ground was when I took a photo of a Meadow Argus. They prefer to land on the ground. The underside of their wings seem fluffy and dull…..

….but the inside wings are very colourful.

In late October the Caper White Butterflies started to fly through my place on their migration to SE Queensland. They have been constantly been in the garden since then. The Pentas is a great butterfly attracting bush.

While walking around Grafton we spied some bee activity around a large Camphor Laurel. I am glad they were too busy to notice me trying to get some photos. When we went back a couple of weeks later there weren’t many bees around at all. Sadly I suspect the Council may have sprayed the nest.

The coming of warm days brings out the insects. There are a good number of varieties of flys at the moment. This brown fly spent some time walking around the rim of the jug on the window sill.

While this insect preferred the window to walk about.

The garden also has its share of insects and bugs. I love the colours on this beetle, don’t you?.

The Dragonflies are swooping around the garden and the dams. This is the blue variety. I think will do a blog just on Dragonflies as I have some other varieties.

I just had to include another White-throated Honeyeater and the hanging watering come small bird birdbath pot. He looks to be saying “Ok mate, where’s my water!!!”

On the walk along the beach I spotted some birds sitting on some rock off the shore. The Pied Cormorants were doing their washing.

Here is bird number 91 I have identified on my place. (I say “I” but has been a team effort from lots of people in my network.) The Common Bronzewing was just strolling along but I managed to get a not very good photo.

Back at the beach walk, on the way down to the beach through the dune I saw a New Holland Honeyeater gathering material for the nest.I’m sure the spider didn’t mind a bit of web taken.

Isn’t it funny how birds can have their heads looking back. The Brown Pigeon was certainly keeping an eye on me.

Amongst the vegetation, chit chatting away the Eastern Whipbird foraged for insects. Their distinctive whip crack call (from You Tube by Linda Hansbauer) many people know but when they are on the ground bustling about the have an insane cackle going on.

The most elusive bird at my besties is the Green Catbird and I am always excited when I find a Catbird amongst the foliage.

In Spring, the Figbirds arrive at my place. Late one afternoon I found this pair cosying up for the night among the branches of the fig tree.

Of course you have seen lots of Blue-faced Honeyeaters on the Honey Gem Grevillea in my previous blogs but the way they can have a snack upside down always fascinates me.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater is contemplating the first flower on a Grevillea I planted a few years ago. I will have to try to find out the name of this Grevillea.

The Tawny Frogmouth (or it may be a Marbled Frogmouth) has the most basic of nests. Just a few twigs thrown onto a flattish spot in a tree. This bird hatched two babies.

Late in the evening, a walk along the shore at Ballina saw many pelicans coming in to roost. First stopping on the light post to make sure the fishermen weren’t cleaning their catch. It’s almost time to go….

…..the moon is up casting a glow so I must be off. See you next time.

This is my August

Published on August 31, 2016 by bushboy5 Comments

August. The final days of winter and the early spring flowers begin to emerge. The weather has been so nice, typical north coast days of mid twenties with cool nights. The nights are cool at my place especially as the cold breezes blow down the Gibraltar Ranges bringing quite chilly evenings and mornings. Didn’t get below zero degrees at the house this winter but there were frosts in the lower part of my property.

As usual, we have been driving around just checking out our world, discovering new things and rediscovering stuff. On one such drive-about, we came across some little Brown Quails warming in the afternoon sun by the side of a back road near Billen Cliffs

Quail are such funny looking birds but have a certain amount of cuteness that makes you smile when you find them bustling about.

The sun was almost set when a cacophony started heading toward us as we stopped at my besties house. The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos had come from the pine forest and up to the gums around the house to roost for the night. There were around twenty to thirty birds squawking in the trees. It was getting dark and I was surprised that I managed to get a photo.

At my place, there has been activity among the trees as some of the eucalypts, Tallowwoods and Bloodwoods, are flowering. Most of the birds are here nearly all year round. The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters can be heard chip chip chipping away during the day.

It seems like I have a photo of an Eastern Yellow Robin in most of my blogs but they are such a lovely little bird. This time here is a rear view for a change.

The Grey Fantails are so busy swooping around the garden.

I was sitting in the study when a bird flew up and down the verandah. It didn’t sit still for very long (I have another entrant in “this is where the bird was a second ago” photos). The Spotted Pardalote sat still long enough for a photo through the glass door.

The King Parrots always drop by and have a look through the door to see what I am doing!!!

My besties bird bath has been the source of so many bird photos. The little Striated Thornbill looks like it saw me as it landed on the bird bath.

One drive took us to Ballina where a late lunch of fish and chips by the estuary near where we have a swim in summer. The tide was out and there were a number of waders way out sifting the sand for their lunch. This Masked Lapwing patrolled the area of sand in front of us, wandering up and down. It was funny to see it on the sand and not walking around the grass in the park.

The White-faced Heron was always finding something to eat as it wandered with purpose on the sands.

In a nearby tree, a Little Cormorant gave me a suspicious look, but still sat looking over the estuary.

The butterflies are just starting to be a regular sight in the garden. Don’t you think that the Orange Streaked Ringlet looks rather angry? I liked the colours as it sat on one of the garden ornaments.

One morning the sun filtered through the trees and highlighted some spider webs in the garden. I just had to stop washing up and grab my camera.

I don’t normally have such luck with spider web photos but these two really made my day.

One afternoon driving home along the Gwydir Highway, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye as I went over the Tindal Bridge. I was sure it was Wedged-tailed Eagles but they were sitting on the ground not far from the edge of the road. See my last blog on the Wedged-tailed Eagles if you haven’t already seen it. When they took to the sky it was a magnificent sight.

At my place, the Red-necked Wallabies are always hanging around. This morning, the young Joey was being brave, until they sensed I was watching from the kitchen window. Some days they Joeys have a great time hopping about. A while ago this Joey was having a great time.

“Is he still there Mum?”

“Oh dear. I better hide so he won’t see me!”

The Joey finally decided to sit in the warming morning sun to contemplate the day ahead.

The Bottlebrush had so many flowers this year, it was a magnet for the birds. The Friarbirds had taken over the garden and spent a lot of time chasing the other birds from the Grevilleas and this Bottlebrush. The bees in the Bottlebrush made the garden buzz

Guess who came in for a snack?

The Rainbow Lorikeets certainly add a splash of colour to the garden.

The Friarbirds look so prehistoric don’t they?

The little Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were also chased about by the Friarbirds.

The Blue-faced Honeyeaters didn’t care either way when the Friarbirds carried on. At the Honey Gem Grevillea, their don’t care attitude was evident in The Battle for the Grevillea

Well the sun is going down……….

…….and the Moon is on the rise. Thanks for reading

Hello May

Published on June 6, 2016 by bushboyLeave a comment

Hello May. May has come and gone. We went back to Macleay Island again and I have another new bird that I have photographed. I do get excited when I find something new.

This collection of photos has some birds, mainly that I have put here before, that I have found in a comical situation. OK situations that I find comical and hope you do too.

There is also a photo of a moth just to warn those people who have a phobia about moths. I should have put that warning in the last blog too. There aren’t any spiders or snakes this time.

This poor old Blue Tiger Butterfly was sitting on a leaf catching a bit of sunshine, probably the last sunshine he had. See the hole in the right wing? And the rest of the wings are a bit shabby and colour bleached.

Here is the moth. An Emperor Gum Moth, one of the largest moths that are around here. Its wingspan is around 150mm. I thought it was a Micro Bat when it flew past me.

This year the Cordyline Rubras flowers were spectacular. I have never seen so many flower spikes. There were lots of bees buzzing around. Can you spot one?

Here is a close up of a flower spike.

On the ferry going to Macleay Island, one of the Morton Bay islands, the ferry was followed by a White-bellied Sea Eagle for a long part of the journey. At one stage it swooped off to the other side of the ferry but didn’t catch anything.

The Curlews are back. I am not sure what they were on but I have not seen such a wide eyed expression.

Here is the photograph first for me. The Pale-headed Rosella. They were having a lovely time in the Grevillea on the property next door to where we stayed on the island.

They have lovely markings don’t they? The red splosh under the tail is eye catching.

Back home, the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters have claimed the sparse flowered Honey Gem Grevillea. The dry weather has reduced the number of flowers of what is usually a shrub laden with flowers. This is what it looked like a while ago

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater are very bossy in the garden at the moment. Taking up vantage points around the garden to chase of anyone who thinks they might get at the flowers. The Eastern Spinebills are the one who seem to be picked on the most.

The Blue-faced Honeyeater has a black chin. I hadn’t noticed how extensive it was before. I have gone through the previous photos and none have shown the honeyeaters chin before.

Hi on the tree, the Eastern Rosella was just hanging out. It seemed to see me with the camera and just posed for quite a while.

Look at me, don’t I look splendid?

After a while it was a case of “See my butt!!” and away it flew.

I love getting photos of Eastern Whipbirds. They never sit still long enough to get good photos. I took this photo as it was just about to take off.

The bird bath is always a place to get some birds. The White-throated Honeyeaters swapped from the small hanging pot to the bigger bird bath.

Although it doesn’t look like the water was to this ones liking. Don’t honeyeaters have long tongues?

I love it at this time of year. There is always someone new in the garden. The little Rose Robins are so cute.

Driving home one afternoon, I spied a Wedged Tailed Eagle feasting on a bit of road kill. Despite getting into my best sneaky mode, the eagle flew into a nearby tree to wait for me to go so it could continue dinner.

Well it’s night time and the moon is beaming down. Goodnight.

As I wander about

Published on September 7, 2015September 7, 2015 by bushboy2 Comments

It’s been ages since I have had time to get things sorted, to take time for things and actually sit down to set out to write a bit. I have been taking photos of all manner of stuff – as you will see. It is difficult to have a clear pathway of thoughts, to put ideas down and try to make sense so that you can follow where I have been and what I have seen. Many a time I just take off to see what I can discover and see something that I find interesting, colourful or part of our world that some people would just walk by everyday and not think of the beauty. Perhaps I look at the world in a different way, to imagine in my head what I see, grab my camera and let the lens take me where I think it should go. Enough of a jumble of thoughts – as The Beatles sang

“Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe”

So lets go across the universe or through a small part of my world. Starting at the beginning. Early one misty morning, some rogue cattle were walking along the road when we was taking a walk.

Further down the road, the spiders webs were all through patches of grass. Small cup shaped webs dotted the side of the road in their hundreds.

As it is still rather cool here I am still out in the bush every couple of weeks to cut some firewood. One morning I noticed the White-winged Choughs doing their daily march along the clearing with their incessent chatter as they kicked over sticks and rocks looking for their breakfast. They had an almost straight line as they marched up the hill.

Sometimes you can look up and see a Spangled Drongo fly past the moon, even in the late afternoon.

I though the Bellwood Cormorant Hotel was rather fab but the double decker Osprey nest near Chinderah has a far better vantage point.

While we were having lunch in the Tweed Heads industrial/shopping complex, we watched as a bird swooped across the car park, grab what we think was a lizard and go back to the roof top and eat away. After I took the photo (OK I took heaps of photos), I discovered it was an Australian or Nankeen Kestral. What a pretty bird don’t you think?

Speaking of pretty, the Emerald Doves are out and about in numbers at the moment. This bird was not all that content having me stalk it to try and get a good photo.

It stuck its bum in the air as if to say “Go on….take a photo of my best side!!!”

This little bird was sitting in the tree singing its little lungs out.

Having a cuppa on the verandah one morning, one of the local King Parrots decided to pop over and see if we had any snacks.

The Bar-shouldered Dove didn’t seem to mind the Brush Turkeys leaf raking exercise. The turkey was flicking leaves so high into the air! The turkey’s litter mound is about 5 meters away from where it was methodically raking leaves.

One morning I found a Rainbow Lorikeet sitting on the ladder in the old swimming pool looking rather grumpy.

OK….now this is where things take a different direction for a while. One day we decided to walk across the Clarence River on the walkway under the Grafton Bridge. The structure has been graffitied over the years and the layers of paint with a bit of rust made lovely colours and patterns.

I like the rust colours.

This green almost looked like moss.

One of the hundred of thousand rivets holding te bridge together. Small but significent.

The walkway along the bridge also had two tunnels at either end which have always been “decorated”. Sometimes some of the graffiti has to be added to doesn’t it?

Othertimes the message is what everyone needs to hear.

One of my favourite cafes in Grafton is the Tilted Teaspoon. Skye has a wonderful sense of decoration with ever changing bits and pieces gleaned from Op-Shops and garage sales.

The water below the bridge has shapes that change as the water ripples from passing water craft. This one is rather spooky.

Speaking of spooky, what is the blue flash that appeared in my besties loungeroom?

I love the “eye lashes” on the bullet hole in the road sign.

Enough of the different stuff and back to colour and nature. The red flower of the eucalypt just seems to burst in a riot of colour.

One of the first flowers that I started to photograph many years ago were the Azalias of the next door neighbours. They had so many varieties that cascaded over the front suburban fence. The colours were superb. My besties Azalias have been a wonderful splash of colour around her garden. The deep pink flowers are lovely. One of the surprises when taking photos is the unexpected bits that are in and around the flowers.

This flower was hidden inside the same bush as the pink one above.

The red Azalias are such a stand out in the garden.

The Irises are dotted through the garden not being showy but adding a bit to the shape and form in the garden. It also is the home for a small spider.